When they met in 2001 neither was thinking of owning a restaurant. Albert Ceballos at that time had work himself up to the Kitchen Manager position at R J Gators. Jen Hawk meanwhile had also moved up to the service manager position in the front of the restaurant at the same location. He found that underneath her laid back exterior was a very business driven person. She found out that he could be counted on to get the job done and nobody worked harder in the restaurant. Over time both found a lot more in common and did what most people do who have a lot in common: they got married on October, 29th 20005 and welcomed a new addition to their union on August 21st 2006: Gracie a healthy baby girl.
Of course something else happened to cement their relationship. Jen’s father Jimbo Hawk was riding his bicycle on the north side to the entrance to the south bridge in Fort Pierce when he saw a “For Sale” sign in front of what was left of the gutted remains of “The Black Pearl” a well known nightspot in Fort Pierce. That night after talking it over with his wife Trish, he made a call to his daughter and asked if she was interested in running a restaurant. Jen talked it over with Albert and in July of 2005 they opened for business.
Although Albert and Jen had a history of working in franchise restaurants like RJ Gators and Mulligan’s the last thing they wanted to do was run an impersonal franchise style restaurant where the customers were treated like tourists. Instead they wanted to be known for great food and a solid family atmosphere.
Jimbo and Trish were the owners of two successful feed stores in Okeechobee and Palm City Florida. But they also had a presence in Fort Pierce for several years where they kept a boat at the Fort Pierce Marina and enjoyed the Fort Pierce lifestyle almost every weekend. While they didn’t know how to run a restaurant business they fully understood the concept of service built on a relationship with their customers.
When you come to Fisherman’s Wharf don’t expect black ties or glitz, just good food served up in a warm family atmosphere where the owners actually talk to their customers. What a revolutionary concept!