Jumbey Café, a popular Village Road restaurant deeply rooted in Bahamian flavors, has opened a second location on Carmichael Road.

The space the new restaurant calls home was formerly occupied by QBC. It sits across the street from John’s Plaza at the junction of Carmichael and East Avenue.

In the restaurant business where there isn’t much room for mistakes, entrepreneur Valentino Munroe knew now was the right time to grow.

“To be able to move into Carmichael in a more urban area with high consumer traffic gives us the ability to broaden our customer base and increase volume, thereby improving our growth prospects and the opportunity to gain a stronger foothold in the food industry,” said Mr. Munroe.

To ease staff into the new routine, the restaurant quietly opened its doors on Thursday, March 21. An official opening is slated for next month.

Since its launch in 2016, Jumbey Café has built for itself a solid foundation, methodically establishing its brand identity as a go-to place for authentic Bahamian dishes heavily influenced by the owner’s Andros roots. Think crab soup, baked crab, crab and rice, boil fish, fresh snapper, crack conch and the like, in a down home atmosphere.

When many neighborhood restaurants are closed on Sundays, Jumbey Café made a name for itself opening from 9 am to 6 pm. With its reasonably priced menu, a full meal for three costs between $25 to $30, the restaurant delivers good eats for those preferring not to cook before or after church.

Its friendly staff delivers a great customer experience, while the restaurant’s tasty food is prepared fresh daily by Family Islands cooks from Andros, Abaco and Exuma whose specialty recipes have been passed down from generation to generation.

Budget friendly prices turned browsers into regulars who referred family and friends to this laid-back spot, ideal for grabbing breakfast on the weekend, picking up dinner for the family when the day is done, or for those with a hankering for something more filling than a salad eaten at their desk and were enticed to “come taste the rhythm.”

“We have a very popular base in and around The Village Road Shopping Centre area,” said Mr. Munroe, a computer system engineer by profession, who also runs the computers and accessories store, Onit Systems, located just a few doors down.

Although warmly received by the market, Mr. Munroe said there’s still more growing to do at the flagship location. In the coming weeks, he hopes to capture a larger market share when the café rolls out its lighter lunch fare – more salads, boils and fresh vegetables. The goal is to attract and retain more of the area’s professional, health conscience crowd.

Menu options will differ somewhat between locations. Carmichael will stick to Jumbey’s tried and true menu. However, it will offer breakfast seven days a week. The Village Road location serves breakfast three days a week: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

“Our choice of locations demonstrates we are not afraid to get close to some of the bigger players who have done really well in business over the years. I'm not worried about competition. With food, having options make the market more interesting,” said Mr. Munroe whose family owns and operates restaurants and lodging accommodations in Andros.

“We look to compliment and improve the product quality and the level of service in our area of the market. A new entrant, even a small player, could have an amazing impact causing its competitors to take note and improve their level of service. Consequently, the customer benefits from better food quality all around.”

The restauranteur said his priority is ensuring both establishments deliver what it promises – authentic Bahamian food made with all natural, fresh, ingredients prepared in the best environment possible, with a welcoming, courteous staff delivering service that is second to none in the industry.

Said the married father of two: “While we look to expand operations, our bigger dream is really to exemplify to the next generation would it means to grow, build and develop ownership in the Bahamian economy.”

Double the location – Restauranteur Valentino Munroe stands outside his newly opened establishment.

Jumbey Café located on Carmichael and East Avenue. It is the second restaurant for the brand launched in 2016.

Bahamian nurses were part of a group of recent graduates from the University of the West Indies (UWI) School of Nursing’s (Trinidad) Paediatric Haematology/Oncology program.

The 27 nurses from The Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, under the SickKids-Caribbean Initiative (SCI), have completed specialised training in the care of children with cancer and other blood disorders.

With the support of the SickKids Foundation, SCI was established in 2013 as a partnership with the University of the West Indies as well as Ministries of Health, hospitals and institutions in six Caribbean countries, including The Bahamas. This partnership focuses on building the sustainable local capacity to diagnose, treat, and manage paediatric cancers and blood disorders.

Regional bank CIBC FirstCaribbean pledged USD$1 million to the initiative over a seven-year period (2014 – 2020) through its charitable arm, the FirstCaribbean International Comtrust Foundation. As nurse training partner, the bank funded the full training for all but one of the 27 nurses.

“We are truly proud to be a partner with SCI and support the life-changing work they have been doing across the region to ensure that hundreds of children diagnosed with cancers or blood disorders have access to the very best care delivered by trained professionals,” said Colette Delaney, Chair of the FirstCaribbean International ComTrust Foundation and Chief Executive Officer of CIBC FirstCaribbean.

“The work of the dedicated doctors and nurses of SCI has greatly improved the outcome and enhanced the quality of care and life for so many of our most vulnerable citizens – our children,” Ms. Delaney added.

In SCI’s 2017-2018 Annual Progress Report, Bahamian doctor Corrine Sin Quee-Brown said, “The greatest contribution the SickKids Caribbean Initiative made this past year was the completion of training of four Paediatric Oncology nurses. All four returned home and are well-engaged in the area and making a great impact and difference to the lives of our children with cancer and blood disorders. They do more than just administer medications; they give the added emotional and scheduling support that were so limited in the past. The sky is the limit now that a team is in place and hopefully this team will have the addition of another paediatric haematologist/oncologist in the very near future.”

