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November 2022 Update

• St. John Calendars • St. John Kids • Sunny Caribbee

Greetings from St. John!
 Happy Thanksgiving weekend. We are pleased to report from St. John that the extended drought has finally eased and that the island is as green as we have ever seen it. It’s hard to believe that our cisterns which were nearly empty just a few months ago are now overflowing. We are hopeful that this damper weather will continue as the weather cools for the winter months. As Hurricane season officially draws to a close on November 30 th , we are thankful for a year with no significant storms and mindful of the ongoing recovery efforts following the devastating summer storms in Florida and elsewhere.
 
St. John Spice Updates
Our lineup of 2023 Calendars have arrived and they are going fast! Click here to visit our Calendar Ordering Page
 
 We are pleased to announce that we are now carrying an exclusive selection of Sunny Caribbee products. After decades in business in the British Virgin Islands, Sunny Caribbee suffered devastating losses in Hurricane Irma. Happily, they are reemerging with some of their most popular products and will be expanding their offerings in the year to come. To see what we have, click here
 In our St. John Kids area, we are packed with lots and lots of new toys and other fun things. Check us out. Your kids will love us!  
  As always, we strive to offer the most diverse products at the best prices with the quality service our customers have come to expect. We know there are a lot of retail stores to choose from on St. John and we are extremely grateful for our customers who choose St. John Spice year after year.
CHRISTMAS ORDERS: Although we are reasonably confident that orders placed by December 16 th will arrive in time for Christmas delivery, we encourage you to order as early as possible to allow extra time this year to be on the safe side of the U.S. Postal Service.
Some St. John Updates
Activities
Petroglyphs at Reef Bay. Photo from the National Park Service web site.
The Reef Bay guided hikes have resumed and one can now enjoy a boat ride
back to town after the downhill trek. The National Park offers these trips on
Mondays and Tuesdays in season through June 2023. Space is limited and
these trips are extremely popular, so we recommend booking early if you want
The booth downstairs from St. John Spice at the street level has finally reopened
 and we have some new neighbors in the Dockside Building.
Low Key Watersports Information and Activities is now booking many
activities there including snorkel tours, island tours, scuba diving,
bareboat rentals and boat charters within the U.S.V.I. or to the British Virgin
Islands. We welcome Low Key’s cheerful and friendly Activities Specialist
Garie Mathurin.
Call Garie to set up some activities at 786-881-6227 and stop by to say
hello when you are on St. John.
Food & Drink
 In a blast from the past of notable St. John chefs. critically acclaimed Chef Walter Hinds has returned to St. John as the Executive Chef and Operator of Ocean362 Restaurant at Gallows Point. In addition to his award-winning stints at Stone Terrace and his own Hinds Restaurant on St. John, Chef Hinds has honed his skills on St. Marten, Paris and New York. Add this one to your list and welcome back Chef Walter Hinds . 
 After eighteen years in an in-town location, Ronnies Pizza N’ Mo is relocating to Palm Plaza, near the Westin Hotel. Owner Ronnie Klingsberg is looking forward to offering better parking for dining and takeout and an expanded delivery radius. Look for them in their new location starting next week . 
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 La Tapa Plage has opened in their new location on the beach in Wharfside Village and is doing very well. The view is greatly improved and the food and service are world-class, as always. To visit the La Tapa Plage web site, click here.
 If you like gaming and craft cocktails, The Parrot Club has finally reopened following a lengthy post-hurricane renovation and it looks great. The air-conditioned Parrot Club is located adjacent to La Tapa Plage in Wharfside Village. Visit the Parrot Club’s web site for more information.
 This year also brought sad news with the unexpected passing of Rich Meyer of The Lime Inn. Rich and his wife Chris Meyer had passed the torch for the restaurant to daughter Chelsea and her husband Richard Baranowski in recent years and Rich had been joyfully spending his time with his grandchildren. The loss to Rich’s family and to the community is immeasurable. Rich’s uncanny ability to remember his customers and his graciousness as the host of The Lime inn for thirty-two years made him a legend. Whether one was a customer, an employee, a former employee, a colleague or a friend, Rich’s presence on St. John is deeply missed.   Remembering Rich Meyer of the Lime Inn on St. John
 Chelsea and Rich Baranowski continue to carry on the legendary tradition of service and hospitality with their floating taco bar Lime Out and have now created a spot for liming and dining in Coral Bay. The newly opened Johnny Lime food truck is in the former location of the Oasis Restaurant. Johnny Lime offers Caribbean barbeque with live music and other entertaining events to enliven the scene in Coral Bay. Visit the Johnny Lime Facebook page for details.
 We will be sending another update on several other Cruz Bay restaurant projects in a few weeks including The Back Yard/Duffy’s/Castaways/Doghouse Pub location, the former La Tapa site and the Island Cork spot (also the former location of St. John Spice, for those who remember). In the meantime, for more about the St. John restaurant scene, read this Food & Wine magazine link from early November.
 
 Our dogs Barney and Bella have no idea how good they have it. Barney (age eight) still thinks he's a puppy and Bella (soon to be ten) still considers herself to be in charge of the comings and goings in the neighborhood.
We were recently adopted by several feral cats, one of whom had kittens in our shed/garden area (otherwise known as The Grateful Shed). The kittens were welcomed at the Animal Care Center and now have happy homes, we hope. The mother cat was spayed and released a few miles away and she found her way back to us. It took a while for us to realize that there are actually two cats showing up for meals because they look very similar. Cats are new to us, and we are all enjoying getting used to each other. Bella and Barney don't get quite as worked up about the feline presence as they did at first, but I don't think an ensemble family photo with dogs and cats will happen any time in the near future. Time will tell.
We have assembled a great team this year at St. John Spice and we have all been preparing the store for a busy season as well as enhancing and updating the web site extensively.
 We wish you all happy holidays and a safe new year and we hope to see you on-line or in person very soon.
Ruth, Ron, and the staff of St. John Spice
St. John Spice Company | info@stjohnspice.com | (340) 693-7046 | stjohnspice.com

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