food Tiki Culture Lands in St. Pete By Jen Ring
TIKI DOCKS
Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt, aka Donn Beach, opened the first American Tiki bar in the middle of the Great Depression. It marked the end of an era for Gantt, who’d spent years traveling to the Caribbean, the South Pacific and beyond. Without the funds to continue this lifestyle, Gantt created his own version of island-life in Los Angeles, California. At a time when most Americans couldn’t afford to travel, Don’s Beachcomber Café provided the tropical escape they so desperately needed.
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Now, with travel restricted and financial uncertainty, Americans are facing a similar struggle – and Tampa’s 23 Restaurant Services is bringing Tiki back. “With the challenges that this year brought everybody, people are craving positivity and friendliness more than ever,” says Tiki Docks lead designer Tara Matheny. Matheny calls it the “Aloha Spirit.” It’s all about sending good vibes to the people around you. This is what 23 Restaurant Services hopes to accomplish at two Tiki Docks
locations in Riverview and south St. Petersburg. Like Gantt, Matheny and crew used their travels as inspiration. “Through our travels, we’d always take that experience you get at Tiki and beach bars, or anything that’s waterfront dining, and know that it organically provides something different,” says Matheny. When the group decided to create their own waterfront dining experience, they took a research trip to Guanabanas and The Square Grouper Tiki Bar in Jupiter, Florida and other waterfront locations. “You have a choice when it comes to this kind of environment or atmosphere,” says Matheny. “You can go the direction of a nautical or boating theme, you can go Caribbeanthemed, or you’ve got the Hawaiian or Polynesian theme…For us, the Polynesian or Tiki theme had an edge and stood out because of the culture itself.” Smuggler’s Cove founders Martin and Rebecca Cate call it “Polynesian Pop.” Polynesian Pop is that delightfully random combination of island-inspired drinks, food, music and décor that have become Tiki tradition in the U.S. There are many cultural traditions in Tiki. Some of it is Caribbean, some Polynesian, some South Pacific, and some invented. Rather than just choose one, 23 Restaurant Services chose to embrace Tiki’s diversity when developing Tiki Docks. “We’ve created seven Tiki personalities,” says Matheny. “They’re all very unique in their personalities because we wanted to create a diversified Tiki family.” Tampa’s Grand Theming Studios carved each six-and-a-half-foot tall Tiki statue in a different style to reflect Tiki’s multiple personalities. In addition to the statues, 23 Restaurant Services commissioned Tampa Murals to paint the seven Tiki personalities at each location. The diversity theme carries through to the cocktail menu, which includes drinks from Cuba (daiquiris), Mexico (margaritas), Hawaii (Blue Hawaiian, Pineapple Dole Whip), the British Virgin Islands (Painkiller), Puerto Rico (piña colada) and the classic Tiki bars
theGabber.com | August 27 - September 2, 2020
