Click here to see our most current St. John Spice Newsletter (June 2008)

ST. JOHN SPICE NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2007

Greetings from St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands to all our friends.

We are enjoying our ninth year in business as St. John Spice. We have traditionally sent a newsletter periodically to update our customers about St. John news and events. If this is the first time you have received our newsletter, we hope you enjoy it.

SPECIALS FROM ST. JOHN SPICE

Signature Spice mail order only special – Buy five 2.5 ounce bags of Cruz Bay Grill Rub, Jerk, Voodoo, Island Creole or Pirate’s Pepper for $5.00 each and get the sixth one free. Mix & match! Offer ends December 15, 2007.

http://www.stjohnspice.com/spices.html

Coffee & Tea mail order only special – Buy five ¼ lb. bags of coffee or tea for $5.00 each and get the sixth one free. Mix & match! Offer ends December 15, 2007.

http://www.stjohnspice.com/coffee.html

SOME STORE INFO, GIFT IDEAS AND NEW ITEMS
We ship! If you would like to place an order, send us an email or give us a call toll-free at 877-693-7046. We ship U.S. Priority Mail. We have been pleased with the new Flat Rate U.S. Priority Mail box which costs under $10.00 and can hold up to ten bottles of 5-ounce hot sauce or the equivalent volume of other products. Please also remember that when you are shopping at St. John Spice in person, we can ship your bottles for you so you do not need to worry about placing them in your checked luggage.

Holiday orders – If you are ordering something that you’d like to have delivered by Christmas, please make sure we have your order by December 15^th to allow time for shipment.

Calendars – We have received all of our 2008 calendars and they’re ready to mail. There are six Virgin Islands and St. John calendars to choose from this year. To see them all, visit www.stjohnspice.com/calendars.htm

New Sweatshirts –

We have added a lot of ladies sweatshirts to our product line this year. To see them, visit www.stjohnspice.com/sweatshirts.html

 If you have some pirates in your life, check our Caribbean Gifts page 

www.stjohnspice.com/caribgifts.htm

Do you know someone who loves Painkillers? Give them a St. John Spice Painkiller Kit!

A St. John Spice shot glass with the Painkiller recipe $4.00

Nutmeg grater with eight nutmegs $8.00

For more stocking stuffer gift ideas, visit www.stjohnspice.com/moregifts.htm

We are also featuring hand-painted glassware and ceramics by local artist Stephanie Clarke. We have wine glasses, martini glasses and many other items.

Wine glasses shown are $20.00

Visit www.stjohnspice.com/caribgifts.htm

Coasterstones – St. John Chart and Trunk Bay

$5.00 each

Set of four $18.00

RESTAURANT & BUSINESS NEWS

Two St. John restaurants have closed their doors permanently. Panini Beach and Tage are both gone. The old Panini Beach space is currently being renovated and will be another restaurant called St. John Waterfront Bistro. There is no word on what will become of the space that was formerly Tage.

We have really been enjoying dinners at Mojo Café at night several times a week. They are located right behind the Dockside Building across from Mooie’s. Have your dinner there in the courtyard, or have it to go. Check out their reasonably priced menu here. www.stjohnspice.com/mojoatnight.htm

Larry’s Landing has moved and is now located next to Slimman’s Parking lot. Play pool, have an air-conditioned shopping break…..And don’t forget to drop off all those great books you read while on vacation at Larry’s Landing for their book recycling library. That’s where we locals get all our reading material and we need some new books. I’ve already read everything there.

Infusions Martini and Wine bar closed suddenly and is now an Italian restaurant called da Livio.

Shela from Shela’s Pot in Cruz Bay Park has been serving up lunch in Cruz Bay’s park for 29 years this month. She serves lunch Tuesday through Friday (and sometimes on Saturday.) If you are hungry, check out her delicious local dishes. Tons of food at a great price. If you haven’t tried it yet, stop by on your next trip to St. John.

Café Roma is now serving pizza at the dining tables as well as the bar. At the tables, you can order a nine-inch personal pizza. Traditional-sized sixteen-inch pizzas are still available at the bar and for take-out orders.

