5 minute read
Off The Beaten Path – East End, Grand Bahama
Tipsy Sisters Maggie Leathen
Off The Beaten Path
EAST END, GRAND BAHAMA
By Yolanda Hanna Photographs courtesy of Matthew Wildgoose
Tipsy Sisters
Iheard about an interesting restaurant located in East Grand Bahama that is serving up the best-tasting Bahamian food, in a warm, friendly atmosphere with the ear-catching name that I found delightful, Tipsy Sisters. I went in search of this quaint little establishment with my good friend and fellow Grand Bahamian, visual artist Matthew Wildgoose, and we embarked on a 45-minute drive to the settlement of McLean’s Town in East Grand Bahama, the location of Tipsy Sisters Restaurant & Bar.
Tipsy Sisters is the wonderful creation of six sisters from Grand Bahama, who came up with the idea to start a business based on their mutual interests—good food and having fun!
The daily operation of the restaurant and bar is managed by one of the six tipsy sisters, Maggie Leathen, and her husband Kendal, who also owns a bonefishing lodge nearby. Tipsy Sisters Wings and a Sands Beer
Tipsy Sisters Minced Crawfish, Peas n Rice, Crack Conch
“The idea came from me and my five sisters and, yes, a few of us do get a little tipsy sometimes! We like to have fun, we like to party, and I love to cook, so we decided to open a restaurant together and we came up with the name ‘Tipsy Sisters’,” explained Maggie.
Tipsy Sisters reopened in McLean’s Town less than a year ago and, according to Maggie, business has been better than they could imagine.
Residents and visitors to Grand Bahama travel the eastern end of the island to enjoy their delicious Bahamian menu offerings, comprised of fresh seafood—conch, fish and lobster (the Bahamian trio), good old Bahamian breakfast favourites like stewed conch and boiled fish, and a plethora of other dishes that are available seven days a week. A new conch stand is under construction on the outside and almost near completion; Maggie brags that she will be in command of the conch stand and preparing fresh conch salad daily when the stand is completed.
I quickly realize it’s the warm Tipsy Sisters atmosphere filled with friendly faces, bright smiles and good music that customers really enjoy and, for this reason, it is easy to spend hours relaxing at the bar, or sitting lazily outside mesmerized by the view of the turquoise ocean, and watching passengers board or disembark the ferry boat traveling to Abaco.
Matthew and I passed the time chatting with Maggie, enjoying cold beers, chicken wings and really conchy conch fritters, while we waited for our lunch orders to be packaged to go.
Maggie shared details with us about the devastation Hurricane Dorian caused her family—the destruction of their home in Freeport, the destruction of the restaurant and the decision to relocate to McLean’s Town to rebuild their lives, the business, and contribute to rebuilding the community.
“Our home in Freeport was destroyed by the hurricane and we made the decision to relocate to McLean’s Town to rebuild the business and to do whatever we could do to rebuild the community. My husband is from McLean’s Town, this is where he grew up, and it’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen”, said Maggie.
“The people of East End are really pushing to rebuild their communities. Businesses have reopened and we want to move on and rebuild,” added Maggie. “I just want to encourage the people of East End to continue to work together; our communities are so blessed, and I just want the world to know that East End, Grand Bahama is open for business.”
EJ’s Bayside Café
Evelyn ‘Eva’ Thomas of EJ’s Bayside Cafe Goat Loving East End
EJ’s Conch Balls
Less than a minute away from Tipsy Sisters, situated a few feet from the bay (or the ocean), is another local restaurant jewel called EJ’s Bayside Café.
We meet owner Evelyn ‘Eva’ Thomas entering the restaurant through a side door that led to the kitchen. EJ’s is located across the street from Eva’s house, which was severely damaged from Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
Eva was born and raised in McLean’s Town, and she shared that she was determined to rebuild her house and restaurant after the storm.
Coincidentally, EJ’s was the only restaurant that was left standing in McLean’s Town after Hurricane Dorian.
“My house was severely damaged and there was a lot of work for us to do after the storm,” said Eva. “Our restaurant was the only restaurant that was standing after Dorian. The structure was still here.”
Eva said she felt that was a sign from God that she needed to rebuild the restaurant. However, in the aftermath of Dorian, the clean-up efforts in the area seemed to be moving slowly. Eva decided that she and her husband Joe had to take matters in their hands.
“As the weeks went by, many of our customers drove to McLean’s Town looking for the restaurant; they told me that they missed my food. I was so encouraged by that; it inspired me and my husband to get things going. So, we began cleaning and repairing the restaurant, and then we focused on rebuilding the house.”
A year later, EJ’s Bayside Café reopened fully renovated and, these days, the restaurant is open for business seven days a week.
Eva offers a scrumptious menu of Bahamian food daily. Notable favourites are the fresh seafood dishes made from lobster, fish and conch - which are all caught fresh by her husband Joe.
Also on the menu are shrimp dishes, burgers, steaks and Eva’s signature conch balls, made from 100% fresh conch. Cold beers and soft drinks are also available.
As I tasted Eva’s delicious conchy conch balls (which were sensational!), I asked if she ever considered relocating after Hurricane Dorian.
“McLean’s Town is my home,” said Eva. “I never thought of leaving. My husband and I hit the ground running and we began rebuilding. We worked very hard, and we didn’t focus on what we lost. We knew we had to rebuild, and we had to begin picking up the pieces, so that’s what we did.”
She continued, “There’s good energy in McLean’s Town. We see life coming back, tourists are coming back to the area, and they love this Out Island feeling. We have everything in East Grand Bahama, we just need the world to know that we are open for business.” UA
