Thanksgiving 2013 at Jeff's Pirates Cove!!

The holiday season is upon us and you would be hard-pressed to find a pirate anywhere that loves to celebrate the holidays as much as Pirate Captain Jeff!!! In the true pirate tradition, Captain Jeff loves to party and party HARD!!!! And there's nothing like a pirate party to get yer jibs jibbing, yer jabs jabbing and yer nibs nibbling.

So he is throwing a big Thanksgiving Buffet down at Jeff's Pirates Cove on the 28th. Here is the menu....

As you can see, Captain Jeff is serving quite a table full of his favorite Thanksgiving goodies in order to please you. But the Captain is not satisfied with that. He also wants you to get into the true spirit of Thanksgiving. And no better way to do that than to know what Thanksgiving is all about. It's more than just "talking turkey"!!!

Here is what it says...

"In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers—an assortment of religious separatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith and other individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and land ownership in the New World. After a treacherous and uncomfortable crossing that lasted 66 days, they dropped anchor near the tip of Cape Cod, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River.

One month later, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay, where the Pilgrims, as they are now commonly known, began the work of establishing a village at Plymouth.Throughout that first brutal winter, most of the colonists remained on board the ship, where they suffered from exposure, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower’s original passengers and crew lived to see their first New England spring. In March, the remaining settlers moved ashore, where they received an astonishing visit from an Abenaki Indian who greeted them in English. Several days later, he returned with another Native American, Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe who had been kidnapped by an English sea captain and sold into slavery before escaping to London and returning to his homeland on an exploratory expedition.

Squanto taught the Pilgrims, weakened by malnutrition and illness, how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped the settlers forge an alliance with the Wampanoag, a local tribe, which would endure for more than 50 years and tragically remains one of the sole examples of harmony between European colonists and Native Americans.

In November 1621, after the Pilgrims’ first corn harvest proved successful, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast and invited a group of the fledgling colony’s Native American allies, including the Wampanoag chief Massasoit. Now remembered as American’s “first thanksgiving”—although the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the term at the time—the festival lasted for three days. While no record exists of the historic banquet’s exact menu, the Pilgrim chronicler Edward Winslow wrote in his journal that Governor Bradford sent four men on a “fowling” mission in preparation for the event, and that the Wampanoag guests arrived bearing five deer. Historians have suggested that many of the dishes were likely prepared using traditional Native American spices and cooking methods. Because the Pilgrims had no oven and the Mayflower’s sugar supply had dwindled by the fall of 1621, the meal did not feature pies, cakes or other desserts, which have become a hallmark of contemporary celebrations."

So if you want to celebrate this year's Thanksgiving the pirate way with Pirate Captain Jeff and the rest of his hoards, come on down to Jeff's Pirates Cove located in the beautiful southern village of Ipan Talofofo and eat, drink and party like a pirate. If you are too full to move afterwards, don't worry!!! You can lay out on the beach with the rest of all the other overindulged souls. No one will bother you!! Hehehehehehe!!!

Hurry now....

The Pirate Awaits You....

Jeff's Famous Homemade Burger!!

There are burgers and then there is the Jeff's Pirates Cove Famous Homemade Burger!! This is the burger that built Jeff's Pirates Cove. With an average of over 2500 homemade burgers and cheeseburgers served monthly, it's obvious that they are the most popular items on the menu. 

About 35 years ago, Pirate Captain Jeff and his friend, Lydia Duenas, perfected the recipe for this famous burger simply known as the "Homemade". The rest is history!!

Lydia Duenas

So what's to the "Homemade"?? What makes it so special?? Simply put, each patty is made by hand using only the very best ingredients and special sauces. At the end of the day, you have one large, fat, juicy burger with flavor that's just busting out all over!!! 

Let's look at the "Homemade" process step by step...

One of our Burger Masters is Senorita. She is one of only a few at Jeff's that are tasked with preparing the special Homemade.

It all starts by using the best ground beef available. These are 20 lb. logs of USDA Angus Beef at a 73% meat to 27% fat ratio. You want ratios within this and  80/20 to ensure the burger will not be dry. Too lean and it may be too dry.

30 lbs. of ground beef are mixed at one time. The special sauce is added to the burger meat.

The special sauce is then thoroughly mixed by hand.

Special bread crumbs are then added and mixed in.

Each burger patty is then fashioned and weighed to make sure each is 1/2 lb.

All 30 lbs. of burger patties are weighed.

Each patty is then individually wrapped in plastic wrap to protect the patty during storage...

This process is continued until 90 to 100 pounds of burger patties are prepared at a time.

Jeff's private brand is burned onto every burger bun...

The Pirate Captain leaves his mark using his special custom branding iron.

Dozens of oven fresh buns are "branded" daily...

Toto is just one of the many dedicated employees at Jeff's Pirates Cove...

Part of the preparation of the burgers at Jeff's are the burger condiments. These are prepared fresh every day.

Cooking the Homemade is a totally different story. Sometimes just a few are cooked...

Other times a whole grill full are cooked...

One thing is for sure, Jeff's Pirates Cove serves a lot of "Homemades". Here are a few more photos of the Homemade burgers...

Plates ready for the cooked burger. Complete with Happy Face fries.

Thick Cheddar cheese is melted on the Homemade Cheeseburger. Another slice is on the bun.

Homemades with the salad option.

Did we mention two slices of thick cheddar cheese on each Homemade Cheeseburger???

And many happy patrons...

Of course there is always service with a smile at Jeff's Pirates Cove!!!

So if you have the yearning for a great burger come on down to Jeff's Pirates Cove Beachside Resort in beautiful Ipan Talofofo and order one of our famous "Homemades" with or without cheese. You will leave knowing you just ate the burger that "built Jeff's Pirates Cove". 

Hurry now,

The Pirates Awaits you...

Goodbye Larry Summers!!!

We all lost a dear friend with the recent passing of Larry Summers. We gathered at Jeff's Pirates Cove this past September 15th, 2013, to celebrate Larry's life. Larry was given a wonderful sendoff onto his next journey as his ashes were spread in the waters off the beach at beautiful Jeff's Pirates Cove.

Larry, a Colorado native, married his wife Zelma, December 25, 1959. They traveled the world so to speak as Peace Corps volunteers before eventually ending up on Guam.

In attendance at Larry's memorial celebration along with his wife Zelma, were many of his friends and contemporaries. Opening remarks were given by dear friend Frank Whitman. The opening prayer was led by Gedell Carnegie. Many people spoke of their good times with Larry. Josephine Mendiola, Ysu Mendiola, John Eads, Debbie Whitman were just a few. There were others.

Closing song was preformed by R.A. Meyers and the closing prayer was given by Gedell Carnegie. There was a wonderful slide show compiled by Wes Gima. Even the Pirate himself was on hand to give a few closing remarks and invite everyone down to the beach for our final goodbye celebration for Larry.

Larry's earthly remains were joined with the everlasting waters of the Pacific Ocean where they will forever be one with nature. Larry's spirit moves on to commence his next journey. We wish him the very best.

Here are a few of the photos that were taken on this beautiful day...

Meeting and greeting...

Tributes...

Gathering at the shore...

The final tribute as Larry joins the Seaborne Society...

The celebration continues...

A video tribute to Larry...

As you can all see, it was a beautiful memorial celebration for Larry at Jeff's Pirates Cove. You would be hard-pressed to find a more fitting and beautiful location to start your final journey...

Good-bye to Larry from Zelma and the rest of us at Jeff's. Enjoy the next chapter of your life. We shall all meet up one day.

Until then.....

Ciao from The Pirate!!