The Jolly Journal: June Edition
Valentina Nonini and Maurizio Pandini, with one of their three pups, Pistachio
From Lake Como to the Caribbean:
How a long-held dream inspired one Italian couple to start a business in Antigua
Whether you still think of it as the BBR Sports Bar, the Crow’s Nest or today’s incarnation, Sea Dream, the waterfront restaurant fringing the marina has been welcoming guests for more than two decades.
It has remained a steady anchor throughout momentous change – including the demolition of its former neighbour, the Grand Princess Casino, and the ongoing revitalisation of the wider community.
In May, Valentina Nonini and Maurizio Pandini celebrated 12 years since they took over the place – the culmination of a long-held ambition and something rather more arbitrary.
“It was our Caribbean dream – and also craziness,” smiles Valentina.
It wasn’t the couple’s first rodeo in the industry – they previously had an eatery in the mountains above Lake Como – but it was their first outside their native Italy.
Valentina had longed to open a restaurant in Antigua since visiting the island as a student in 1998.
“I really liked it here and had this idea in my mind for years. We decided to take the chance. At the beginning it was very difficult,” she recalls.
But they soon found their way and began to carve a niche, drawing in tourists with live music and a variety of international dishes.
Now, with their feet firmly in the sand, the couple are embracing what they know best – simple, authentic Italian food.
“We are orienting more towards Italian and Mediterranean food. We make everything, including our pasta, fresh in-house. We will have a smaller menu for the upcoming season, and we’re adding some new, strictly Italian dishes, some of which people may not have tried before,” Valentina explains.
“Real Italian food is about freshness, quality ingredients, and simplicity. In Antigua, we are lucky to have fresh seafood, we also get fresh produce from local farmers and are growing our own herbs too.”
Sea Dream’s delectable desserts are all homemade, while Maurizio bakes the restaurant’s bread from scratch every couple of days.
The restaurant also provides catering services for local residents, private events, and visiting yachts. Homemade lasagne, cannelloni and tiramisu are among the favourite dishes, all of which are freshly made to order.
Valentina personally oversees the quality of everything the kitchen produces.
“I am not a professional chef – my degree is actually in law – but cooking has always been my passion,” she explains.
“Our most popular menu items are lasagne, our eggplant dishes, and our seafood, especially the pan-seared yellowfin tuna, and local mahi mahi and wahoo that we cook the Mediterranean way with tomatoes, olives and capers.”
More than a decade after taking a leap of faith and starting a business in a foreign land, the couple say they can’t imagine being anywhere else. And they have a few words of advice for others considering following suit.
“We had a lot of challenges, especially in the first few years. And there will always be challenges when you live on a small island. Every day there is something that has unexpectedly broken, or gone wrong in a way you couldn’t even imagine, and things often take longer than you think they should. I believe you have to change your mindset,” Valentina says.
“I would advise other Italians just to be humble because the Caribbean is very different from back home.”
As Jolly Harbour’s landscape continues to evolve amid redevelopment, Valentina and Maurizio say they are increasingly positive for the road ahead.
“We love what we do, we love our customers and meeting new people, and we get great feedback,” Valentina adds.
“I see very good prospects in Jolly Harbour for the future. There’s a lot of development going on, I believe it is a very positive time, and I am happy to be part of it.”