Backwater Voodoo

Chef and Owner Maria Walusis has been passionately preparing delicious food for over thirty years. She has trained under and partnered with leading chefs in both Dayton and Cincinnati, and her restaurant Watermark was voted Best Fine Dining in the 2017 Dayton.com poll. Maria was also the winner of the “Dayton Chef Showdown” in 2018.

Eric began his love for cocktails – and especially Tiki Drinks – over a decade ago, and the dream of bringing that culture back to Dayton was over five years in the making. The two also share a love for New Orleans, its food and culture, but that passion and the world of Tiki had yet to come together.

After touring tiki bars around the country, they realized that a Tiki bar need not be made of grass huts and fish nets. And so the French Quarter with its colorful Creole Cottages inspired the décor and food menu. A dream was born of authentic Creole and Cajun dishes, paired with expertly crafted Tiki cocktails that would make Donn Beach and Trader Vic proud.