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The Florence Restaurant honors swimming legend

When you think about San Diego sports icons, Tony Gwynn and Bill Walton may come to mind. But there's another name a new restaurant wants you to add to the list.

SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) – When you think about San Diego sports icons, Tony Gwynn and Bill Walton may come to mind. But there's another name a new restaurant wants you to add to the list.

The Florence is a restaurant, cocktail bar and café opening in the Sabre Springs neighborhood near Poway.

Restaurant owner Nick Sanderson says the business pays homage to San Diego swimming legend Florence Chadwick. Chadwick, a Point Loma High School graduate, is known for being the first woman to swim across the English Channel in both directions - she did it in 1951. She was also the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, the Straits of Gibraltar, the Bosporus, and the Dardanelles.

The restaurant owners and the Chadwick family have come together to share photos, swimming trophies and other memorabilia in the space.

Executive Chef Ricardo Heredia's explained how his menu is inspired by Chadwick's aquatic lifestyle. For instance, Chadwick used to gain twenty pounds before her open water swims and with a dish like the "Chadwick Bun" on the menu, it's a gastronomical gateway to revealing a little something about Chadwick's unique story.

Florence Chadwick died at the age of 76 in 1995.

The Florence opens next week with a 10,000-square-foot indoor area and two-acre outdoor space.

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