There’s no denying that the heart and soul of the Virgin Islands lies in the territory’s robust agriculture. With its rich, premium soil and its proximity to the equator, this combination creates a unique taste and texture in produce that surpasses the flavor of food grown on the United States mainland. St. Croix, an island once known as the “Breadbasket of the Caribbean,” has continued to make strides to eliminating food insecurity on the island with recent support from World Central Kitchen’s (WCK) Food Producer Network (FPN).
FPN was established in Puerto Rico 2018 in response to the devastating hurricane season the year prior. To date, $3.7 million in grants have been disbursed to over 200 food producers affected by natural disasters in the Caribbean and Central America. In 2020, WCK expanded the program to the Virgin Islands to support the farmers, fishers and food-related small businesses that suffered catastrophic losses after Hurricanes Irma and María. FPN helps to strengthen food security and sustain economic development throughout the territory’s food producing communities for many years to come.
Mikol Hoffman, Director of WCK’s Food Producer Network, shared his vision on how the program benefits the USVI. “We have seen through collected data that program participants increase their sales and production by over 50% after one year in the Network,” said Hoffman. FPN also works to connect its partners to each other and bring together a vibrant community of food producers who now actively collaborate through new production and distribution partnerships. This results in greater reach and increased market presence. “Through these efforts, program participants can become stronger as a whole than as individual food system operators and increase their productive resilience against future disasters.”
When asked about the potential of developing sustainable food systems in the USVI, Hoffman credited the territory’s abundance of fertile lands and abundant waters. “We see tremendous potential in not only developing a sustainable food system, but a thriving food economy with interconnected food producers working hand in hand.”
To date, WCK has invested over $300,000 through 20 grants across the Virgin Islands, with an average grant size of $15,000. Their latest round of funding invested $78,000 through five grants to food producers on St. Croix and St. Thomas including Concordia Farm, Crescent Farms, Kallaloo Farms, LLC and Mystical Farms on St. Croix and Tropical Pops Popsicles on St. Thomas.
For more information, please visit wck.org/fpn-usvi to learn more about World Central Kitchen’s Food Producer Network in the US Virgin Islands.
Photo of Kallaloo Farm – Edward Schuster
Article written by Anquanette Gaspard (agaspard@cruzanfoodie.com) for Coldwell Banker, St. Croix Realty
Fresh, Flavorful & Creative Cuisine with an Eclectic Twist
Since 1998, Savant has delivered on its promise of providing fresh, flavorful and creative cuisine to residents and visitors of St. Croix. Owner Tom Miller recalls the soft opening on the September night of the Christiansted Jump Up festival saying, “we’ve kept it a soft opening ever since!”
What has kept Savant going for so long is their ability to learn from the past and implement new ways of getting better and better with each dinner service. “We spend so much time at the restaurant that you make it somewhat like your living space, like you’re at home,” said Miller. That warm, welcoming ambiance combined with their fresh and flavorful dishes is a large part of the reason why guests continue to return to Savant to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries or even to pop the BIG question! “Great, friendly service, great food and the vibe of Savant is one of the enduring things that transcends everything.”
One of the most unique features of Savant is the two dining experiences in one location. Guests can choose to enjoy dinner in the outdoor courtyard which has a romantic, Old World feel or they can opt for the intimate, sophisticated atmosphere of their air conditioned indoor dining room. Both options offer the same menu that features iconic house favorites like the char-grilled baby calamari, the portobello and goat cheese Stuffed Filet and their Bacon Wrapped Double Cut Pork Chop. Nightly one-of-a-kind specials are whipped up by Executive Chef Darryl Hanna and his kitchen staff. Miller regularly encourages his kitchen to be creative with the nightly specials board as it’s their time to really flex their culinary muscles. Hanna started his culinary journey at Savant ten years ago and has been one of Miller’s favorite chefs. His mellow personality easily fits in with the restaurant’s vibe and in a way, shows how the establishment has come full circle. “He’s more like family than anything else, getting us back to where we were before with some classic things we used to do in the beginning and some new things as well.”
Savant is open Monday through Saturday from 6pm to 10pm. For more information, visit their website at www.savantstx.com or call them at 340.713.8666 to make a reservation.
