RE Log Fall 2018

Stephen Sawitz ’75 slid into a chair in a private dining room – “Jesse’s Room” – named for his grandfather at Joe’s Stone Crab restaurant. Sepia-toned portraits of Sawitz’s great-grandparents, Joe’s co-founders, hung just behind his head. Down the hall- way, preparations for the day were underway: Oven-ready dishes of lobster maca- roni and cheese lined a stainless steel counter, vegetables steamed above huge vats of boiling water, and a handful of cooks, accountants, shippers – and Sawitz’s 86-year-old mother, wearing a cotton hoodie, jeans and comfort- able shoes – started their shifts. Sawitz peered through dark-rimmed glasses with delighted eyes. He told stories, pumping out memories with the same grinning energy that seems to drive everything he does. He recalled his days at the restaurant at age eight, trying to peel potatoes faster than the grown- XS PHPEHUV RI WKH NLWFKHQ VWDɣ 7KHUH ZHUH 6XQGD\ GLQQHUV DW WKH restaurant’s family table, which included his parents, grandparents and “extended family” – by which Sawitz meant everyone who worked at Joe’s. Sawitz recalled the discussions over decades – decades – about raising the price of the fried chicken, which has been, and, Sawitz acknowledged with a shake of his head, likely will forever remain, ɷ ɺɶ LW VLWV RQ WKH PHQX XQGHU WKH ɵɴ ɺɶ FHQWHU FXW ¿OHW A man in a white chef’s coat opened the door and stepped into the room. “Can I inter- rupt?” he said. “Jon Bon Jovi wants to meet you.” Sawitz, the restau- rant’s chief operating RɤFHU IROORZHG WKH VWDɣ PHPEHU WR WKH NLWFKHQ %RQ -RYL DVVLVWLQJ KLV son with the promotion of a new rosé just introduced to the market, RɣHUHG D KDQGVKDNH DQG WXUQHG WR KLV \RXQJ EXVLQHVV SDUWQHU ³7KLV is my son, Jesse,” Bon Jovi said. “My grandfather’s name was Jesse!” Sawitz responded, then ushered the pair on a tour of the restaurant. Celebrity interactions are almost as common at Joe’s as the daily stone crab deliveries from Everglades City and Marathon, but Sawitz still marvels WKDW D WLQ\ XQSUHWHQWLRXV ¿VK VKDFN WKDW RSHQHG LQ ɲɺɲɴ DQG DGGHG VWRQH FUDEV to the menu in 1921 has catapulted so far into Miami’s culinary consciousness that the rich and famous want to meet him . Today, more than a century after its founding, Joe’s Stone Crab remains family owned and operated, a Miami institution, an iconic meeting spot, an adored remnant of another era, and a magnet for tourists and celebrities. Sawitz’75 guides Joe’s into its second century )$// Ransom Everglades LOG 15 3KRWRJUDSKV Ey 6X]DQQH .RUHV