What started as a perfect addition to a great diving experience within her husband’s valet diving business has developed into a delicious, beach food celebration.
The dream that started in 2005, when Monique and her husband, Fred, first arrived on Bonaire and immediately fell in love with the island, came true last year. Even though they loved Bonaire and felt at home, they couldn’t move to the island for many years because of family circumstances and an existing business in the European Netherlands.
Private Valet Diving
Finally last year, in 2016, the couple was able to set up their business on the island. Flamingo Diving Bonaire is a private, valet diving business that provides a hassle free diving experience. Flamingo Diving brings the diving school to your doorstep. From courses to gear, everything is arranged in the comfort of your own home.
The delicious addition
Monique, who wanted her husband’s dream to come true, helped start up the business, but continues to live in two worlds. She runs the more than 150 year old family business in Amsterdam and Moniques’s Kitchen – Beach Picnic here on Bonaire. It was meant to be an addition: honest and delicious comfort food served on the beach in beautifully arranged picnic baskets.
Monique’s Kitchen - Beach Picnic
Monique started preparing the picnic baskets to give divers the ability to take a break in between dives without leaving their favorite surroundings, the ocean and the beach. With her passion for food, she makes no concessions to her idea to serve high quality comfort food. Every basket is a private little party and an eatable present.
With no disposables included, no paper napkins nor plastic straws, she maintains the island’s view to sustain and protect our valuable nature.
Monique’s Beach Picnic can be ordered for 2 people up to a maximum of 15. Picnic baskets are available 7 days a week and are only restricted by how many orders she has received already.
Together with Nicole, Monique prepares delicious sandwich salads, cheeses, fresh fruit, homemade pesto, family recipe marinated olives, juices, freshly baked bread and more. Many other things can also be arranged, like burgers, chicken wings or pizza, to name a few, and of course, your bottle of wine or beer. Everything can be personalized to your wishes.
Monique only needs to know the day, time, location, car number plate and number of people and she will bring your picnic anywhere you wish to enjoy your food.
As you can imagine, what started as a service to her husband’s business has already morphed into something other people besides divers want to enjoy too. She now receives orders from beach clubs, boat rentals, romantic arrangements and friends’ beach celebrations. You can also order her food, for a maximum of 20 people, set up as a buffet. She wants to remain a small business to keep enjoying her work and will not take bigger orders.
Family Tradition
Whenever she goes back and forth to the Netherlands to care for the family business, a famous shop in Amsterdam, De Leeuw Zuurwaren, that sells old school prepared pickles, she brings back some of the product to Bonaire to add to the baskets.
De Leeuw Zuurwaren is one of the oldest businesses in Amsterdam, making their pickles from a traditional recipe since 1850. The pickles made by De Leeuw Zuurwaren are still seen as some of the best in the entire country. People drive all the way to Amsterdam just for their pickles. The shop also sells other delicacies, including home flavored olives.
Just knowing this makes you want to try out the Beach Picnic to get a taste of the old Dutch pickle tradition right here on our Bonairean beaches overlooking the Caribbean Sea.
Info
Monique’s Kitchen – Beach Picnic
Facebook: Monique's Kitchen Bonaire
Phone: + 599 787 37 32