The Lime Inn is now open Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner and closed to regular business on weekends. The restaurant will be available for functions such as luncheons, weddings and cocktail parties on Saturdays.

The news at the Marketplace is the recently opened Starfish Gourmet Market. This store is packed full of previously hard-to-find items. I picked up some Chorizo sausage and a few other things that we have been living without. Check it out, right across from the Starfish entrance.

OTHER NEWS FROM ST. JOHN

Our biggest news this year is that we have sold our St. John Kids store. One year ago we moved St. John Kids from our old location to the Dockside Building, next to St. John Spice. Our hope was to improve and expand the store and then turn it over to someone who could be a good neighbor. The plan worked! The new owner of St. John Kids, Claire Hunt, has been busily searching for lots of fun new products.

Claire is especially pleased to offer the OneHornButtfish line of clothing and accessories for kids and adults, including tee shirts, tank tops, shorts, towels, visors and other things that you can’t live without.

Read an interview with Claire here or visit her web page here. Make sure to stop by when you are on St. John.

Now that the Texaco landmark is gone to make way for the new rotary (someday), I find myself constantly telling people how to get somewhere by saying “Go to the Texaco, then bear” right/left. Since the Texaco was a major orientation point for so many years, I figure that I’m not alone. No one here knows how to give directions to anywhere without the Texaco. We must be getting an awful lot of people very lost.

I took a walk up to the (old) Texaco spot today and noticed that there’s actually a directory there which I hadn’t noticed before. I tried to get a photo, but on a Saturday morning in Cruz Bay it’s a tough spot to take a photograph without becoming a traffic statistic. Here’s the directory. Hopefully when you are in a car and actually need to use it you’ll be able to read what it says.

Entertainer James Milne has returned to St. John. James and his wife Tiffany spent two years in Red Sox Nation, where they produced a charming young son who has been entertaining us daily. He’s usually quite a bit livelier than he appears in this photo, but he was recuperating from a late-night Red Sox game at the time. James can be found pushing the stroller around Cruz Bay during the day and playing guitar in Cruz Bay at night. Welcome back James, Tiffany and Tenzin.

While on St. John, look for James and his guitar at The Beach Bar, High Tide, The Balcony and Larry’s Landing.

The dates and musical line-up for the 3^RD Annual St. John Christmas Festival & Children’s Parade have been announced. “With love from Love City”, the event will take place this year on Saturday, December 1st and Sunday, December 2nd. These concerts under the stars in the heart of Cruz Bay at Winston Wells Ball Field are free and the musical line-up is impressive.

December 1st at 8pm –

“CHRISTMAS JAZZ UNDER THE STARS” featuring Grammy nominated Jazz singer Julie Michels
December 2nd at 6:30pm –

Christmas Children’s Parade starts in Mongoose Junction

December 2^nd at 7:30pm –

AN EVENING OF CHRISTMAS GOSPEL AND BLUES UNDER THE STARS” featuring Gospel and Blues legends Diunna Greenleaf and I.J. Gosey, with special guest artist Zac Harmon. Also appearing is the 2007 IBC winners The Homemade Jamz Blues Band from Tupelo Mississippi.

For more information visit http://www.stjohnbluesfestival.com/new/christmas07.htm

Also, check out the schedule for the St. John Blues Festival in March 2008.

http://www.stjohnbluesfestival.com/new/schedule08.htm

This is Officer Matthew. Most days for the past few months he has been on the job in Cruz Bay, either on foot or on his bicycle. Between passenger vehicles, foot traffic, the Vitran Bus and the taxis, the ferry dock loading and unloading area can be chaos, especially on Saturdays. Office Matthew somehow manages to keep everyone calm and pointed in the right direction with patience, good humor and great organizational skills. He is extremely friendly and helpful and offers assistance to those who look like they need it. We have noticed the difference down there and we think you will as well. Say hello to Officer Matthew when you’re on St. John.

ARE YOU PLANNING A TRIP TO ST. JOHN?

Here are some places to check out which are new to the rental market:

Blue Caribe – An elegant one-bedroom cottage in Coral Bay.

Reef Madness – A brand-new two-bedroom in Coral Bay. Read the entertaining construction blog here.

Cute Cozy Cottage in Chocolate Hole – For two people.

