The Gingerbread

When I first arrived on Bequia, the land between where the Whaleboner Restaurant and the Green Boley Bar are now located was undeveloped, and was referred to as “De Coconut Wharf”.  That’s where Chris Bowman built the schooner Waterpearl, and where Loren “Joe” Dewar hand-crafted Bequia dinghies.  This boat-building activity was carried out between many tall, graceful coconut trees, and when Mac and I lived on Family Hill I walked between them on my way to and from the Pizzeria.

It was a sad day for the Frangipani when Son and Pat Mitchell divorced. Pat was the driving force behind the Frangi, and without her presence at the helm of the family business it would never be quite the same.  However, behind each cloud there is a silver lining, and in this case it was the Gingerbread hotel and restaurant. Son had acquired the “Coconut Wharf” land from his brother Reginald, and had commissioned the Italian architect Mario Spinella to build a complex that would ultimately include lovely rooms, a dive shop, a tennis court, a boutique and two restaurants. There would also be a travel agency to complement Bequia’s soon-to-be airport and, last but not least, there would be an office for Pat.

Pat Mitchell was a creative individual, and after the divorce she directed her energy towards the new Gingerbread complex she had been put in charge of.  An avid gardener, whatever spare time she had was spent planting and weeding, and her efforts were rewarded by an assortment of colorful blooms throughout the property.  Tables and chairs were set under the beautiful almond tree along the waterfront, and her café served coffee and baked goods throughout the morning.  The outdoor BBQ, constructed as a bit of an afterthought, served delicious burgers, seafood kabobs and much more, and the smells wafting through the harbor were a temptation few could resist. 

A large restaurant occupied the upper part of the building, which was   a graceful structure decorated with lovely white gingerbread trim.  Pat was an excellent and inventive chef, and the curries, steaks and seafood dinners the kitchen produced were unique as well as delicious.  My father ADORED the gingerbread cake with hot rum sauce, a specialty of Pat’s, and never failed to order it when he dined there.  Local string bands entertained the guests as well as visiting musicians, making the Gingerbread Restaurant a convivial destination for locals and tourists alike.

My friend Nancy Boake ran the Dive Shop (Sunsports) and also rented windsurfers. She tried her best to teach me how to windsurf but I was a hopeless student!  The tennis court was instantly popular, and when paying guests were not using it Bob Berlinghof gave lessons to a gaggle of small children.  The travel agency, manned by Judy Mulraine and Cindy Gooding, was an instant success and always busy.  Jankie Richardson’s boutique (where Maranne’s Ice Cream is now located) offered a wide variety of clothing, and I often bought her pareos and silk tops. Pat Mitchell, with careful planning, had created a new and very popular “Bequia Hub”.

Several rooms were built next to the restaurant, and they were gorgeous.  With graceful balconies overlooking the colorful garden, the rooms were large and spacious. I loved the wooden four-poster beds draped with mosquito netting as well as the cool tiles. The rooms had a West Indian elegance and were, like the rest of the complex, instantly popular.

Today the Gingerbread Complex is not the same, it’s almost like a part of it died along with Pat.  It’s still a nice place to gather during the daytime, plenty of people stop and linger under the almond tree along the waterfront.  Gretel and her husband run the café and hotel, Maranne and Bob sell their ice cream, Sabrina’s “Vintages” sells rum and wine and Bob and Kathy Sachs operate Dive Bequia. There is also a spa, and the tennis court is used, but without the Gingerbread restaurant and Pat’s expertise it’s not the same, not the same at all. The restaurant, once so vibrant, looks somewhat sad and ghostly with its barred doors, especially at night when the other businesses have closed for the day.

Pat Mitchell created and operated a wonderful complex, and it misses her. Shortly before the posting of this story Bob Berlinghof also passed away, and he too is greatly missed.