THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 2, 1995 TAG: 9508010081
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALLISON T. WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Mike and Tina Dulong have reopened the doors to a Smithfield love affair.
``Joe Luter told us people have always had a love affair with the inn, that it has always been an icon for people in Smithfield,'' says Dulong, chef at the newly opened Smithfield Inn. He and his wife recently took over management of the inn in the historic downtown area.
``We are trying to give Smithfield back its inn . . . and let local folks have something to brag about,'' Mike Dulong said Monday during an interview at the inn.
The building, which is owned Joseph W. Luter III, was built in 1752, one of the first structures in Smithfield. After being closed for interior remodeling for the last eight months, the Smithfield Inn reopened two weeks ago. The Dulongs plan to have a ribbon-cutting soon to officially mark the occasion.
And business is booming, Mike Dulong said. Since the inn has been open, each day's sales have exceeded the previous day's sales - and the inn's second week doubled its first week's sales, he said.
For the last three years, the Dulongs had been looking for a bed and breakfast they could run together. But they couldn't find what they wanted, so they decided to return to Mike's native Boston, where his father had recently died.
Just two days before they were to move, some friends urged them to check out the Smithfield Inn.
``When we walked in, our eyes must have looked like big lightning bugs,'' Mike Dulong said. ``We were awestruck. We knew this was the opportunity of a lifetime.''
Dulong is a 27-year-old former Navy SEAL. While in the Navy, he spent his nights taking cooking classes at Johnson & Wales University, a culinary arts school in Norfolk. After his military stint, Dulong worked in the kitchens of several area restaurants, including The Lucky Star and The Swan Terrace at Founders Inn in Virginia Beach.
A former public relations executive, Tina Dulong, 32, oversees the inn's guest rooms and is in charge of marketing. Before moving to Smithfield, she worked at WHRO, Hampton Road's public television station, and in public relations for the Virginia Port Authority in Norfolk. She is also a six-time world champion roller skater, with three titles in pairs skating and three in free-style.
She says she hopes to market the Smithfield Inn as an ideal destination to motorists within a three-hour driving range. The inn rents four three-room suites, each with a private sitting room, bathroom and queen-sized bed, for $125 a night, including breakfast.
The restaurant is open to the public for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday; lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., dinner from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
``We believe this is an ideal destination for folks wanting to get out of the city for a drive and to have dinner and drinks,'' Tina Dulong said.
The Dulongs have been married for five years and have a 5-month-old son, Gabriel. They are in the process of moving to Smithfield.
The inn first earned its reputation for good food in the early 1800s, when it was operated as a tavern on the stage coach route that ran from Portsmouth to Petersburg. In 1854, the building was bought by the Vestry of Christ Episcopal Church to be used as a rectory.
During the Civil War, it fell into disrepair and was virtually uninhabitable until the late 1800s. It became a private residence in the early 1900s and in 1922 was turned into an inn by Daniel and Annie Mae Sykes. ILLUSTRATION: Drawing
The Smithfield Inn, built in 1752, has reopened.
by CNB