Romance Cottage in Coral Bay – For two people.

ARE YOU GETTING YOUR DAILY DOSE OF ST. JOHN?

The guys who brought us The Bongo Bongo Blog (“Want to Watch Us Build A Villa?”) have a new web site where they put together “Muse, News and Reviews” of St. John, including great videos of people and places that you are sure to recognize. This web site is full of original ideas and content and there’s something new every day. If you’ve never heard of this web site before, you have a lot of catching up to do.

Check out http://www.on-stjohn.com/.

To start at the beginning and read all the entries, click here for the December 2006 Archives.

To start with the videos that you’ve missed, click here for a list.

Finally, we would like to offer the sincerest of thanks to our customers for eight great years of St. John Spice, including two years at our new location in the Dockside Building. This was the best move we ever made. Ron and I love our bigger and brighter space. We especially like the fact that our offices are in the same space as the store which allows us to meet so many of our customers and hear about their experiences on St. John first-hand. We hope to see a lot of you in person very soon.

-Ruth & Ron

www.stjohnspice.com

Email: info@stjohnspice.com

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ST. JOHN SPICE NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2006

Greetings from St. John Spice. Our phone has been ringing with your holiday orders and we’ve been busy carting them all over to the St. John Post Office.

The deadline for Christmas orders is December 15^th, so mark your calendars and give us a call!

Speaking of calendars, St. John Spice has a great selection of 2007 calendars for St. John and The Virgin Islands. New this year is the St. John Calendar from Steve Simonsen.

Elaine Estern’s calendar theme this year is “Sirens and Sunsets.”

Visit our Calendars page www.stjohnspice.com/calendars.htm for more information.

SPECIALS

Signature Spice mail order only special – Buy five 2.5 ounce bags of Cruz Bay Grill Rub, Jerk, Voodoo, Island Creole or Pirate’s Pepper for $5.00 each and get one free. Mix & match! Offer ends December 15^th.

http://www.stjohnspice.com/spices.html

Coffee & Tea mail order only special – Buy five ¼ lb. bags of coffee or tea for $5.00 each and get one free. Mix & match! Offer ends December 15^th.

http://www.stjohnspice.com/coffee.html

NEW AT ST. JOHN SPICE

New from St. Thomas Chef Ric Aide is Ric’s Caribbean Twist Line. Ric was at Bolongo Bay Resort for several years and is now preparing to take over as chef at the Old Stone Farmhouse on St. Thomas. To read more about Chef Ric Aide, click here: “St. Thomas Source Article”

Ric’s Caribbean Twist Papaya Blast Hot Sauce –Habanero peppers and papaya hot sauce. 12 oz. $9.00

Ric’s Caribbean Twist Habanero Ketchup –Tomatoes, onions, habanero and spices. A new twist on an old favorite. 12 oz. $9.00

Ric’s Caribbean Twist Original Mangazpacho –Mango, cucumber, peppers cilantro. Created as a chilled soup, also makes a great dip or salsa. Try as a condiment with grilled chicken or seafood. 12 oz. $9.00

We are now carrying a line of hand-painted glassware, ceramics and other items from local artist Stephanie Clark (“Stepho”).

From the Coral Bay side of St. John, Burning Mud Pottery has a product line that includes vases, cappuccino mugs, chowder bowls, ashtrays, cigar ashtrays and French butter tubs. Each item is hand thrown and is decorated with a lizard, fish, shell, turtle, mermaid or seahorse motif.

http://www.stjohnspice.com/pottery.html

NEWS FROM ST. JOHN

Our biggest news item this year is the new St. John Web cam from GoToStJohn.com, which happens to be mounted on our building right next to the ferry. The web cam is located on the left corner of the building above the St. John Spice/St. John Kids sign. Now you can get a peak at the action on the Cruz Bay ferry dock whenever you are near your computer.

We have heard from the folks at GoToStJohn.com that they are now working on making the web cam streaming video in the near future. This will be even more exciting, so stay tuned!

In addition to the web cam, GoToStJohn.com is a great resource for information about St. John including marine, plant and animal life, hotels, villas, history, shopping, beaches and a lot of other useful information about St. John. There are also sister sites and more web cams at GoToStCroix.com and GoToStThomas.com.

