US Virgin Islands News

Paradiso: Under new management

Tom Theleman is back in the restaurant business where he started 13 years ago.  But this time, he's the boss. 

The long-time St. John resident began his restaurant career handling food and beverage operations at the Westin Resort before Winston Burnett hired him to handle the front of the house at Paradiso while the iconic, beloved Ted Robinson was in the kitchen.

The pair worked together for five years, long enough to know they could do better together and so off they went to launch the late, beloved Tage.  Now, Ted's back on his own, and Theleman has returned to Paradiso.

"I'm just a young guy (37), doing this on my own for the first time," Thelemen said. "I want to show people we're living up to what Paradiso used to be."

"We've got a brand new menu," he told The Inquiring Iguana.  "We've gone back to what Paradiso was in its heydays, American Continental.  Food layered with flavors, high quality, and an emphasis on locally-sourced ingredients."

Details of a St. John property tax deal

The government is offering taxpayers a five percent discount to pay property taxes within 60 days of the tax bills being sent. 

There's a reason they want the money fast. Property taxes have not been collected in four years and the government is in deep red kimchee due to its dispute with the US government about the fairness of the system.

In a news release, Lt. Gov. Gregory Francis offered the details of the plan the Administration would like the VI Senate to approve.  It also calls for allowing people to pay their taxes in installments, although a six percent penalty would be added.

The tax bills for two years would be issued using valuations from 1998.  They are significantly ... significantly!!!! ... lower than the ones calculated a few years ago in the Territory-wide reassessment.

• The Lt. Gov.'s plan can he read at http://bit.ly/b6XyVS.  He is taking public comments until March 23.

Quartet of artists' show

The Michael Banzhaf Gallery in Cruz Bay is featuring the work of four island painters this month. 

Kat Sowa has been on the island for nearly 14 years and has become well known was the Resident Artist at Caneel Bay.  Her Web site is http://www.katsowa.com/. 

Joan Farenkopf, when she's not creating art on the island, makes a home in North Carolina where she is a yoga therapist.

Bente Hirsch, has worked with Holiday Homes Real Estate and has a rental villa http://www.bentesfancy.com/. She is showing some of her watercolors.

Andrea Leland, a pastel artist, is also an accomplished film and video director and producer.

(Photograph of Banzhaf and the artists, courtesy of Bob Schlesinger of TropicalFocus.com

Goosebumps on the beach

While the east coast warmed up, into the 50s over the weekend, the St. John thermometers were plunging.

Steve Simonsen, the world class photographer, posted on Facebook that "69 degrees was the low in Great Cruz Bay."  And with some stiff winds the wind chill factor made it feel like 60. "The coolest night on St. John EVER," he said.

On the other side of the hill overlooking Chocolate Hole, StJohnTalk agreed.  The blog said, "The tourists are NOT looking happy but at least their patroinizing local establishments." Tables full at lunchtime at Jake's and Sun Dog Cafe.

Karin Wisniewski Schlesinger was shopping at Starfish where she saw locals bundled up, too. "All ... were in long pants, sweaters.  Only some had socks," she said. Adding, "My guess is only some HAVE socks."

Cece Burns had MORE than socks.  She Facebooked, "So glad I kept my down comforter."

More than a million Web visitors can't be wrong

 The brains behind the St. John Spice Cam are those of a couple of hard-working transplants from Boston.

Ruth Ernst and Ron Piccinin bought the St. John Spice business in 1999.  Then, the shop was buried off a corridor at Wharfside Village.  Then in 2005, they moved the shop downtown, in a second-floor retail space right at the end of the ferry dock.  While such a space location can be death for retail, The Spice couple's offerings, and low prices, draw a steady line of people up the stairs.

The store is best known for its collection of spices and hot sauces, hundreds of them.  The Cruz Bay Grill Rub, created by Ernst, is a top seller at $5 for 2.5 ounce or $27 a pound(!)  The Grill Rub won a dry rub/seasoning honors in the 2009 competition staged by firey-foods.com.

How to take better photographs

St. John is full of wonderful settings for beautiful pictures.  There are so many, in fact, that the St. John Sun Times has even offered a sort of catalog of great places for great shots.  Read it by clicking here http://stjohnsuntimes.com/10_best_photo_spots.

But, once you've found THE spot, there's something else to consider: WHEN to push the shutter.  The variable to be considered here is light.  While some people think light's range is simply dim to bright, to a photographer light is color, impact, and emphasis.

Bob Schlesinger of Tropical Focus knows very well that a scene photographed at 7 a.m. can look entirely different from the same scene at 6 p.m.  And that's good.  It's not a question  of what's right and what's wrong; it's what do you want?

Selengut's new eco-resort open for business

The founder and genius behind Maho Bay has some new ideas.  And Stanley Selengut has then on display, and for rent, now at Estate Concordia Preserve, a sister eco-resort to Maho Bay Camps, on the southeast end of St. John.

The first four studio apartments of his new eco-resort project have been completed.  And Selengut says he is closer now than ever to finding the ideal way to build with sustainable materials in the Virgin Islands.  The key to this new project was a refrigerator. "It was doing its job, keeping perishables cold and making ice while remaining quiet and energy efficient," Selengut said. "Eureka! Why not construct a studio-sized area that is similar to a walk-in food locker?"

And that's what he and architect Glen Speer did using Eco-Panels (www.eco-panels.com) and its Sustainable Insulated Panel System.  "All new Concordia units are built with the SIPS panels containing 6 inches of foam between the outside plywood and the finished interior," Selengut said."The exteriors are wrapped with metal foil and then Hardi-planked for a tight seal."

Government may offer a deal on property taxes

Governor John de Jongh told the VI Senate  the government could be out of money by June.  One way to weather the storm is to issue property tax bills.

The Territory's chief executive told the Senate a deficit of $170 million is looming.  To reduce it, de Jongh said, there will also have to be expense cutting and a new $100 million bond issue.

He said there will not be "drastic actions like government-wide layoffs, pay cuts, or furloughs," according to the Virgin Islands Daily News.  Which is of little comfort for tens of thousands of unemployed Islanders and their former employers.

A baggage tax at St. Thomas aiport?

Sounds like the airlines are getting fed up with the management of the St. Thomas airport.


A report of a meeting between the Governor and representatives of the major airlines serving Cyril E. King was headlined, by the Governor's press contact, as "an open and frank discussion."  Those of us with any experience in Washington know what THAT means!

While the Governor complained to the airlines they they have to be more active in alerting the territory when people bring guns in their luggage, the airlines were more focused on business issues.

The government's reaction was to start talking about new fees. Everyone knows the airport baggage facilities are not. Port Authority officials said, "Once solutions are identified ... (they) may consider implementing a baggage belt charge as a funding source.," the Governor reported.

What next?  charge for using the turnstile to come into the airport from the tarmac?