After extensive travels enjoying B&Bs throughout Italy, Rob and Andrea were inspired to bring their “authentic experiences” home, literally. Rob was working as a chef in Sicily, after a 20-year culinary career in Boston, when Andrea came to visit him. “I looked at him and said, ‘When we get back, let’s go look to do this on Cape Cod.’” So, that’s just what they did – finding not only their next business, but also their next home at the former Bramble Inn in Brewster, Massachusetts. “It was really old,” recalls Andrea with a laugh. “But we were used to new construction in Boston, so we were looking at it with eyes accustomed to concrete, not charm.”
Andrea embraced that charm, as well as some Mediterranean flare in her “easy peasy” redesign of the once wallpaper-covered property. “She’s an oldie, but she’s been a goodie so far – knock on her wood,” jokes Andrea of the historic house, built in 1861. Andrea whitewashed it and finished it with white linens, neutral wickers, and blue accents for a crisp, yet cozy feel. Rob and Andrea also tied their beachside travels to their new beachside home by rebranding its B&B and restaurant as “Spinnaker.” When they were on their honeymoon in Sardinia, they noticed several places named Spinnaker and were told of the symbolism behind the name through a friend who sails. According to Andrea, “He explained that a spinnaker is the poufy sail that pulls the boat further and faster. He also explained that a spinnaker is too heavy for a captain to position himself or herself, so the whole team has to help do so.”
Likewise, Rob, Andrea, and their committed team have kept Spinnaker thriving for four years, especially this year. “It has been crazy,” says Andrea. “The season is lasting longer with coronavirus. So, everyone – Rob, me, all of our servers, and all of our line cooks – are working more days, more shifts, and more hours.” On the rare occasion Rob and Andrea have time to spare, they spend it checking out the competition, dining at other acclaimed restaurants on the Cape. They have yet, however, to find a swordfish dish which rivals Rob’s. “First, he marinades it in his own marinade,” explains Andrea. “Then, he very simply grills it and finishes it with a Sicilian agrodolce, a mélange of onions and pears and pine nuts and raisins and vinegar. It is salty, sour, sweet, and just awesome.”
Not only do guests come to sip and savor at Spinnaker, they also come to slumber in its four guest rooms. “Even before this, we were always hosting parties, always playing house. Now, we have just made a business of it,” says Andrea. Not only have they built a bustling inn and restaurant, they have also made countless friends through Spinnaker. “We know so many of our regulars, their kids, and their lives,” says Andrea. “It means a lot to bring people back and to bring people together.”
To book your sip, savor, slumber, visit: https://www.spincape.com/
As edited by Mom and Andrea. Thanks!
