Monday, October 25, 2010

Evita's Italian Restaurant ...A Beautiful Friendship

It's hard for me to think of Evita's as just another restaurant. To be honest, I can't help but think of it with a mix of nostalgic emotions. When I moved to Ocho Rios in 2004 I hardly knew anything about this Italian restaurant. Well, I knew it was famous but it wasn't famous with me. By the time I left Ocho Rios in 2007 it was a part of my heart.

This is where Irie Latino officially started. This is where my passion for Latin music began to reward me for my love. I remember Saturday nights when the heat in the room was overwhelming, people's clothes were soaked with sweat but as overwhelming as it was, it was unnoticeable, because the only thing we noticed was the rhythm of the salsa beats and the bodies which spun and turned so gracefully to the music.

Evita's was about emotion and not just the emotion of music. People came to Ocho Rios from various parts of Latin America to live and work in this town and to build and staff new hotels. I think most of them resigned themselves to the idea that they were going to spend a lot of their time missing home but then there was this Latin night where they could mingle, meet more of their own people and dance the night away to the music of their respective countries. It became a very special evening that nobody wanted to miss on a Saturday night.

And the locals in Ocho Rios were happy about it, too. It added a whole new dimension to entertainment in the town. I didn't just make Latin American friends because of Saturday nights at Evita's. I made Jamaican friends, Indian friends, American friends and more. There was no greater feeling than bringing people together and making them happy...no greater feeling than that.

It was there that I met Eva, the heart and soul and mind of Evita's. The charming Italian owner of the restaurant met me when I played for a small birthday party at the restaurant and decided she wanted me doing a promotion there. I wasn't sure about making that move but it was then that I realized it's hard to resist the charm of this amazing woman. Within a few weeks I was playing at Evita's and Irie Latino was born, and so was a new friendship between an Italian lady and an Italian-Jamaican guy. Being two very determined people this friendship sometimes became as fiery as an argument at an Italian family dinner but we endured, and anytime I think of Evita's, the image of Eva and I sitting on the terrace, eating pasta and "brainstorming" for new ideas is the first thing that comes to mind.

There was also the timing of this period in my life. It was a time of change. It was a time of great positives and negatives. It was a time of new friendships. So when I bring up any memory of those nights in the restaurant many thoughts flood my mind, many unforgettable moments, many reasons to stop, think and remember. It was happiness, it was sadness, it was passion...it was what life is all about. It was beautiful.

I was going to write this post like any other one on this blog reviewing a North Coast restaurant, bar or attraction...but I just can't do that because it means so much more to me. I just want to talk about the laughter, the romantic relationships that started there, the sound of crickets in the night when the music was over as Eva and I sat at the bar to "review" the night, the time a couple of English guys ran naked through the restaurant which seemed to delight Eva so much, the birthday celebrations and so many special people.

Life goes on, things change, people move and those nights came to an end. But every now and then when the opportunity was right I went back to the restaurant at different times to play music for my friends. And whenever the right time or opportunity comes along I will still go back there if I can.

Eva, I don't think I ever told you thank you. You pulled me into Evita's and made it such an important part of my life. Thank you for everything that meant and thank you for the garlic bread, the buschetta, the pasta, those unique "jam-italian" dishes and all that Bacardi rum and coke. Thank you for the opportunities to stay at Villa Viento on those weekends and wake up to the sound of the waves while I rested an often over-worked mind. Thanks for your beautiful friendship, Eva. In all our advertisements for Latin Night I remember the line "Evita's Italian Restaurant, the best little Pasta house in Jamaica". Those words seem so much more powerful to me, now.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

No body could say it better alexis!!...such a beautifull person is Eva full of love,charm and passion for her place!!! I feel so glad I can count her in my friends too....Is a very good time to thank you and her for having us, latin people missing so much our countries, enjoying that great Italian dishes & amazing music....what to say about those very cool friends we meet there where the most important thing was have fun and dance till your leghs hurt so bad but you still wants more and more!!!
Thank you so much Eva!!
Thank you so much Alexis!!
I love you all my friends!

Unknown said...

Love eva, n love evitas,I'm sure eva cld write a book abt all the juicy gossip that we spill thr.somethin abt the place meks if feel @ home.eva babes love ur gnochi gorgonzola....yum

Yulissa - Dom.Rep./Ocho Rios said...

Reading this just remind me the most beautiful moments I had in Jamaica! I remember the very first time I went to the latin Night at Evitas, you played Chichorizo, I haven't heard it before until then, I was shock that the DJ was so on top of things! LOL hahahaha.
Also, I remember my birthday celebration. Full of people and very nice music playing! Couldn’t have a better birthday party in Jamaica, It made me feel at home in Dominican Republic with my family and friends!
I so miss those moments up there!
On behalf of ALL the Dominicans that had enjoy even one night there, I want to say: GRACIAS!

Anonymous said...

Look at that, starting with Evita's in Ocho Rios and now all the way in Montego Bay at Blue Beat... what an adventure it has been for Irie Latino.
Latin Night was indeed the highlight of the week, after working the long hours we still managed to come to Evita's to get our feet moving and mingle with fellow latinos.
It was our place for celebration, birthdays and farewells.
Thank you Alexis for bringing our music together on Saturday nights at Evita's.
Eva, thank you for being such a charismatic host.

Nersi