FRIDAY August 6, 2021
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Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
RIVER CITY MEMORIES
Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
Bounced checks, political heavyweights and celebrities: Anthony Candelino and Eugene Van Note reflect on nearly 27 years of owning the landmark Downtown Southbank restaurant.
BY MIKE MENDENHALL STAFF WRITER
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Daily Record Daily Record
hen River City Brewing Co. coowner Eugene Van Note recruited Anthony Candelino in 1996 to become the restaurant’s vice president and manager to help stabilize the business, neither was sure it could be fixed. “We were behind in rent, we were behind in everything. We owed everybody in the world money,” Van Note said. In nearly 27 years on the Downtown Southbank, Van Note, Candelino and their business partners turned River City from $1.3 million in debt into a popular spot for weddings, political fundraisers, NFL football players and celebrities. The restaurant, which closed July 18, made a name in Jacksonville for pop culture as much as it did for its jambalaya and shrimp gumbo. River City was known in Jacksonville business and political circles as a place to do business over a meal and drinks. It’s where Candelino says former Mayor Jake Godbold would “hold court” and host his annual 400- to 500-guest quail dinner on the Thursday before Christmas. Before Van Note and his business partners opened River City in November 1994, the riverfront property had been home to restaurants for decades including the Lobster House, Diamondhead restaurant, Someplace Else disco club and Harbormasters. River City’s parent company, Maritime Concepts LLC, led by Van Note and Joel Greenfield of Bridgehampton, New York, completed a $10 million deal Aug. 2 with Miami-based real estate developer The Related Group to buy out the restaurant’s leasehold SEE RIVER CITY, PAGE 2
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Photos special to the Daily Record
River City Brewing Co. opened in November 1994 and closed July 18. The Downtown Southbank property is making way for the RD River City Brewery apartments development. More photos online at JaxDailyRecord.com. River City Brewing Co. co-owners Eugene VanNote and Anthony Candelino prepare to travel with friends early in the restaurant’s history. From left: Joe Cioffi, VanNote, Joey Margo, Candelino and Dave Paliens.
The final party to eat at River City Brewing Co. before closing July 18: From left, John Keane, co-owner Anthony Candelino, Steve Diebenow, Chuck Baldwin, Bobby Deal and Randy Wyse.
River City Brewing Co.’s final kitchen crew with co-owner Anthony Candelino, center, and head chef Marvin Barnes, center right.
Main Squeeze Juice Co. opening The Louisiana-based Main Squeeze Juice Co. juice and smoothie bar franchise will open Aug. 6 in Jacksonville Beach, the chain’s first store in Florida. Main Squeeze is at 544 Marsh Landing Parkway near the Target-anchored South Beach Parkway at Butler Boulevard and Florida A1A. Spencer Turner, 25, is the Jacksonville owner and operator. Main Squeeze offers a gluten-free and vegan menu with cold-pressed juices and superfoods smoothies, along with one-, three- and five-day juice cleanse programs, shots, and acai bowls.
VOLUME 108, NO. 185 • ONE SECTION