If you are going to be on St. John in early December, be sure not to miss the second annual St. John Christmas Music Festival & Santa Parade on December 2^nd and 3rd. Founder and producer Steve Simon and friends bring world-class musical acts to St. John for the holiday season. These events are free and open to the public. Fore more information, see the Tradewinds article at http://www.stjohntradewindsnews.com//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=886&Itemid=38

Grande Bay August 2005 Grande Bay November 2006

We are pleased to announce the new Slimman Parking Lot in town, across from Wharfside Village. Slimman’s opens at 8am and closes as 10:30pm, so you can park there for just a few hours or for an all day boating trip. When Slimman isn’t manning the parking lot, he works for the National Park Service and he is a member of the very popular new band “Paradise People.” This band can be seen at The Balcony on Tuesday nights, at Infusions Lounge on Thursday nights and soon at The Westin on Saturday nights.

Infusions is a new lounge featuring infused martinis, coffee and cappuccino drinks, desserts and a new tapas menu. The Infusions events schedule and more information can be found at their web site http://www.infusionslounge.net/.

The Ocean Grill is a hot new restaurant that occupies the space that was previously The Mongoose Restaurant in Mongoose Junction. A video of the new restaurant can be found at the new Virgin-Islands-On-Line.com Travel Forum.

http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/movies/ocean-grill2.mov

New to The Marketplace is Satyamuna, featuring vegetarian Mediterranean healthy food. Visit their web site http://www.satyamuna.com/ for menus and more information.

Also in the Marketplace, the China Shack has introduced new “Hot Wok” Dinner items geared for customers seeking individual dinners versus the traditional family-style menu. The China Shack traditional menu is available on-line at http://www.chinashackstjohn.com/. (We call this the “Planned Leftovers” menu and generally count on at least three or four meals.) Call them at 340-715-4998 to find out about the new dinners or to arrange dinner on your arrival day. China Shack delivers, and they will arrange to meet you at the ferry dock or another convenient location if you are staying outside of their delivery range.

The Fish Trap has a new expanded kitchen and a new menu. The new menu should be posted soon at http://www.thefishtrap.com/. The Fish Trap also features Karaoke Thursday evenings

MOVES AND CHANGES

The single question we are asked most often these days is “How do you like your new location?”

The answer is: We LOVE it!

Last year we moved St. John Spice to the Dockside Building and we have enjoyed our first year at our new location right next to the ferry dock. Feedback from our customers has been extremely positive. Now our other store St. John Kids has joined us at the Dockside Building. For photos of what the build-out was like and for a peak at the finished product visit http://www.stjohnspice.com/newkids.htm

The “I Scream” Ice Cream Shop has moved to Wharfside Village from their spot near the old barge dock. The new location is in between Senorita Pizza and The Beach Bar.

Every Ting has moved to Gallows Point. In addition to their famous coffee bar, Every Ting at Gallows is also offering an expanded smoothie and spirits menu. Baked In The Sun bakery will be providing a selection of pastries and baked goods to go with your espresso. There is open-air seating on the deck, which will soon take on a greenhouse look. Parking is available for customers at Gallows Point while they visit Every Ting.

American Paradise Real Estate has moved from Wharfside Village to a new location directly across the street in the space formerly occupied by Every Ting. http://www.americanparadise.com/

Ocean Runner Boat Rentals is now accessed directly from the beach. If you park at Slimman’s for the day, make your way to the beach and then up the steps to Ocean Runner. Rent a boat with or without a captain and enjoy a day on the water. http://www.oceanrunnerusvi.com/

OTHER NEWS

We will soon be inaugurating a new governor. If you are interested in reading about the platform of Governor-elect John deJongh and Lieutenant-Governor-elect Greg Francis, visit http://johndejongh2006.com/platform/index.htm

(Captain Stephen and Producer Herb on the dock with all the equipment) (The family waiting to decide what to do on a rainy St. John day)

Some TV News: Extreme Makeover home edition has sent two of their families on vacation to St. Thomas/St. John. The families stayed on the catamaran Catnap (http://www.catnapcharters.com/) and spent some time visiting St. John. One episode has already aired.

