♪ KATE: Get ready.

Today we are taking you on a crazy adventure, to a corner of the world few get a chance to see.

You made it.

SARAH GREAVES-GABBADON: That was a great commute.

[Kate laughs] KATE: To one of the most unique restaurants on the planet, a place you can only reach by boat, to meet a woman who has created a dream career for herself and is showing others how to do the same.

SARAH GREAVES-GABBADON: What is a story that only I can tell you?

Nobody else can tell you.

KATE: Today we're sitting down with Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon, to eat what she loves and find out why she loves it.

SARAH: There's a grill, and there's the Caribbean, and there's Anguilla, this is Anguilla on a plate basically.

KATE: Anguilla on a plate.

And then we're hearing how she made her dream job come true.

In her vision to make travel a richer, more available experience for everyone.

Sarah: It's easy to get locked into your own little world view and your own community, and think that, that's the whole world, but it's not.

♪ KATE: What's better in life than a bottle of wine, great food and an amazing conversation?

My name is Kate Sullivan and I am the host of To Dine For .

I'm a journalist, a foodie, a traveler, with an appetite for the stories of people who are hungry for more.

Dreamers.

Visionaries.

Artists.

Those who hustle hard in the direction they love.

I travel with them to their favorite restaurant, to hear how they did it.

This show is a toast to them and their American dream.

KATE: To Dine For with Kate Sullivan is made possible by... ANNOUNCER: There are people in your life who count on you for what matters most.

American National agents are close to home and committed to our communities.

They'll help you find the right coverage for you, your family, even your farm and business.

You can learn more at americannational.com.

♪ KATE: Hello everyone and welcome to a very special To Dine For .

Today we are on a tiny island off the coast of Anguilla.

There are no residents here.

There is no electricity, but there is a restaurant.

And I can't wait for you to meet the visionary who chose this as her favorite restaurant in the world.

JetSetSarah.

You made it.

SARAH GREAVES-GABBADON: That was a great commute.

KATE: (laughs) You made it.

SARAH: Yeah, I did.

KATE: Can I give you an elbow.

This is Sandy Island.

SARAH: I'm so happy to be here.

There's nobody happier than me on the earth right now.

KATE: This is incredible.

Welcome to paradise.

Anguilla is known for its low key attitude and high standard of service.

Anguilla is a well-kept secret and truly a Caribbean crown jewel.

SARAH: Anguilla never disappoints.

You think it's gonna be good.

You know, it's gonna be good.

And then you get here and you just can't believe how good it is.

KATE: Yeah.

The British Caribbean island of just 14,000 people is one of the world's leading luxury destinations.

Here, there are no shopping malls, high rises or casinos.

In Anguilla it's all about brightly colored architecture, tropical breezes, and local flare everywhere.

First of all, thank you, thank you, thank you, for bringing me to Sandy Island.

Wow!

SARAH: Can you believe it?

KATE: I can't.

SARAH GREAVES-GABBADON: Is it everything you dreamed and more?

KATE: It really is.

It's such a unique special place.

SARAH: Seriously that didn't even begin to describe it.

You know, this is the dream and we are living the dream.

So I'm happy to live it with you.

KATE: Sandy Island is located just five miles from the mainland of Anguilla.

And if you think Anguilla is incredible, this is a paradise within paradise.

Let's just start with how you get here.

For 10 bucks, diners board a sea shuttle, where even the name on the boat tells you what you're in for.

Sandy Island restaurant is the only establishment on the island.

The electricity, solar powered with a backup generator, the staff and fresh fruits, herbs and seafood are all brought in daily by boat.

Sandy Island Restaurant is designed so you can bury your feet in the sand and feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, because really you are.

SIMONE CONNER: Sandy Island is paradise in the middle of the sea.

That's the quickest, shortest way I can actually sum it up.

It is a beautiful spit of sand, 360 degree of sheer white beautiful goodness.

KATE: It's a place where the owner, Simone Connor never forgets her guests, but this isn't just a beautiful restaurant.

It's a restaurant with a story that begins with Simone's father, a local fisherman.

