Restaurant Owner and Executive Chef Shannon Andes Puts Her Best Plates Forward
By Butch Maier / Photo above: Owner and Executive Chef Shannon Andes
Bread & Butter, an Onancock restaurant where globally inspired flavors meet elevated comfort food, opened in February 2026. Owner and Executive Chef Shannon Andes noticed some early customers were confused by what the restaurant was called, expecting only sandwiches and paninis. She offered so much more—as well as a sweet reason for the name.
“‘Bread & Butter’ came from my grandma,” Andes said. “She was a very important person in my life. I could make her a five-course meal, and I could put my heart and soul into it, and she said she would just be happy with bread and butter. So, it stuck with me, and the minute it popped in my head when I was opening the restaurant, I was like, ‘That’s it. That’s the one.’”
The Menus
Deciding on the name was one thing. How does a chef decide on the menu? She figured, why stop at just one menu? Andes changes the Bread & Butter menu seasonally. “There’s a few favorites I won’t touch because I don’t want people to be mad,” she said. “But it’s a totally different menu.” The rotation includes house-made pastas, fresh seafood, creative pizzas, and bold starters blending international influences with familiar favorites. “I have probably 12 full menus just written in my notes in my diary,” Andes said. “It’s things I wake up at 4 in the morning I think of. It’s things that I have had. The Revello Pasta is a take on a pasta I had in Revello, Italy. A lot of people think it says ‘Ravioli’ at first, and then they’re like, ‘I wasn’t expecting this.’ But yeah, it was from a tiny town in Italy, right on the Amalfi Coast. It was just this beautiful lemon cream sauce, and I just kind of took it and put my twist on it. All my visits are centered around food, so I know what I am gonna eat and where I’m gonna eat before I go.”
The Revello Pasta, the Seafood Pasta, and the Honey Walnut Crispy Shrimp were the few main dishes that carried over from the spring menu to the summer. The Scallops & Grits made way for an offering with Scallops and Corn Three Ways. “It’s very innovative. It’s fun,” she said. “It’s cool. It’s hip. I try to keep up with all the trends and what’s happening. I love plating. That’s, kind of, my way of showing who I am.” The summer menu introduced a Clams and Chorizo appetizer, a Prosciutto and Fig Pizza, and a Brown Butter Bourbon Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich.
Bread & Butter’s craft cocktail program features house infusions, brown butter fat-washed bourbon, and modern twists on classics alongside a curated wine list and rotating drafts.
Ample Samples
Bread & Butter dishes not only tasted great going down, when they arrived on the plate, they were a feast for the eyes.
“We just like to be playful with our plating and make it art,” Andes said.
The Six Fresh Rolls consisted of pizza dough, made fresh each day. After rising for three hours, they towered above the plate. Two rolls were more than enough for one person at the table. So, either split them with the table or take some of them home to enjoy later.
The Honey Walnut Crispy Shrimp contained delightful, lightly dredged fresh rock shrimp, honey sauce, walnuts, green onion, and pickled peppers.
The Scallops & Gritsfeatured a fried grit cake topped with four big, yummy scallops, pickled fennel, pickled peppers, and a corn salsa made with fresh corn.
The Pepperoni Pizza offered a nice sprinkling of smaller pepperonis, rather than plastering on so many large ones as to overwhelm the pieces.
The Long Road Here
Andes attended culinary school at the Art Institute of Washington, outside D.C., when she was 18. Then she worked at an Italian restaurant for 10 years. Then she was a firefighter for six years in St. Petersburg, Florida. She moved to New York to cook for the board members at New York Life Insurance. “That was a really cool gig,” Andes said. “No budget. Could do whatever I want. They ate every single day—they would have up to 18 people down to just the CEO, who would want a special dinner.” She moved to Richmond for a bit to be near family.
Then she heard from her brother, Keith Andes, who owns Driftwood & Moss, a furniture-and-goods store at 6 North St., Onancock. He told Shannon about an available location just down the street from his. “So, I came and toured this space and fell in love,” the chef said of the building which became her restaurant. “I think it’s a really cool spot.” Two Italian restaurants preceded Bread & Butter at the address.
Money Matters
Andes, who rents the building, opened the restaurant with approximately $60,000. Her recommendation to other restaurant startups: Have at least a $20,000 buffer for initial food orders, liquor, beer, and payroll. Andes said the permit process was simple, and the only uncertainty was how the new eatery would be received.
“This was my first time here, so I kinda didn’t know what to expect when making the menu,” Andes said. “The night before we launched it, I was so nervous. ’Cause I was like, ‘Am I going too bold? Are they gonna get it? Are they gonna get the vibe?’
“It’s the smallest town I’ve ever lived in, but they’re showing up. They’re coming from all over the Shore. Sometimes they’re coming from Maryland and Virginia Beach. And I just wanted to make sure that it was a safe space, not only for the [LGBTQ+] community but just everybody—I want everybody to be happy when they come in. Eat good food. Have great drinks. And good service. ’Cause I think that’s hard to find—that trio. So, that’s what we strive to.”
Bread & Butter
Opened: 2026
Business: Restaurant
Owner: Executive Chef, Shannon Andes
Address: 46 King St., Onancock
Website: breadandbutteronancock.com
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 4-9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 4-10 p.m.
