Jimmy Buffett--Robert Ludlum St. Thomas
Jimmy Buffet-------- Robert Ludlum St. Thomas
@
Jelly's World Famous Seafood House Since 1976
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So Buffet comes into Jelly's early nite with 5 other sailing buddies back in 1976, that entire year Jelly's had no more than ten customers in a nite, sometimes there were two days without any at all, zip.
My most loyal client was Robert Ludlum who spent many afternoons writing at Jelly's, he liked the fact that nobody else was in the restaurant, he was a silent partner in Jelly's, Jelly's a name that combined two names Jeff-Elly etc, because my landlady and Island grande dame Elly Heckert raised the $ for the build out of an old Pier in Crown Bay Sub Base St. Thomas, and I supplied the labor , that is myself and Howell from Dominica and a few other West Indian construction guys, took us six months,
Elly and Bob were close friends, they both had homes on the Island, Elly a writer herself," Muscavado" the name of her Caribbean Island tale.
Bob had been in during this particular day, we were not open to the public during the day , so he could write in peace with no disturbances.
St. Thomas
Anyway back to Jimmy, that nite six dudes for dinner? Jimmy was already a celebrity , but to be honest it could have been Charles Manson and his crew as far as I was concerned, six paying clients? Whoopee!, and the truth is I knew who Jimmy was only because he had been in town for a few days and had done some jamming downtown at a joint called Yesterdays. St. Thomas the perfect place for his musical style, laid back hippy sailors cruising tunes.
Back then I was Jelly's World Famous? cook, dishwasher and bartender, I employed one waiter on staff, that is it, a hostess maybe, I forget, anyway Jimmy and his crew order six steaks, the last six steaks I possess to be honest, I put those puppies on the charcoal burner and the flames reach to the sky! , setting off the Ansel Fire prevention system on the charcoal burners hood, a dense white fire retardant powder is released and coats those last six steaks, luckily I am the only one that sees this disaster , but now what?
What is this:I take the steaks to the kitchen sink, wash them off with hot water, boom all is aok as far as I am concerned!. The dudes are fed, and happy. On the way out Jimmy stops by the kitchen to thank me, I said You are sooo welcome dude! I meant that to, because to be honest I could not wait for them to depart, I was not sure if the powder from the fire prevention system was harmless or fatal in humans in small amounts, I was pretty sure I had cleaned it all off the steaks, but----so when they hit the front door to depart I was joyful, for the coming and the healthy departure of Jimmy and his buddies. A few were walking funny, but I knew that was the Mount gay rum they had wolfed down.. Ciao baby! I was sooooo happy to see them depart, and in decent health, much more so than to see them come in.
Jimmys career and mine would be so different if that white powder had been lethal!. A thin line , life is.
End of story? Sort of, though Jimmy allows me street credit for that nite, because
in his album “ Boats, Beaches,, Bars and Ballads” Jimmy has a written ships diary that comes with the album from that time in 1976 , in it he mentions Jelly's, and rates his meal four stars! Would be 5 if not for that fire! One day in the life or a restaurateur.
Jimmy Buffet-------- Robert Ludlum
@
Jelly's World Famous Seafood House Since 1976