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History of Hurricane Alley

When I was a little girl, I always wanted to be a lawyer.  I guess I figured a courtroom was one place I could talk forever.  Well, with that in mind, that was indeed my future—only the wrong bar. 

So instead of walking down the aisles of justice, I took my own bar exam, “How to Run a Restaurant and Not Go Nuts”.  To say the least, I passed with lots of tutoring and late night cram sessions and early morning aspirins.

Now, 11 years later, I introduce you to Hurricane Alley Raw Bar and Restaurant!

In 1996 a friend and I discovered this small space on East Ocean Avenue just west of Federal Highway in Boynton Beach, Florida.  It was approximately 900 square feet and in dire straits.  Six months later, with A LOT of help from some friends we opened as a 26-seat restaurant called “Café Barista”.  In theory it was a great idea to open a coffee shop, but you must serve more than one type of coffee!!!!!

So after about five years of severe struggling and a lot of learning, two good friends and a pitcher of beer helped change this little café around.  By leasing the bay next door and adding another 900 square feet—and another pitcher of beer—my friends Phil Surge and I came up with the name Hurricane Alley.  So then I contacted my good friend Marty—who used to be mad but now is just Marty—and he came and used his talents to help me start my logo.  Backwards, he hand-painted my sign on the window (did I mention he carves Tikis?)  Then Phil and Surge started bringing in surfboards and signs and Hurricane Alley was developing…an original Nomad Surf Shop sign hangs on the wall, a surfboard brought and signed by a California Surf Team, stuffed fish from local catches, a longboard from a lost friend, and the list goes on…this is what Hurricane Alley is all about.

So then Surge started drawing this guy sitting at a tiki bar and getting blown away by a hurricane, and at long last my slogan “Get Blown Away at Hurricane Alley” was born.  Klutch clothing  got a hold of it and a custom T-shirt was designed (see T-shirt Gallery, coming soon).

As time progresses, so does the restaurant.  We started as a 26-seat café and now boast a 98-seat hustle-and-bustle restaurant.  With this we offer fine cuisine starting with our famous Seafood bisque, which began with a chef who walked out to a waitress watching the ingredients, and an owner who “winged it.”  From this miraculous combination a great recipe came into being.

From that moment, with this waitress and this owner, a whole new kitchen evolved, with a little of this and a little of that and a whole lot of love!!!  Hurricane Alley is one of the best eatin’ holes in town!!

So I invite you to join us in a dining experience you won’t want to forget!  Come and enjoy the food, fun and warm atmosphere!

My family—sons Drake-11, Gage-7 and my husband Burt, shown above—wish you Pura Vida—Pure Life—and a week in Costa Rica Yahoo!!!  And if you want to know more about me and the Alley and how the Sea Mist entered my life, check into “The Beginning-Part 1” for some more fun and stories.  Until then…

Sincerely, Kim Kelly Garnsey