SIMONE: Back in the late 1970's, early '80's, he would've been asked to take some tourists actually out fishing for one of the local hoteliers here in Anguilla.

And on the way back to the hotel, the tourists would've looked and saw this little island and said, "Hey, we wanna go there."

And so my father, you know, obliged, he brought them here.

KATE: Soon, tourists started asking Simone's dad to take them to the island regularly.

SIMONE: Cooked some of the fish he caught for the people and roasted them on the fire rocks.

And he said he was lying down under a coconut tree.

One of the men actually walked up to him and said, "Hey dude, you should do this.

This is awesome."

And he looked at the man.

He was like, "You know what?

I think I'm gonna do it for truth."

And the rest is history.

KATE: But it hasn't been all smooth sailing for this island.

In fact, there have been stormy waters literally.

Sandy Island Restaurant is a story of survival.

Twice, the entire island has been washed away most recently in 2017 with Hurricane Irma.

SIMONE: It's a very emotional topic for me.

Um, we stood on the hill, just in south hill, just behind me here.

And we looked over hoping to see just a spec of sand.

And there was none.

So, where we're standing right now was water.

Um, it took a couple months for sand deposits to come back.

And every time the sand deposits would come back, we would come in with our wheelbarrows and for, you know, two, three weeks, we would take the sand and bring it into the middle.

And the island just grew and bit by bit, you know, it came back.

It took a lot of work, but it's something that we love.

It's a labor of love.

KATE: It's not often you get to grab lunch on an island built by hand.

On this sunny sandy piece of perfection, I'm dining on seafood, straight out of the sea with another dreamer, JetSetSarah.

Sarah has created a dream career for herself, bringing us all along on her adventures to warm weather destinations, from Machu Picchu to Miami, the Bahamas to Belize.

Sarah takes us there with her photos, words, and incomparable smile, her articles and Instagram posts, dive into the details of her travels, the stuff you might not see unless you're told to look for it.

So of course, when it came time to order at her favorite restaurant, I let the expert do the talking.

Right and I'm gonna have exactly what you're having.

SARAH: So, Deon- Deon: Mm-hmm.

SARAH: First things first... let's just get our priorities correct, can we have two rum punches please?

DEON: Sure.

[Kate laughs] SARAH: Because, right, it will be rude to come here and not have one of your rum punches, right.

SARAH: So we're definitely gonna have the crayfish because you can't come to Anguilla and not have the crayfish.

Would you like something to start?

KATE: I'd love to try the drunken shrimp.

DEON: Yes.

And, sticky ribbi's.

SARAH: I'll try the sticky ribbi's.

DEON: Sure.

SARAH: The name is very cute.

So we gotta try it.

KATE: Of all the restaurants in the Caribbean, and there are so many fantastic ones.

Why specifically did you choose Sandy Island?

SARAH: This place is like no other.

Sandy Island has a special place in my heart because it was the first place that I came to when I first came here in 2012, was the first time I came here and I met Simone, the owner, and she and I just bonded and it was a special- it's a love connection.

KATE: It's a love connection.

SARAH: And I love Anguilla because I think it has the perfect combination of being high end, but low key.

It's not pretentious.

The standard of service and product here is amazing, but there's no attitude.

There's a expression we have in Jamaica, "stocious" which means you're just, you're just too fancy.

They're not "stocious" here.

You know, Anguillans recognize that they have a great thing here and they're very welcoming and want other people to come here, but they're also just proud.

And once you discover Anguilla, it's a secret that you want to share.

KATE: Hmm.

Your mother is from Barbados?

SARAH: Correct.

KATE: Your father is from Jamaica?

SARAH: Mm-hmm.

KATE: What was it like growing up in that family and how did it shape who you are today?

SARAH: I think it's safe to say that everything I am is because of those two people, everything.

I was born in England and essentially spent my whole life going backwards and forwards in roughly three year increments.

KATE: So you're going back and forth from England to the Caribbean.

SARAH: Yes.

England to Jamaica the whole time.

KATE: Okay.

SARAH: For basically my whole life.

