Island Restaurant & Bar donates time and 100% of harvest to Jupiter’s neighborhood resource center, a haven for the area’s day laborers
In addition to being known for a delectable menu loaded with fresh and locally-sourced food items, Guanabanas Island Restaurant & Bar also hosts monthly “Give Back Thursday” events that help fund local families and charities in need. Now, in partnership with Jupiter’s El Sol Community Center, Guanabanas’ top chef Vinny Trupia has taken on another green venture to assist those from the area who need it most: he’s managing one of the community garden plots in Guanabanas’ name that grows and donates its entire yield to feed hungry locals at the center.
“El Sol provides a great community service to our town, and any opportunity to help is an honor not only for us as a local business, but for me as an individual,” says Vice President / General Manager Jon Sullivan. “Jupiter did not have a community garden prior to El Sol’s efforts, and we are proud to lend a hand to make it bigger and better.”
A graduate of the Florida Culinary Institute, cooking is in Trupia’s blood. His father worked as a restaurant chef in Florida, New York and California, and as a child, the young Vinny would watch his grandmother prep and cook Sunday family meals, old-school Italian style. His career has seen him man many of the positions he now oversees, from dishwasher to sous chef to executive chef.
Now in his current position, he inspires the same work ethic in his crew that was required of him to in order to climb the kitchen ranks. A Lawton, OK native, Trupia’s specialties are American and Italian cuisines, and since joining the Guanabanas team in 2008, he has honed his skills in traditional Caribbean and Latin cuisines, with an emphasis on fresh Florida seafood.
El Sol is a safe, organized, indoor space that facilitates the hiring of day laborers. Workers registered in their labor program fulfilled more than 14,000 job requests for local employers in 2016. Adults are provided English classes, and vocational, financial literacy, and computer training, as well as Spanish literacy instruction. El Sol also provides referrals for medical care, legal advice from volunteer attorneys, in addition to the fruits and vegetables grown on its grounds.
Guanabanas is located at 960 North Highway A1A Jupiter, FL 33477. For more information, please visit www.Guanabanas.com or call 561.747.8878.
ABOUT GUANABANAS
Guanabanas is an open air restaurant and bar with woven tiki huts and banyan trees towering overhead and hand-chiseled coquina stone pathways underfoot. The team maintains a laid-back, island atmosphere where everyone is welcome. The award-winning menu features a fusion of Mexican, fresh Florida seafood and traditional fare; a breakfast menu is available Saturdays and Sundays. Guanabanas offers a custom catering menu and signature cocktails. Executive Chef Vinny Trupia oversees the culinary operations and also manages a community garden at the neighborhood resource center El Sol.
The establishment hosts recurring “Give Back Thursdays” to help the needs of the local community organizations, partnering with willing companies to help drive donations and money where needed, as well as giving away stage space to allow charities to showcase their cause. Past beneficiaries include the Surfrider Foundation, Martin Memorial Hospital, Haiti Relief Effort, the Brave Maeve Foundation, Freedom Flight for WWII Vets by the Martin County Firefighters, Furry Friends, and many others.
For more information, visit www.Guanabanas.com or call 561.747.8513.