To date SCI has significantly improved the diagnosis and care of scores of children across the region. The initiative has also added to the library of regional medical literature and resources, with the completion of five supportive care guidelines and five clinical care guidelines documents. 

Nurses and educators pause for a photo outside the UWI School of Nursing in Trinidad. 

About CIBC FirstCaribbean
CIBC FirstCaribbean is a relationship bank offering a full range of market leading financial services through our Corporate and Investment Banking, Retail and Business Banking and Wealth Management segments. We are located in sixteen (16) countries around the Caribbean, providing the banking services that fit our customers’ lives through approximately 3,000 employees in 68 branches and offices. We are one of the largest regionally listed financial services institutions in the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean, with over US$11 billion in assets and market capitalization of US $2 billion. We also have an office in Hong Kong. The face of banking is changing throughout the world and CIBC FirstCaribbean intends to lead these changes with the expertise, integrity and knowledge gained from banking in the Caribbean since 1836.

CIBC FirstCaribbean is a member of the CIBC Group. CIBC is a leading Canadian-based global financial institution with 11 million personal banking and business clients. Through our three major business units - Retail and Business Banking, Wealth Management and Capital Markets - CIBC offers a full range of products and services through its comprehensive electronic banking network, branches and offices across Canada with offices in the United States and around the world.

Family Island Administrators have gathered for a three-day workshop, March 25-27, under the theme, “Agents of Change, Productivity and Accountability” at Melia Nassau Beach resort. Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert A. Minnis, delivering the opening ceremony keynote address today welcomed the Administrators and thanked them for their commitment and service to the country. He said that the government plans to undertake several projects and initiatives to improve life on the Family Islands.


Prime Minister Minnis said socio-economic development throughout The Bahamas is a priority requiring Family Island transformation for sustainable tourism, education, health care, agriculture and fisheries, and infrastructure.

“Such general infrastructure includes new or upgrades to roads, potable water, docks, the expansion of solar energy and other vital infrastructure,” said the Prime Minister. “I am pleased that during this term in office we will build new airports in North Eleuthera, Exuma and Long Island.”

With the current tourism industry boon, major islands must be developed. And Offices of the Prime Minister will be created and expanded on more Family Islands, he said.

Among the plans: New Disney Cruise Port in South Eleuthera, which is expected to result in long-term sustainable development including business opportunities and jobs. Plans are also underway for a transshipment port in Mayaguana. Additionally, the owners of the Bahamas Striping will develop poultry farms and processing plants on North Andros and Eleuthera, and a distribution center on New Providence.

Ragged Island would not be left behind, according to the Prime Minister. The government is moving to incorporate solar power generation into the Ragged Island electricity grid. This, he said, would make the island the country’s first green ‘smart island.’ Other projects include improving access to water on Crooked Island and Long Island, completion of a new primary school in San Salvador, and new and significant investments for Abaco and the Abaco Cays. “These include: the proposed Tyrsoz Family $580 million investment in South Abaco for the development of a 5-star residential resort and marina, which will involve the upgrade and expansion of the Sandy Point airstrip; the development of Sandy Point ferry dock as a cargo transshipment port and construction area; and the extension of Queen's Highway in South Abaco,” said Prime Minister Minnis.

Furthermore, the government has approved a Bahamian joint venture partnership arrangement for the development of the Blue Hole Marina and Lodge in Fresh Creek (Andros) consisting of a 12-room lodge and an 80-slip marina including a bulk fuel facility. The economy of Long Island would also be boosted with the development of the Pinder’s Bay $5 million 28-bungalow community development project at Lower Harbour. Also in the works for Long Island is a new five-star eco facility by Star Resort with 515 luxury residences.

“The Berry Islands, Biminis and the Exumas experienced their share of investment with the expansion of existing properties and green field tourism projects,” he said.

He pointed out that the Advisory Committee on the introduction of Local Government to New Providence has recently completed extensive consultation both locally and internationally. A compilation of their findings will be presented to Cabinet in a few weeks for further discussion.

“The decisions that follow may enhance the quality of life in New Providence, in the first instance, and the enhancement of Local Government in the Family Islands.

“I will have more to say on this in due course.”

Prime Minister Minnis said that after being hit by category four and five hurricanes for three consecutive years, the country has to be in a ‘state of readiness.’ To this end, NEMA was given a mandate to provide training to all key stakeholders, well in advance of the hurricane season. Consequently, NEMA has already conducted two, three-day training seminars in January and March with the assistance of USNORTHCOM. Another three-day training session is planned for the first week of April, with the test run being done in June. Family Island Administrators will be a part of this training. 

Prime Minister Minnis addressed the opening of the three-day Local Government Workshop at Melia Nassau Beach resort, March 25, 2019. (BIS Photos/Yontalay Bowe) 

By Betty Vedrine

Police are investigating another child abduction in the capital after a boy was taken from outside his home and dropped off near the City Dump.