A thought provoking café
By Sanny Ensing
A bright early morning and a first time visit to Porto Cupecoy and the café I'd heard about quite a bit recently: Ernest & Fidel.
Owner Felipe Gomez welcomes me; he's busy on the phone, but smiles and waves me in. The bartender, a lovely girl, offers me a cup of coffee: "Yes, coffee please!" Coffee fits this place; maybe it is the Cuban name or the Latin style, but it feels good to have a cup of coffee here.
Ernest & Fidel offers breakfast and lunch, and an atmosphere that stimulates the mind. If I were seated on the patio, overlooking the lagoon, in the Mediterranean setting of Porto Cupecoy, I could see myself reading a book for hours. But we are inside and having an interesting exchange, as Felipe explains over an enticing breakfast, "We encourage writing, thinking, conversation, chatting and games. There is no TV here, Okay, to be honest, I put one in for the FIFA World Cup, as so many people asked for it, but on Sunday after the final game, I took it away immediately. A TV hypnotises, and from the very beginning my business partner and I wanted to encourage something different, a café that stimulates the thought process, like my business partner wrote on our flyer 'a place where we want to hear what you think and why.'"
"Why Ernest & Fidel?" "Why not?" replies Felipe, and winks when I ask him about the provoking name of the café. He laughs and then tells me a story: "There could have been a possible friendship between these two characters. Whether we like it or not, they are both gifted men. Ernest Hemmingway was gifted in his writing, and Fidel Castro was gifted with the spoken word. Castro's speeches are famous the world over, he mesmerises people. There is so much power in his words, and he has charisma. But our place is not about politics, or supporting a political program. What we do promote here at Ernest & Fidel is possible friendships of completely different characters, or at least conversation between people that might not always see eye to eye."
In the café hangs a famous photograph, a picture of the only moment when Ernest Hemmingway and Fidel Castro met in 1960 at the Hemingway Swordfish Fishing tournament, where Fidel Castro won a prize for catching the biggest fish and was awarded his prize by the writer. According to quick research on the net; Castro, on board a yacht named Crystal, won first prize with the capture of five swordfish at the Marina Barlovento (Windward Marina), now called the Hemingway Marina. It is also explained that to many Cubans, Hemingway is a symbol of friendly relations between the people of Cuba and United States.
"That is something that some people need reminding of," Felipe explains: "I have had a couple of visitors that have gotten very upset over the name, some confusing Ernest with Ernesto and thinking it Che Guevara, which it is not, others not even wanting to set foot on the premises as they think we support Fidel's revolution and so might be supportive of Chavez (according to an upset Venezuelan tourist) or not welcoming to Americans (or so thought an American visitor.) Our café is nothing of the sort, but I do ask these visitors to explain themselves when they voice such a strong opinion or dislike of the name, and then what we usually get is great conversation and as soon as they realize that it is not about politics but just a stimulating, thought provoking atmosphere, it is all good!"
The Colombian native Felipe has enjoyed living in St. Maarten for the past 12 years and the island is home to him. He comments on the cultural melting pot of the island, explaining that he would like to add to the mix, with Latin cuisine. Felipe added arepas, delicious bread made of corn, to the menu. He smiles and says: "I come from Colombia and I have been thinking about opening up an arepas spot for years. Venezuela and Colombia are the only two countries that make arepas, and to those in the know, Colombian and Venezuelan arepas are quite different. Felipe makes his Colombian arepas himself and explains that they are flatter than the Venezuelan ones, and are topped with ingredients instead of stuffed with food. Though the name Ernesto & Fidel points to Cuba only, it is more of a Latin café with a Latin cuisine. "I wanted to include Latin food before we even thought of the name. Cuba does have its own share of tasty dishes but so does the rest of Latin-America. I offer original Latin cuisine that is beautifully presented and exquisitely flavoured. My business partner understood my vision and loved the idea, so that is how we got it together."
The café is one that calls for hours of relaxed reading, a game of chess or checkers (game boards are embedded in some of the tables), sipping a coffee or a fresh fruit juice and of course, enjoying the fabulous food. Healthy and yummy are keywords when it comes to the menu of Ernest & Fidel, I tried an amazing omelette, with a side of home-made pesto and delicious Cuban toast, with bananas and maple syrup. I loved my breakfast (and I did not need lunch) and I enjoyed a great, long conversation with Felipe.
Ernest & Fidel is my kind of place, and you'll probably see me lounging in one of its overstuffed leather armchairs on the terrace, writing my next article, hoping to meet a variety of interesting people that accepted the owners' invitation to "visit the thought-provoking café, whether you are writing your next bestseller or simply planning a coup d' etat."
Ernest & Fidel is open from 7:30am to 3:00pm, Tuesdays to Sundays. Free Wi-Fi is available. Call (599) 581-8015 or check out their website for more information www.ErnestAndFidelCafe.com
