FLEMING ISLAND – I had the fortune of having breakfast one morning at Just a Pinch Café and Catering but the misfortune of not doing so many years earlier. Not that I have dyslexia, but “Just a Pinch” and “Pinch a Penny Pool, Patio and Spa” blended in my mind. Similar names – totally different industries – and the two establishments located in the same commercial complex only cemented my confusion.

When a coworker recommended Just a Pinch for breakfast, I could only taste chlorine.

Dyslexia aside, I almost missed out on one of the top restaurants on Fleming Island. Sadly, a Facebook post announced the closure earlier this month due to personal reasons.

Just a Pinch was a unique blend of Southern and Hawaiian culinary traditions. Co-owner Cleta Greenwood brought the Southern charm. Co-owner Bernard Santiago brought the “pinch” of Hawaiian flavor. Words won’t do justice, but I will try my best to describe some of the many flavorful concoctions:

Chicken and Waffles, the Southern classic, was made with katsu chicken, a lightly breaded Japanese-style chicken tender. Chicken Katsu Loco Moco was a traditional Hawaiian dish and a country-style breakfast: white rice, savory gravy, crispy chicken katsu, two eggs on top and a characteristic slice of Spam. The Hawaiian sweet bread was a fan favorite, and it was the perfect pairing to a warm cup of freshly brewed Kona coffee, cultivated from a strand of arabica coffee beans that flourish in the volcanic soil of Mount Loa.

The sensation originally opened in 2015 at a location across Fleming Island High. Originally, Just a Pinch intended to do catering solely, but its vendor required the company to be open for retail as well. Thus came the “Café” and “Catering.”

Just a Pinch catered birthdays, weddings and graduations. One highlight was when it catered to the VIP area at the “Party in the Pines” music festival, performed by Keith Urban, among others, where more than 1,200 entertainment staff and VIPs were served.

“That event made me a country fan. I have a cowboy hat in my car ready to go!” Santiago said while sharing that beloved memory.

For Santiago, the restaurant was his way of cherishing his Hawaiian heritage. I never met Greenwood, but I am sure she felt the same way with her Southern roots.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the restaurant. As a self-diagnosed picky eater, I didn’t know what to expect when I walked in (pool water, pool noodles, etc.). I came in with an open mind and was wonderfully surprised. Cooking a meal is an important way to share one’s culture, and nowhere was that more apparent than Just a Pinch.

Their delectable, one-of-a-kind menu will be missed.