The second family had some rainy weather, but seemed to be enjoying themselves nonetheless. This episode will probably air sometime in January. Most of the action in this show involves building the family a new house on the home front, so the Virgin Islands vacation footage is usually brief. However, you may still see places and faces you recognize.

If you are staying on St. Thomas this season, check out the Lady Lynsey Dinner Sail to St. John. Park at the Ritz Carlton, board the Lady Lynsey catamaran at 5pm, then sail to St. John while enjoying Hor’s D’oevres and cocktails. Enjoy dinner and shopping on St. John, then meet the Lady Lynsey at 9pm for a return sail to St. Thomas with stargazing, dessert and a nightcap. Call The Ritz Carlton concierge at 775-3333 to book this trip for $100 per person.

From time to time, people ask me what I miss from the states or what they can bring with them for me. Recently I exchanged emails with a Virgin-Islands-On-Line forum pen pal who has a more-than-life-size cardboard photo of Kenny Chesney which I really wanted, but we determined that she probably would have to buy him a plane ticket to get him here from Wisconsin. I’m not sure if the real Kenny would have had fun at St. John Spice and St. John Kids, but I know for sure that the more-than-life-size cardboard photo would have. Two other items I frequently miss that I always mention are steamers and fried New England clams.

I never really expected that anyone would attempt to transport either of those items to me in the Virgin Islands, but last week someone finally did.

Not only did Donna Ristuccia bring me a cooler full of littleneck clams from New England, but she dug them personally.

Donna and her husband Dan recently moved to St. John from New England and purchased the Motor Yacht Cinnamon Bay. This charter vessel is licensed to carry 40 people domestically and 22 people on trips to the British Virgin Islands.

Originally commissioned in the Virgin Islands in 1972, she was named the Motor Yacht Cinnamon Bay by Lawrence D. Rockefeller, who with his family enjoyed day excursions aboard this elegant craft for more than a decade. She has over 200 square feet of open teak decks, as well as nearly 100 square feet of enclosed deck space. There is comfortable seating in the salon for 20 or more, seating for 10 on the shaded aft deck and additional seating on the fly bridge. One of the many assets of her wooden construction is the comfortable ride she offers, slicing through the crystal blue waters with beauty and grace. http://www.motoryachtcinnamonbay.com/privatecharters.html

Captain Dan Ristuccia is developing plans for a Travel Day Charter on the Motor Yacht Cinnamon Bay. Since most villas and hotels on St. John require you to check out by 10:00am and your plane does not take off until later in the day, you spend your last few hours dragging your luggage around and killing time or sitting at the airport.

Why not enjoy these last few hours of valuable time on the M/Y Cinnamon Bay instead, cruising the beautiful waters of St. John and St. Thomas?  They will pick you up at the National Park Dock with your baggage and then head out for a few hours on the water.  Snorkel, swim, or just enjoy the relaxed ride and gentle breezes.  When it is time to head to the airport, or lunch before the airport, clean off the salt with an outside fresh water shower and be dropped off on St. Thomas.  It’s like having an extra vacation day!  Brilliant!

If you are interested in finding out more about this Travel Day Charter or any other day charter contact:

Captain Daniel Ristuccia

P.O. Box 1598

St. John, VI 00831

E-Mail the Captain

340-776-4037

340-998-3219

Our friends from The Bongo Bongo Blog have introduced us to YouTube.com and we’re hooked. I’m even learning how to use my digital camera to take videos. I actually didn’t even know I could do that a few weeks ago. My first masterpiece is appropriately titled “Hot Sauce Tasting” and can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8QnpGgFKtM. My second attempt is called “Saturday Afternoon Ferry on St. John.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlwPjuOW0jE. This one is quite a bit longer, but rather blurry. I am consulting with some experts on this to determine whether I can fix it or whether I need to shoot it again. It may be that I need to get a real video camera.

If you type “St. John USVI” in the search bar at YouTube.com, there are quite a few other videos there that you will probably enjoy as well. Most of them are longer than mine and have a bit more content.

See you on St. John!

