Exploring the Island's Cultural Roots, One Restaurant at a Time
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By GERRY and PAMELA BARKER
North Palm Beach Life Published May 10, 2019 Related: Coral World, Sightseeing Tour ST. THOMAS_It's called the "St. Thomas Food Tour," but be prepared for much more: You'll learn as much about this Virgin Island's history and culture as its culinary trademark dishes. We joined the Historic Main Street Food Tour on a recent visit there. Our tour guide was Gerard Sperry, a Boston transplant and sailing enthusiast who has made this island his home for over a decade. Our starting point was Fort Christian (that's it at the top of the page), the oldest standing structure in the islands, built by the Danes in 1671. It has served as a fort, government house and jail at various times, and worth a visit by itself. For the next three hours or so, Sperry will be leading us through a walking tour of downtown Charlotte Amalie, where our cruise ship is docked. Right off the bat we learn about the real pirates of the Caribbean as Sperry details the history behind the buildings around us. Our group is small -- about than a dozen or so -- which is a nice size for a walking tour. In fact, please join us as we head out to explore this beautiful place... Photos by North Palm Beach Life |
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Gerard Sperry, our tour guide, in the yellow shirt
One of the beautiful murals in the downtown Post Office
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Our first stop is E's Garden Teahouse...
The authors -- ready for tea time!
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Quiche, salad, hibiscus tea ... in a charming
setting. Off to a good start!
Next stop: My Brother's Workshop Bakery (MBW)...
We got to try their coconut rum cake -- out of this world good!
That's Julius Jackson, on the right, with Pam. Jackson is a professional boxer with 20 wins to his credit. His bakery is a non-profit that provides "mentoring, paid job training and placement to at-risk and high-risk young people in the USVI." Bravo!
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Down a few streets and through an alley to ...Gladys' Cafe
Highly popular with the locals, we soon knew why. The conch fritters were divine, and the kalaloo soup fantastic. If you want authentic island dishes, this is the place. |
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Speaking of authentic, let's try some real street food next...
Sperry gets ready to order the group a round of pates -- meat pies, with a flaky crust, a real island tradition. Pam, right, relaxes in Palm Passage, an
adjunct shopping area. |
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Last stop -- The Drunken Clam for a drink
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What better way to cap off a fun and informative tour than with a Bushwacker, a drink invented in the Virgin Islands featuring dark rum, Kahula and creme de cacao.
Here's to Gerard. Thanks for the great tour!
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