Article written by Anquanette Gaspard (agaspard@cruzanfoodie.com) for Coldwell Banker, St. Croix Realty
This US Virgin Islands — St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas — has lush green hillsides and beautiful beaches surrounded by colorful coral reefs. According to the Nature Conservancy, coral reefs in the Virgin Islands are essential for a healthy ocean, thriving economies and prosperous communities.
St. John non-profit Island Green Living Association and a coalition of environmental groups, community leaders, academics and businesses are leading an effort to raise awareness of the harmful impact of oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene, which are commonly found in chemical sunscreens. They have filed a petition to the FDA for the removal of sunscreen products containing ‘the Toxic 3 Os’. The coalition argues that if that screen contains one of ‘the Toxic 3 Os,’ it could contribute to the failing health of Caribbean coral reefs. The petition is signed by a retired scientist and industry toxicologist, senators, and organizational leaders as reported by the St. Croix Source. It also reports that the U.S. Virgin Islands and Hawaii are especially vulnerable to the environmental impact of contaminants on coral reefs and both have laws on the books banning toxic sunscreen. Read more here.
If you are interested in learning simple ways to help save coral reefs and the fish, animals and plants that depend on them, read more here.
Infographic from National Ocean Service: Sunscreen Chemicals and Marine Life
A renowned St. Croix hotel returns! Thirty-two years after Hurricane Hugo ravaged St. Croix, an iconic hotel has returned to its former space after its doors were shuttered due to the catastrophic 1989 storm. Grapetree Bay Hotel & Villas is located on St. Croix’s East End across the bay from the Divi Carina Bay Resort & Casino. Once heralded as the most sought out hotel in the late 1960s, the widespread 45-acre property was purchased by an investment group with the project being led by one of its members, Josh Sayre. Originally from California, Sayre is an established construction manager with extensive experience in remodeling dilapidated homes and buildings. His work on island includes low-income homes built for VI Housing Finance Authority as well as a few private homes for sale. He decided to take on the hotel rebuild but knew it would require his constant presence on island. He moved to St. Croix full time to spearhead the project.
This massive undertaking required Sayre and his team of local professionals to completely overhaul the damaged property with poured concrete walls, reinforcing the structure that was left. “There was too much concrete to completely tear down the building,” said Sayre. It took two years for the main building to be complete. It features 18 guest rooms, the hotel pool plus the property’s Sea Terrace Restaurant. After renovation is fully completed, there will be 56 rooms and another restaurant on the property. The restaurant and pool officially opened to the public on August 7, 2021. Head Chef Brittany Middleton is leading the way in the kitchen with a solid team preparing a diverse selection of appetizers and sandwiches featuring locally sourced produce, house made breads, croissants and desserts. Originally, Middleton was hired as a line chef and was later promoted to head chef. The restaurant is currently open for lunch on Saturdays and Sundays only from 11am to 3pm. A few brunch options will be added to the current menu in September with fine dining in the evenings slated to be added soon.
Sayre and his wife currently serve as general manager, restaurant manager, expediters, bartenders, wait staff and everything else in between as they ramp up their hiring efforts in anticipation of the hotel’s opening in late 2021. Guests can request reservations by emailing grapetreehotel@gmail.com for inquiries on current availability. For more information, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/grapetreebayhotel.
Article written by Anquanette Gaspard (agaspard@cruzanfoodie.com) for Coldwell Banker, St. Croix Realty
Living on St. Croix, we spend a lot of time outside enjoying the beautiful weather. Having outdoor living spaces are an important factor for many of our clients when they shop for a home. This month, we spoke with Pat Sellegren, owner of Sweet Lime Furnishings, about outdoor furniture:
Christie: Please tell us more about outdoor furniture that will make the most of an outdoor space.
Pat: Let’s talk about style first. Style leads to material. There was a period of time when the options in outdoor furniture was very limited. That is not the case anymore. You can find everything from very traditional to the most contemporary look. Good furniture, whether it’s indoor or outdoor furniture, is an investment, and you have to think about it that way.
Unfinished teak is an extremely durable product. If kept out of direct sunlight and under cover, you won’t have to do much to it to keep it in excellent condition, or you can seal it. If you like the gray weathered look, it’s easy to achieve. If it’s aged, it can be brought back simply by using a teak cleaner.
