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Presents BUILDERS OF TORTOLA |
Alan William Anderson Born at home with the help of a midwife on 29th September 1961 in Bishopbriggs, Glasgow, Scotland Alan left school at 15 to become an apprentice cook in a hotel. After gaining experience he later worked as a chef at the Gleneagles Hotel, in Perthshire, Scotland (and traveled through Europe and Canada) before applying for a position as Food and Beverage Manager with Carnival Cruise Lines in St. Croix, so he could “see the world”. In 1989 he jumped ship at St. Thomas at the behest of his brother and made his way to the BVI where he worked at Cooper Island.
Wanting to remain in the food and beverage industry, later workplaces included Castle Maria, Peg Legs, the Fish Trap (now Nexus), Village Key, and Espositos, before taking up his present position as one owner (“I work for my wife”) of Sky (formerly Sky World), a restaurant/bar/tourist outpost on the Ridge Road.Changes in his ‘industry’ over the years are mostly positive and are particularly tied (Alan believes) to the increase in competition that has resulted from the growth of particularly the tourist industry in the BVI. It used to be all “ribs and chicken” and now it’s “fine dining” to a much greater degree. This is possible because good quality foodstuffs are now much more available and there is a lot more choice. He finds the job becoming ever easier as he knows more people and places – where to get things and who from. Local knowledge is very valuable ion the food and beverage business.
Other notable positive changes on the island include the new hospital, the much better roads, and other forms of improved communication. He even Fedexes beef in from New York at times for his customers. There are of course, the associated challenges that come from ‘development’, including more traffic, more difficulty dealing with e.g. banks, and the increase in the number of cruise ships – although they help Sky’s ‘bottom line’.
Looking ahead, there is more of the same in Alan’s future, as he sees the BVI as home for him and his family. Although given his peripatetic career, a change of venue is a possibility. Alan believes that he has helped to improve things in the BVI by working with local people and helping to improve the restaurant industry.
His favourite story tells the tale of working sans permit in his early days on the island, at Castle Maria. He applied for a work permit and received it from the supervisory person in Labour/Immigration who had been his customer for much of that time. “Now you are legal you don’t have to hide in the kitchen” he was told in a personal interview.
Draft as of December 11th, 2008
Builders of Tortola Guide