-Ruth

http://stjohnspice.com/

ST. JOHN SPICE NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2005

Season's Greetings from St. John! We have already heard from many of you, but we wanted to let you know that we must receive your orders by December 16th in order to get them to you on time. U.S. Priority Mail typically takes 3-5 days but we recommend allowing a few extra days during the holidays. Please visit our web site at www.stjohnspice.com and give us a call. We are open 9AM to 9PM, but remember that we are one hour ahead of the East Coast, since we do not practice Daylight Savings here. The easiest way to order is to call us toll free at 877-693-7046.

 We have accomplished our move and we are open in our new spot right next to the ferry! We have a little more elbow room and a lot more natural light. Our hot sauce selections have been expanded and we have added some beautiful quilts by Mary Dufur as well as some other neat stuff. We have received excellent feedback from our customers and we think you'll like our new space. For a preview of our new store, visit www.stjohnspice.com/newstore.html.

SOME RESTAURANT AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS:

Duffy's Love Shack St. John has been sold. It is now "Lizard's Landing" and it is open for lunch and dinner. We had lunch there and the food was nice and the staff very friendly, upbeat and pleasant.

Everyone is talking about "Nectar", our very own female band. Catch them if you can, they're great! They play at The Beach Bar and other places. For a schedule of events at The Beach Bar visit http://www.beachbarstjohn.com/.

We were sad to say goodbye to James Milne and his wife Tiffany, who have moved to Maine. James has been playing guitar and singing to us in all the local venues for years. In fact, I remember that I used to be able to listen to James from the boat in Cruz Bay Harbor when he played at Saychelles (now Panini Beach). James and Tiffany  will be greatly missed, but the loss is lessened somewhat by the return of performer Tom Leiner after a few years' absence. Tom & Lauren play on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights at High Tide and at Pastory Gardens on the weekends. Tom and Lauren are quite a lot of combined talent and Tom really makes me laugh.

As promised, here is a photo of the new High Tide Restaurant, formerly known as "Rumbalaya". There is a new chef, Matt (that's him in the photo) and a new expanded dinner menu. Stop by and check them out!

NEWS OF CRUZ BAY:

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church has come a long way!   The new church and rectory have been under construction since 1999 and the final push accomplished the task of completing the building in time for this season, when the attendance increases considerably. I have great admiration for Father Charles Crespo who has attempted to complete such a huge project without incurring a huge debt. Father Crespo estimates that the final cost for the project will come in at around $800,000 and the church is around $10,000 in debt currently. I find this amazing and I know a lot of people have worked really hard here! The official church dedication was held Sunday December 11th. Diocese of the Virgin Islands Bishop George Murry officiated at the ceremony which was very well attended.  Many items are still needed, notably furniture. Apparently church pews (manufactured, delivered and installed) will cost another $50,000.  If you would like to contribute to the OLMC Building Fund, visit the web site at www.viaccess.net/~olmc or send donations to Our Lady of Mt Carmel Catholic Church, PO Box 241, St. John, USVI 00831.

On my way to the Post Office the other day, there was a group of children out in the park decorating. I wanted to get a photo of them in action, but by the time I finished mailing all my boxes, they had moved on.

They had moved on to decorating the Bandstand with garlands and lights in anticipation of the "Love City Pan Dragons" performance in the park that evening. As usual, the kids in the Pan Dragons did a great job with the Christmas Carols. If you have a chance to see these kids perform when you next visit St. John, make sure you take advantage of it!

EVER CONSIDERED BUILDING A HOUSE ON ST. JOHN?

If you have, check out the "Watch Us Build A Villa" blog on the web site http://www.bongobongostjohn.com/blog/index.html. A friend of mine told me about this site today and I found it amusing and informative.

Happy Holidays and see you on St. John!

-Ruth

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ST. JOHN SPICE NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2005

St. John Spice again? Well, since our anticipated October 5^th re-opening date appears to have been overly ambitious, we find ourselves with a little downtime as we wait for the carpenters and electrician to finish up. We did not anticipate a wait of several weeks for an interior building permit. We are getting closer and now hope to re-open by the LAST week in October. Since we know lots of people have been looking for us and have been disappointed to find our old space empty and our new space not ready, we’re giving you a Sneak Preview:

We’re very excited about our new space. It’s bright and open with lots of windows, and extremely convenient to the ferry. We moved about 700 boxes. (I’m really just guessing. We didn’t actually count.) Once we paint and clean, we’ll soon be moving them again. We can’t wait!