There are many all weather wicker products. These products are extremely durable, and will last indefinitely. Triconville (triconville.com) is a wonderful manufacturer and their wicker products comes in a number of different weaves. A rod weave is where the it’s rounded. it also comes in flat weaves, sort of like rattan. You want to think about the frame under it, as well. A welded aluminum frame is not going to deteriorate like a steel frame. Steel frames can be riveted instead of welded, so that the rivets could pop out. If the wicker is not high-quality, it’s going to start deteriorating in in just a few years in this environment.
People think of natural rattan as being fragile, but it’s not if you take care of it. It’s not your best choice for outside unless it’s under the cover of a patio or gallery.
Polywood (polywood.com), is a brand name for recycled high density durable polyethylene plastic. It offers a 20 year warranty. It’s available in many colors, and is virtually maintenance free. There are any number of styles, from contemporary to traditional, rockers, bar height tables, counter height tables and chairs, and dining height.
There are beautiful outdoor fabrics to compliment your outdoor furniture. We recommend Sunbrella canvas on cushions (sunbrella.com). They can be taken off and washed in the washing machine on cold. Even the colors can be bleached, hung out to dry, and put back on. But, not all of their new pattern fabrics can be bleached. The fabric is extremely durable and does not rot, fade, or mildew. If the cushions are dirty, the dirt will attract mildew. It’s so nice to be able to wash it, and have it hold up literally for years. Sunbrella fabrics are comfortable to sit on without that harsh scratchy feeling. We even recommend it for indoors. It’s very easy to have a cushion recovered, so don’t think of this as only for new furniture.
Here on St Croix, homes with pools are very popular. It’s an amenity sought out by our buyers.
Recently, we talked about pools with Michael Baker of Seascape Pools on St. Croix and he has some great tips and information we want to share:
What are the different surfaces for pools?
Tile pools are common and beautiful. If tile pools are not kept clean and the chemicals monitored, algae can grow and can deteriorate the grout.
Concrete pools can be painted with a variety of pool paints and colors, or finished with a product like Diamond Brite, one of the best long-term surfaces. Since Diamond Brite has a texture, there is a tradeoff between the beauty of it and staying on top of the maintenance. The Marquee finish is smoother, so it’s easier to maintain. Painted and Diamond Brite surfaces will need to be recoated at some point during their life.
Vinyl pools are really nice, and come in many different prints and colors. With the strong UV light here on St. Croix, the vinyl can fade in 5 to 6 years, depending on how much sun the pool gets, the chemicals used, and the thickness of the vinyl. I wouldn’t recommend vinyl pools to anyone with a dog who would swim in it — dogs’ claws can easily pierce vinyl.
A vinyl liner is also a good repair option, since it can go over an existing surface to fix a leak that can’t be easily or inexpensively repaired. Fiberglass is another type of finish that can fix cracks and leaks, and is easy to maintain.
Can you talk about chlorine vs. salt system pools?
Chlorine pools use floaters with chlorine tablets in them. Think of the rubber duckies with sunglasses! Chlorine is just one of the chemicals that needs to be monitored so that the pool is comfortable to swim in and the chlorine keeps doing its job. That’s a big part of my job, monitoring and adjusting all the chemicals, not just the chlorine.
Salt water pools are the most efficient. Salt water pools use a chlorine generator to convert bulk salt into chlorine. It’s one of the best systems. The higher end systems are very dependable but I’ve found that the cheaper systems can be higher maintenance.
What about filter types?
It depends on the size of the pool as to what you should use. If you have a small pool, the smaller cartridge filters are a good choice. Over a period the time, those cartridges need to be replaced.
The PLD series from Pentair is a different type of filter that uses both a cartridge and DE (diatomaceous earth). These are the best, and are so easy to take apart, spray down the cartridge, and reload.
DE Filters are good filters. They will effectively filter out debris as small as 3 microns whereas other types of filters are in the range of of 5 to 20 microns. They can take a bit more effort to maintain, but when done correctly, the water quality is excellent.
Sand filters are great, and are the lowest maintenance filters. They are large, and take up more room. The pool water circulates through the sand very easily and larger particles of debris are filtered out. The sand does have to be replaced every 5 years or so.
Everything comes down to the chemistry and the ongoing maintenance!
Seascape Pool Center Inc. Michael Baker Email here
