Chef Ryan Kida says he’s just getting started.
And that’s very good news for Sunshine Seafood Café & Wine Bar.
Kida, who built a loyal following as the former chef/owner of Yabo in Fort Myers, found his way to Captiva Island after teaming up with Sandy Stilwell Youngquist.
“I think we met in September or October, knowing we were opening up,” said Stilwell Youngquist, who reopened Sunshine Seafood 14 months after Hurricane Ian roared through. “We talked about joining forces for years and years, but it never was exactly the right time. But this time it was perfect. I’m so glad Ryan and I finally connected.”
The upscale, intimate, reservations-strongly-recommended café is the third(ish) of her island restaurants to reopen.
Cantina Captiva was the first(ish) to come back on Dec. 30, 2022, a few months after Ian in the form of a food truck outside the property. Stilwell Youngquist hopes to have the restaurant fully operational by Feb. 12.
After her RC Otter’s Island Eats was flooded and substantially damaged from the storm, everything was replaced from the bottom up. Despite it all, the award-winning eatery held its grand reopening on July 27 and celebrated its 20th anniversary in December.