Biography
Bob and Melinda Blanchard are that rare couple that is easy to envy but impossible to resent. After all, the restaurateurs have worked incredibly hard to establish themselves as the proprietors of the most popular dining establishment in the Caribbean hideaway of Anguilla. The couple faced a multitude of financial setbacks, labor problems, and island hurricanes along the way, but weathered it all to open a restaurant where island folk and celebrities could commingle in a relaxed atmosphere while enjoying mouth-watering meals of mini-lobster rolls and Jamaican Jerk Shrimp. "No attitude, no jackets required, no pomp and circumstance" Bob and Melinda promise of Blanchard's Restaurant on their website, and in their new book Live What You Love: Notes from an Unusual Life, they offer some very valuable advice on how to achieve your own dreams.
The Blanchards first told their inspiring story in the 2001 book A Trip to the Beach: Living on Island Time in the Caribbean, a humorous, highly personal account of their first ten years in the restaurant business. The book's freewheeling blend of personal anecdotes and savory recipes won the hearts of gourmands all over the world, who not only relished the recipes but also marveled at the Blanchards' jet-setting lifestyle. The couple spend their winters on the beaches of Anguilla and their summers amid the cool greenery of Norwich, Vermont.
Readers were further fascinated with the Blanchards' harrowing struggle to achieve their goals. They went from creating an internationally recognized brand of sauces and salad dressings in their Vermont home to finding themselves homeless and living in a Volkswagen van in California, before venturing to Anguilla, where they would spend years of hard work to get Blanchard's Restaurant up and running. As for why they chose this remote place to build a new life, Melinda explained her reasons in an interview on Fodors.com. "It just cast a spell on us," she explained. "There's no gambling, no taxes, no unemployment, and its 85 degrees year round. Visitors here tend to look for less, not more, and that appealed to us."
With the marvelous success of A Trip to the Beach, the Blanchards soon found themselves in high demand. They have been featured in publications like People, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, and The Washington Post. They have also hosted their own TV shows on PBS and the Fine Living Network.
Now that the tale of their initial decade of toiling towards success has captured the fascination of foodies everywhere, Bob and Melinda have composed an all-new book that not only offers witty and moving personal remembrances but also explains what it takes to make one's own goals a reality. In Live What You Love, the Blanchards suggest: "Tie dreams to reality, or get ready for an extremely exhausting chase. Put down this book right now. Pick up the phone and get a piece of information you've needed...put a date on the calendar...recruit a friend to help."
As if Live What You Love hasn't been a grand enough gift to their fans, the Blanchards have also released Cook What You Love: Simple, Flavorful Recipes to Make Again and Again in conjunction with it. Cook What you Love offers a whopping 100 recipes for delicious dishes like Blue Cheese and Mango Bundles, Grilled Prosciutto, Mozzarella with Artichoke Relish, and Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. The various tasty treats collected in the book make ample use of the Blanchards' New England and Caribbean influences, drawing together the two sides of their lives that instigated an international success story.
Good to Know
The Blanchards adoptive home of Anguilla is a haven for celebrities anxious to escape the spotlight. They have served stars like Susan Sarandon, Richard Gere, and Liam Neeson at Blanchard's Restaurant.
Owning a restaurant in Anguilla is no cheap thrill. According to Melinda Blanchard, $11 worth of potatoes in the U.S. can run as much as $70 in Anguilla when shipping costs are taken into account.
Some fun facts from our interview with the Blanchards:
"We can each easily eat an entire pint of Häagen-Dazs ice cream in one sitting."
"Some of Bob's favorite moments are spent on his John Deere tractor, mowing the field at our house in Vermont. Anyone who visits us and shows even the teeniest amount of interest gets an automatic ride on the John Deere."
"As ironic as it may sound, we unwind by going to New York. Living in Anguilla and Vermont is wonderful, but it's always fun to enjoy the contrast of the hustle and bustle of a great city."
"More than anything else, we love to design things. Could be a restaurant, a house, a store, or something as simple as a greeting card. Sounds like work to some, but it's fun to us."
Feature Interview
In the spring of 2006, Bob and Melinda Blanchard took some time out to answer some of our questions about their favorite books, authors, and interests: What was the book that most influenced your life or your careers as writers?
Don't Stop the Carnival by Herman Wouk was the book that probably had the most influence on our life. Though it was a work of fiction, it described life in the Caribbean in all its glory and eventually led us to our own life in paradise.
What are some of your favorite films, and what makes them unforgettable to you?
We're both suckers for sappy love stories. We go to the movies to relax and be entertained and avoid films that are violent, heavy, or depressing.
What types of music do you like? Is there any particular kind you like to listen to when you're writing?
We both like to write in complete silence. Our taste in music varies depending on where we are and what we're doing at the time. The Blanchard's Restaurant kitchen wouldn't be what it is without reggae and calypso in the background. When we're in Vermont, we tend to lean toward folk and country -- probably because they share real stories about people with whom we can identify.
If you had a book club, what would it be reading?
Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris. His stories are so very real.
What are your favorite kinds of books to give -- and get -- as gifts?
We love books that make people feel good and relate to real life at the same time. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom is an all-time favorite.
Do you have any special writing rituals? For example, what do you have on your desk when you're writing?
Chocolate always helps us write. It makes us feel a bit indulgent and helps us relax. Crazy, huh?
What are you working on now?
Live What You Love has generated thousands of emails. We hear from people every day who share their stories of how they've managed to follow a dream. These stories are so inspirational that just we can't keep them to ourselves. We're in the process or sorting the stories to be included in a series of Live What You Love books to inspire people in specific situations to get as much out of life as possible.
Many writers are hardly "overnight success" stories. How long did it take for you to get where you are today? Any rejection-slip horror stories or inspirational anecdotes?
We were lucky. Our first book proposal sold immediately, and we haven't stopped since. We seem to have a short attention span and have trouble focusing on only one business or project at a time. Writing books while we run the restaurant is perfect for us. There's always plenty to keep us challenged.
What tips or advice do you have for writers still looking to be discovered?
Write from your heart.
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