So it definitely started me and opened my eyes to the world and started my love for travel.

KATE: What do you think it is about travel that is so magical for you that has sort of ignited a passion and really mapped out your career path?

SARAH: Actually, my first memory ever is of being three and on the plane and going from London Heathrow to Kingston in Jamaica.

And it was on the plane.

And I remember looking outside, out through the window and saying to my mother, mummy, mummy, the clouds are upside down it was so magical.

And even now 50 something years later, that magic has never left me.

I'm always excited to travel.

No matter how much it becomes a schlep, I'm always excited by airports, by hotels, by the theater of the concourse or the airport.

Here comes something.

DEON: This is the coconut shrimp.

KATE: Ahh.

DEON: This is gonna be the sticky ribbi's.

SARAH: Thank you.

KATE: Wow!

Is that good.

SARAH: Is it good?

KATE: It's almost like a little curry in it.

SARAH: Yes.

KATE: With a drunken shrimp appetizer, you get succulent shrimp bathed in a coconut curry and rum sauce, with just a hint of curry seasoning.

The sticky ribbi's are just like they sound, juicy, baby back ribs, slathered with a sweet, but also mildly spicy sauce.

KATE: Oh the rum punch.

Thank you.

SARAH: Thank you so much, Deon.

Okay, you have to take a break from the trim because we have to toast.

[TOGETHER] Cheers- KATE: to you and for- SARAH: Thank you!

KATE: -bringing me to such a spectacular place.

SARAH: Thank you.

You're welcome.

And here's to Anguilla.

KATE: Here's to Anguilla.

Exactly.

Cheers.

SARAH: Oh, my God.

KATE: Oh wow.

SARAH: What did I tell you?

DEON: Everything okay?

KATE: Deon, you outdid yourself.

Deon: Beyond.

Okay.

KATE: Excellent.

Deon: I have everything I need right here.

KATE: (laughs) But I think it's interesting.

You know, you really grew up with three cultures.

You grew up with a British culture, with Barbados and Jamaican culture.

That's three distinct- SARAH: And now I live in America.

KATE: And now you live in America.

I think there is something about being completely transported to another way of thinking, being, food, people... mindset that allows you to grow and to see things differently than someone who stays in the same place.

SARAH: Absolutely.

Absolutely.

Because it's easy to get locked into your own little worldview and your own community and think that that's the whole world, but it's not.

And when I come back, particularly to the Caribbean, I feel like I'm in the right place.

I feel like everything is aligned.

I feel like I'm doing what I was put on earth to do- KATE: Mm.

SARAH: -which is to share the Caribbean with the world.

And as much joy as I get from being in the Caribbean, I get more from sharing it with other people.

Like it's just, you know, to watch you have a rum punch and come to Sandy Island and realize it's not hype.

It really is this great.

It's better than it looks on Instagram.

KATE: Right.

SARAH: That makes me feel so good.

Like I did my job.

KATE: Yeah.

SARAH: You know, travel isn't just something I do.

It's really part of who I am.

KATE: As you said, you are a "Car-evangelist."

SARAH: "Car-evangelist" yes.

KATE: Meaning you are an evangelist for the Caribbean.

And you want people to understand the complexity, the uniqueness- SARAH: The diversity.

KATE: The diversity and how every island is its own world.

SARAH: Yeah.

KATE: Sarah's "Car-evangelist" mission isn't just to encourage you to travel.

She wants you to truly experience the place, immerse yourself in the culture, meet the people.

If even for just a single afternoon.

SARAH: As a "Car-evangelist" when I say Anguilla and people say, "Oh, you mean Antigua?

Or you mean Aruba?"

KATE: Ah.

SARAH: You know, that's my job to say, oh no, no, no, no, Antigua, Anguilla, Aruba.

They're all completely different.

And let me tell you why, better still let me show you why.

[In unison] Wow!

KATE: Amazing.

That looks incredible.

Wow!

That is the crayfish.

SARAH: Only in Anguilla.

KATE: Amazing.

SARAH: Only in Anguilla.

