Celebrate The Cavity over Easter
Last drinks at The Cavity.
A BIG Easter weekend is assured at The Cavity with Venus Bay locals and visitors enjoying the hospitality of owners Jordan Meikle and Linda Everitt for the last time, the couple planning a move to North Queensland.
Former employee Robb McGregor, who continued doing odd jobs for the business, reflected on the couple’s extensive service to the town over almost 15 years.
“For any restaurant to last that long under one owner is incredible,” he said, remarking that various other Venus Bay businesses have had multiple owners over that period.
Early on Thursday afternoon, as preparations were made for the final weekend of trading under the current ownership, Sentinel-Times met Sharon Decker, a resident of Venus Bay’s First Estate and regular customer of The Cavity.
“We thought we’d come for dinner one last time,” she said, making a booking for Good Friday, having mostly come on Fridays.
She also used to attend Thursday night Parma evenings when they were running.
Sharon has fond memories of catching up with lots of local people at The Cavity and has enjoyed the convenience of being able to walk there from home.
With Linda at home, Sentinel-Times caught up with Jordan, who will miss the Venus Bay community but said it is time to prioritise family.
The couple have five children whose Summer school holidays over the years have coincided with peak tourist season in Venus Bay.
Linda and Jordan took on what had been a Venus Bay café and juice bar that happened to be for sale at the time they bought some land just out of the Tarwin Lower township.
Over the years, they’ve lived in both towns.
Jordan explained that in the early days of running The Cavity, the couple were able to draw on existing staff as they were running the Kilcunda Bistro and also had the contract for catering at the desalination plant.
Still, it was a high-pressure start.
“Linda had our son the night before we opened,” Jordan said.
While not one to boast, he acknowledged that the business has become a hub for the community, adding, “We tried to provide what they want.”
He feels people have been drawn to the atmosphere and the food, noting the business has had a strong focus on fresh seafood, and from the beginning had a Spanish influence stemming from his time as a sous chef in San Sebastian.
People’s positive reaction to cured Spanish ham, tapas and bowls of fresh calamari are among the highlights.
So was the tradition of Paella nights that for a long time featured $5 bowls of Paella, $2 pots of beer and $3 glasses of wine.
“It was an opportunity for low-income earners to get here on a Friday night and have a social night without busting their wallets,” Jordan said.
In the early days of running The Cavity, the then family Labrador, Sahara, became a celebrity around town, with one of her escapades fondly recalled by those who witnessed it.
“She came back with someone’s roast one time; I don’t know where that came from, but she sat here on the couch and ate it in front of everyone,” Jordan said of one of her more successful adventures along the street.
Locals and visitors no doubt have their fingers crossed that The Cavity premises will be back in action in the not-too-distant future, with an interested party wanting to take over.
