Knock, knock.Who’s there?
Amos.
Amos who?
A mosquito!
( or Amos Mosquito!)
We know, not very funny, but that’s where our name comes from. As a child, our founder, Hallock Cooper Howard, ended that joke with “Amos Mosquito,” mistelling the punchline, but remembered that joke only to use it to name her restaurant a couple decades later.
In the spring of 1999 Hallock, a graduate of UNC at Chapel Hill and the Culinary Institute of America, opened Amos Mosquito’s Swampside Cafe on the Morehead City waterfront with the help of her parents, Pam and Buddy Cooper. After four years of serving lunch and dinner, Hallock contemplated getting out of the restaurant business BUT about that same time she met Sandy Howard, a businessman in his own right. Hallock and Sandy decided to get married and settle in Atlantic Beach. Not long after they made those decisions a new opportunity presented itself. A building, an old restaurant in Atlantic Beach, became available for purchase. Inspired with a new challenge, Hallock and Sandy decided to work together and make a new Amos Mosquito’s: Amos Mosquito’s Restaurant and Bar. This time the team was much smaller: Hallock, her mother Pam, and Sandy opened the new spot in the spring of 2003. Hallock was the chef, Sandy was the general manager and Pam was the bookkeeper. They had all the bases covered, but it was clear they were going to need more managerial help.
One night in early 2005, Sandy and Hallock’s friend, Dave Brumley, came in for dinner on a visit from Raleigh. Dave had been working and managing the Glenwood Grill in Raleigh since 1998. Dave had been contemplating moving to the beach, and Amos Mosquito’s turned out to be the opportunity Dave had been looking for. After a brief discussion the next day, Dave said “yes” to joining the Amos family as a manager and business partner.
Over the years, some things have changed; we’ve seen Hallock and Sandy, to Pam’s delight, have a couple of kids and Dave married Mollie. With her growing family and home life, Hallock stepped down from Executive Chef but still gets in the kitchen as needed, whether as the chef, line cook, or sushi chef. Sandy and Dave continue to team together to run the day to day and night to night sides of the business, and either one or both can be found at the restaurant nearly every night.
Anne Johnson joined the Amos Mosquito’s team as our Sous Chef in the spring of 2020 and was named Executive Chef in March 2021. Anne received her culinary degree at Stratford University in Virginia, graduating Summa Cum Laude and top of her class. Anne executive chefed at the Kenmore Inn in Fredericksburg, Virginia prior to moving to the Crystal Coast with her husband Will Speights.
At Amos Mosquito’s, we always have our eyes AND taste buds on the latest culinary trends, taking those trends and transforming them for our restaurant’s styles. Though we continue to roll and change with the industry’s tide, we remain focused on presenting delicious, only housemade creations while delivering detailed service in a fun environment.
