Gasparilla Inn’s Jon Reecher on doing island life right

Whether it’s on an island off the coast of Florida or in the mountains of West Virginia, Jon Reecher finds himself at home. After growing up in a small town, Jon studied at the Cordon Bleu in Paris and returned to spend 11 years at The Greenbrier in West Virginia. In 2008, Jon came to The Gasparilla Inn & Club as the Director of Food & Beverage and was promoted to in 2013 to General Manager.

For the last two years in a row, 105-year old Gasparilla Inn has been rated Florida’s #1 property by Travel + Leisure. Situated on its own island in the Gulf of Mexico, the resort features 142 guest rooms, a golf course, marina, sport fishing excursions, and croquet.

We sat down with Jon to get his take on living on an island, the best grouper sandwich, and where he dined on his most recent trip to London.

On what recreation means when you live on an island:

Last summer, my family and I went to London and stayed at the Dorchester. We loved the Alain Ducasse restaurant that was there, and also Gordon Ramsay’s spot. After London, we went to Bruges and stayed at a great historic hotel. We went to Bruges for the mussels - we didn’t eat anywhere famous. My son ate a bushel of mussels in 3 days.

I like to fish when I’m on the island and on the mainland, I like to hunt birds. I have a daughter who is 16 and a son who is 18 and at the Cordon Bleu. My son and I went to Argentia to shoot doves recently too (where did you go?). I love to travel - I’ve been to 6 continents and 40 countries, with my family in tow for most of it.

On his high brow meal:

I like a nice piece of fish, cooked well, served with risotto or nice light pasta. Preferably Chilean Seabass or grouper, or snapper. Most likely at the Pink Elephant (located at The Gasparilla Inn).

In New York, I love Masa for sushi. Their 27-course menu is pretty spectacular.

On his casual night meal:

I love a grouper sandwich – it’s local fish you can catch it off the shore and a few restaurants of the restaurants here that do that well, Miller’s Marina being one of them.

On what to do when the fridge is empty and the closest Whole Foods is a boat ride and 100 miles away:

My wife always says that life is like a hot box: it’s your opportunity to do the best with what you have. (A hot box refers to a mystery box of ingredients that a chef is expected to make a meal out of.) If the fridge was empty, I might make a quiche or an omelette. I enjoy cooking green eggs – we eat those every chance we get.

How to do island life right:

What’s interesting about Gasparilla is that we house 200 of 400 employees here on island, so  I tell new hires that it’s important to really soak it in. Even at The Greenbrier (located in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia) – you had to immerse yourself into the culture and learn from the locals. Do as the locals do. Enjoy that opportunity. If you dropped me in New York, I’d like it because I like the culture and I could get used to it, but I grew up in a small town so I’ve enjoyed living in small areas.

On how Gasparilla became Florida’s #1 property two years in a row:

It’s not a difficult recipe... We take care of the property; we close down in July and reopen in October, during which time we put extra capital into painting and refurbishing. But the one thing that makes us really special is the people. We’ve spent years hiring right people from all over - Jamaica, Turkey, the US - people that want to be here. We’ve allowed their personalities to show through and we don’t give them a bunch of phrases to repeat. They do the service thing on their own; when they want to be here, they go above and beyond. And we have thousands of comment cards that say exactly that.

On his next adventure:

At the end of the month, we’re going to Blackberry Farm for their Cheese Geek Event. I love a great ripened rind cheese, Humboldt fog cheeses, Cowgirl cheeses. I’m looking forward to it.

Note: Interview conducted and edited by Alison Harrigan. Pictures provided by Gasparilla Inn.