SOME RESTAURANT UPDATES:

It’s the time of the year when restaurants are starting to re-open for season.

The Rumbalaya Restaurant has changed its name to “Hide Tide”. This is the restaurant on the opposite end of the beach from The Beach Bar. There is a new menu that I haven’t seen, and I wasn’t able to get a photo since the new signs aren’t installed yet. I’ll include more details next time

The Mojo Café opened in April. It is located right behind the new Dockside Building, so it’s very convenient if you’re anywhere in town or if you’re waiting for a ferry. The Mojo Café is currently open until 4PM. They serve coffee and snacks, breakfast, lunch and cold drinks and will be expanding the menu in season to include scoop ice cream and more meal choices including some vegetarian and seafood options.

EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS:

Yesterday was St. John’s First Annual Love City Beach Bash. The event was put together by Jodi Rae (of “Dreams and Dragonflies”) with the help of many friend from St. Thomas and St. John. They did a great job putting together this event, proceeds of which will benefit Hurricane Katrina victims.

Eight people from St. Thomas arrived at the beach in this raft…

There was music and food all day, and St. John Kids’ own LaCresha performed with the Ah We Band. This band was a blast. Check them out on your next trip!

GENERAL ITEMS OF INTEREST:

There is a new web site out there called CouponStJohn.com for discounts on dining, shopping, lodging and activities. We suggest bookmarking the site and checking back later before your next visit, since they are adding new listings all the time.

Click here to check it out.

Since St. John Kids is still across the hallway, we go by the old St. John Spice location every day. It’s quite strange to walk by after six years there and see it sitting empty waiting for the new occupants to finish painting and re-modeling. Lots of people have asked what the new people will be doing in there and we don’t exactly know but we are all hoping they’ll do something very creative and imaginative. They put newspaper on the windows today so you can’t look in, which is always very tantalizing and makes you think they’ve got some very different new ideas. We’ll all find out soon enough!

We’ll see you at the Dockside Building on St. John!

-Ruth

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ST. JOHN SPICE NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2005

St. John Spice is moving! We will be closing on September 17th and will re-open in our new space sometime during the first week in October.

Here is a graphically enhanced photo to give you an idea of what we’ll look like when we’re done building the new space. Check us out at our new location in the Dockside Building, right next to the ferry dock.

See you on St John!

ST. JOHN SPICE NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2005

http://www.stjohnspice.com/

I am sending this with many apologies for the length of time between newsletters. Thank you to many of you who have inquired when the next issue was coming; it makes a difference when you think someone is actually going to read the thing. One person actually called on the phone to see if we were still in business because he hadn’t received a newsletter. Please let it be known that running two businesses is our actual job. Or jobs. The newsletter is something we do for fun. If you don’t hear from us, it means we’re having too much fun doing our actual job(s).

ST. JOHN SPICE NEWS

I meant to send this around Memorial Day as a Summer Kick-Off. Now, I suggest that you finish the summer in style by stocking up on our best-selling signature spices. 

Our signature spices are:

Cruz Bay Grill Rub

St. John Jerk Spice

Black Voodoo

Pirate’s Pepper

Island Creole

Left to right: Five-ounce spoon jar $15.00, 12.5 ounce spoon jar $32.00, 2.5 ounce shaker jar $8.00

Not shown: One pound (16 oz) bag $27.00

A note on shipping: We have started using a new US Priority Mail Flat Rate Box, which costs $8.15 to mail including confirmation. For those of you who have ordered in the past and have been discouraged (as we sometimes are) by the high costs of postage, this is definitely worth trying out. This box holds six five-ounce bottles of hot sauce Or the equivalent volume of other items). Since the normal average is about $2.00 postage per bottle, this is better.

RESTAURANT NEWS

If you are planning a visit to St. John in the next few months, visit www.stjohnspice.com/stjohnrestaurants.htm for an updated schedule of restaurant closings and re-openings for Summer/Fall 2005.