KATE: Crayfish is indigenous to Anguillan waters and at Sandy Island Restaurant, it is the most popular meal on the menu.

It's sort of like a small lobster.

This crayfish is grilled to perfection.

It's tender and sweet and pairs perfectly with a rum punch.

Becoming a travel writer is a dream for many people.

SARAH: Hmm.

KATE: You started like so many people, one article at a time.

SARAH: Yes.

KATE: And you establish credibility with every article that you write.

So what was the next move to kind of launch you as a travel writer?

SARAH: I ended up working in PR for Sandals.

I was there for four years.

It was absolutely the bedrock of my career.

I knew I was very good at my job but I don't know.

I just got to a- I felt a bit burnt out and I kind of felt like I wanna do something else.

And what really interested me was the writing.

SARAH: And I realized, I wanted to tell the story of the Caribbean, but from a different point of view, as a journalist.

KATE: Mmm.

SARAH: You know, it, it's funny how, when you look backwards, you see how it all comes together.

But at the time you're not really aware of your path only of the direction, right.

While I was at Sandals my boss, Butch Stewart was kind enough to allow me to take a sabbatical.

KATE: Ah.

SARAH: 'Cause I think I was leaning towards editorial.

He allowed me to take a four month sabbatical and I moved to New York City.

KATE: And what was the magazine?

SARAH: It was called Heart and Soul.

KATE: Okay.

SARAH: And it doesn't exist anymore, but it was a magazine for black women, interested in health and fitness.

KATE: Okay.

SARAH: So, um- KATE: So you have this great internship.

You, you clearly- you found what you're supposed to be doing.

SARAH: Mm-hmm.

KATE: Did you come back immediately and quit from Sandals?

SARAH: Yeah.

After about three or four months of returning, I realized this is not for me.

KATE: Okay.

SARAH: Mm.

Just hold on a minute.

I'm gonna have this moment.

KATE: On To Dine For you can always have the moment.

SARAH: Have you had your moment?

KATE: Mm-hmm.

SARAH: A moment of silence for the deliciousness of the crayfish.

KATE: Wow!

That's just, uh, so fresh.

Yeah.

SARAH: And there's a grill, you know there's the Caribbean- Kate: Oh.

SARAH: And there's Anguilla.

This is Anguilla on a plate, basically.

KATE: Anguilla on a plate.

SARAH: Seriously if you came to Anguilla and you didn't have crayfish, did you even come here [Kate laughs] for real?

Did you really come here?

Or did you just pass by?

KATE: I love that.

SARAH: You have to have this.

KATE: Sarah knew she had a talent and love for writing, but she didn't know if her side hustle could be a full-time job until she landed the executive editor job at Caribbean Travel & Life Magazine in Orlando.

SARAH: I just gotten married.

But my, I remember my husband saying to me, "This is your dream job and I don't worry about what it will do to us if you go, I will worry about what it will do to our relationship if you don't go, this is your dream- SARAH: -you have to pursue it."

KATE: Wow!

So I was at Caribbean Travel & Life for six years.

And it was the best.

And this, this is how I came here.

KATE: Yes.

SARAH: And we came, we met Simone, we came to Sandy Island.

That's how it all started.

KATE: But just as her writing career was taking off, the magazine industry was taking a hit.

SARAH: Everything changed.

KATE: Right.

SARAH: And so they did decided that Caribbean Travel & Life was no longer gonna exist as a magazine.

KATE: Right.

SARAH: I didn't really have a plan B.

And so one day when I got the call that we're not publishing the next issue, I thought, well, you know what I'm gonna do?

And it's so funny.

And I'm, so, so naive.

I look back at it and laugh.

I thought, well, you know, no problem.

What I'll do is I'll just freelance for six months to a year until I get myself another fabulous staff gig.

Because of course, why wouldn't this happen?

Well that six month stop gap- KATE: Yes.

SARAH: -essentially has turned into a nine year career.

KATE: Yes.

Sarah now writes for some of the top travel publications across the world, Travel & Leisure, AFAR, Conde Nast Traveler, Islands.com, The Telegraph to name a few.

