July 1, 2007 — When you step through the door of Anastasia Rivers' Magic Kitchen, you are swept away from the competitive ambience of the private sports club that surrounds it and into a cozy atmosphere rife with colors reminiscent of the setting sun.
Madras-printed cloths cover the small tables. A mural of Rivers with Buck Island at her back and a coal pot nearby bathes the room in shades of orange, red, green and blue.
The restaurant was a dream for Rivers, a retired police corporal who supervised the 911 department for the last five years of her service. "I didn't want to retire and stay at home," Rivers says. She also didn't want to take the typical retired police officer position. "I wanted to break away totally," she said.
It took a year from planning to execution for Rivers to see her dream become reality. "My better half would shoot pool with the Magicians’ club," Rivers explains. The team would get hungry, and she would provide the food.
The club’s president, Mario Golden, agreed to partner with Rivers and rent her a space in the back of the club for the restaurant. The decision worked out for everyone involved, Rivers says: "They helped me out, and I helped them at the same time."
Having the restaurant inside the Magician’s club had a great deal to do with the “magic” in the name of the restaurant. She insists, though, that the real magic is in the flavor of the food and the love she puts into it all.
Rivers decided to open the restaurant because she saw inconsistencies with the quality of food on the island. On lunch trips with her "better half," Deputy Chief Raphael Bramble, Rivers says it was hard for her to find a place with good service and a good menu, so she became frustrated and stopped eating out.
Some people questioned her decision on the restaurant's location, but Rivers considers the Estate Richmond location home. "This is my old neighborhood," she says of the area, known locally as Watergut, just outside of Christiansted. The club used to be a grocery store where she often shopped as a young girl.
Although Rivers enjoys being in control of her own business, her biggest challenge is finding dependable help with good personalities for her day shift. She wants to ensure her guests receive quality customer service. "I'm totally tied up here," she says, while joking that all the work has caused her to “lose some weight.”
Rivers’ children, M-wathia Hector, Aesha Rivers and David Rivers, and granddaughter, Kisura Smith, have all pitched in when needed. Although she is thankful for their help, she wants her family to come to the restaurant as guests and enjoy the atmosphere without needing to work. "This is my dream, not theirs," she says.
Rivers asks that her guests “taste the magic, feel the magic and share the magic.” She offers local and continental cuisine. With signature dishes like the seafood carnival — a blend of shrimp, conch and lobster in a Creole sauce — it’s hard for guests not to taste the magic.
Taste the magic, feel the magic and share the magic Tuesday through Saturday at 141-142 Estate Richmond. For more information, call 719-2005.
Back Talk Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.