Her storytelling talents have earned her some major recognition.

Forbes named her as one of the top 15 Black travel writers to read and thousands of people follow her adventures on social media.

What would be your advice to someone who wants to become a travel writer?

SARAH: It's a great job and it's the only thing that I can imagine myself doing is, is communicating my travel experiences, whether through writing or on camera or whatever, but it is not as with many things.

It's just not as glamorous as it looks.

It pays really poorly.

KATE: Mm-hmm.

SARAH: I just wanna say that.

Honestly, it, it pays really poorly.

KATE: It pays in experiences, right?

SARAH: I have a life that is rich and full and I'm happy.

And like I said, I'm secure that I'm doing what I'm doing.

I'm doing what I'm supposed to do.

But if you're coming into this thinking, I'm gonna make a lot of money, you're not.

KATE: So what if someone is pure in intention and wants to follow your path- SARAH: Mm.

KATE: -and become a writer, whether it's Caribbean or otherwise- SARAH: Hmm.

KATE: What advice would you have for someone really following their heart and, and exploring a creative path.

SARAH: Start with what you love, you know, and tell the story.

Here's the thing.

Here's the thing.

Tell the story only you can tell.

KATE: Hmm.

SARAH: You know, travel writers are a dime a dozen.

What is a story that only I can tell you?

Nobody else can tell you because the generic story is out there for anyone with a internet connection, you have to make it special and you make it special by tapping into what you find special and what you love about it.

So I think it all starts with having a passion.

And even though, you know, the God's honest truth is even if I didn't get paid a cent to do this, I would still do this.

KATE: But you have become really, really good at telling a story through Instagram, through social media, using humor, using food, using beautiful images.

SARAH: But that's what I mean, there's more than one way to tell a story and it doesn't have to be reams of text, because nobody's reading three pages of just deep text.

You can tell it through a video.

You can tell it through a boomerang.

You can tell it through just a single image or a carousel of images.

So that forced me to become more creative in my storytelling.

And I found it really exciting.

KATE: Hmm.

How can someone be a good traveler specifically to the Caribbean?

SARAH: Hmm.

I'm ready for this question.

The roots of Caribbean travel are in colonialism, and it is so interesting how particularly when you go to a resort, a big resort, you still see vestiges of colonialism in modern day life.

And I think that when people come to the Caribbean, you have to know that in the back of your mind, little examples, like you may find that the people at the front desk are lighter skinned and have long straight hair.

KATE: Hmm.

SARAH: But the people in the service parts and backup house, they might be darker skinned.

KATE: Hmm.

SARAH: You may find that lighter skinned and or white and or imported people are at the management level- KATE: Mm hmm.

SARAH: -and local people are at the service level.

SARAH: Plantation tours, you know, no, none of us in the Caribbean denies that slavery exists.

It's part of our history and we are not ashamed- KATE: Hmm.

SARAH: -but we are hundreds of years out from slavery.

And so when I see new resorts opening and they talk about colonial era glamour or elegance- KATE: Hmm.

SARAH: I think to myself- KATE: Un Uh.

SARAH: -really?

Because my people weren't having a good time in the colonial era.

My people, it does not harken any good memories of colonial times.

So it's part of our past, but I don't want it to be part of our present or our future.

KATE: Basically what you're saying is when you come to the Caribbean to think a little bit differently and be a little bit more thoughtful about some of your choices, whether it's.. SARAH: Yes.

KATE: -hotel or tour or restaurants to really find the locals.

SARAH: Yeah.

Be intentional.

Because if you are just gonna lie on the beach or lie by the pool, you could have stayed at home.

KATE: Right.

SARAH: Save yourself time and money and stay at home.

KATE: Is your mother and father still alive?

SARAH: Yes, very much so.

KATE: What did they think of your career?

SARAH: My father said to me the other day, it seems like what you do is, it's sort of a vocation.

SARAH: You know, when he, I told him like, well, I'm gonna do this.

It's gonna take me X days and I'm gonna go paid X.

And it's going to not turn up 'til 60 days after I've done the work.

And he's just like, this is like a vocation.

Is this a real job?

The biggest compliment that anyone can give me is that they, they read something about an experience I did and they felt like they were there.

KATE: So on this show, I believe that food tells a story and if food tells the story a little bit of the person that I'm talking to, and so your love of the Caribbean and your love of crayfish are intertwined- and the fact that you brought me here to have this meal at this moment.

I'm so grateful.

Thank you.

SARAH: You're so welcome.

It is my pleasure.

Nothing I could write makes up for the actual experience of being here.

KATE: Mm-hmm.

I can feel that.

SARAH: I mean, I could try and be as lyrical as I wanted to and to put your toes in the sand and to make you feel the breeze on your back on that distant roar of the waves in the background.

But you have to actually be here to know what it's like.

KATE: To be in the moment right here with this crayfish.

Yes.

I completely agree.

SARAH: Yes.

KATE: After an amazing lunch in this one of a kind place in the world, Sarah wants to share one of her favorite places on the island with us, Maundays Bay.

Anguilla is only 60 miles long and three miles wide, but it's filled end to end with 33 breathtaking beaches.

Of all the islands, Anguilla has some of the best weather in the Caribbean, always sunny and right around 80 degrees.

33 beaches in Anguilla.

SARAH: Yes.

All of them fabulous.

KATE: Right.

SARAH: Everyone a winner.

KATE: But Maundays Bay's really special and really beautiful.

SARAH: I think it's gorgeous.

It's a perfect crescent of sand.

The sand is so fine.

It's like confectionary sugar.

KATE: Hmm.

SARAH: It's so white.

KATE: Maundays Bay lives up to the hype.

It's the powder white sand and crystal clear water that you've seen in magazines.

It's the stuff that Sarah writes about.

To end this amazing experience, we sit down for one last cocktail, overlooking Maundays Bay to take in the sunset and the natural beauty of it all.

What is next for you?

Where do you see your career going?

SARAH: I hope that this is the foundation for media domination.

[Kate laughs] KATE: Well, your dad said it was a vocation and the word vocation is, it's an interesting word choice because vocation implies a purpose bigger than yourself.

SARAH: Hmm.

KATE: It's about being truly proud of this beautiful part of the world.

SARAH: Yes.

And there's nowhere else like it.

I'm very interested to know some people travel and the first thing they wanna do is go to a local restaurant.

The first thing I want to do is go into a local store and see what do they make here?

KATE: I think what's so remarkable about you is this is so much more than travel.

It is about learning.

It is about experiencing a place that you truly love through the lens of the people who live there and, and getting other people to experience and love the Caribbean the way you do.

SARAH: It isn't a hard job.

[Kate laughs] SARAH: How hard is- This is a very easy job.

How hard do I- I have to convince any sentient being that they should be here right now.

KATE: What a way to end this day in Anguilla.

Let's just be honest, JetSetSarah is living many people's fantasy, a dream career that she cooked up and hustled hard to achieve.

But beyond the glamorous JetSet lifestyle is what her father calls a vocation and a value system she holds dear that each Caribbean island is a special and unique destination worthy of getting to know the culture and the people who live here.

Sarah doesn't look like she's working, but I can promise you she is.

Sharing the stories and shining a light on what makes this corner of the world, such a fascinating place and enticing you to dream up your next travel adventure.

This has been awesome.

I wanna make a toast.

SARAH: Yes.

KATE: Cheers to you and to this incredible lunch and experience in Anguilla.

So nice to meet you.

SARAH: And you too.

KATE: Continued success.

SARAH: Oh my gosh.

And finally we drink.

[Kate laughs] ♪ KATE: If you would like to know more about the guests, the restaurants, and the inspiring stories of success, please visit todinefortv.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram at To Dine For TV.

We also have a podcast, To Dine For the podcast is available on Apple podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

To Dine For with Kate Sullivan is made possible by... ♪ ANNOUNCER: There are people in your life who count on you for what matters most.

American National agents are close to home and committed to our communities.

They'll help you find the right coverage for you, your family, even your farm and business.

You can learn more at americannational.com.