By Karenlyn Barone
Owner Donald Colwell has been in the restaurant business for about 34 years and his cafe is a labor of love and a celebration of family. His children were raised in Lynbrook and attended East Rockaway schools. Every night he and three of his five daughters run their establishment as if they were hosting a party given in your honor. That alone is reason for people to come back again and again, but add to the mix the top rate food they serve, the seemingly mile-long bar and music for every taste imaginable and you have a consistently packed house.
Colwell learned the business from the inside out. His parents, were the owners of the Swiss Tavern in Lynbrook, years ago. Dad, John, deceased and mother Edna, now 94, operated their business as a family endeavor and Colwell has done the same with his cafe.
"My mom comes down here and loves it," said Colwell. "She reminds me how they would charge 85 cents for lunch and 15 cents for a beer and still make money."
As things change, so do they remain the same, and Colwell now enjoys having his own children and grandchildren surround him in this setting.
"The best part of all is being able to work here with my children," said Colwell. "It's like having people come into my home - but I'm sorry, I have to charge you because I have rent to pay."
"The Fishery," as the locals call it, started as a small venture. A fish market with a few tables indoors for dining and a majority of mostly take-out trade. But, the family put the open-air bar outside one year, piped in some music and attracted a consistent crowd. Those regular customers were soon joined by countless locals who were attracted to the cafe for its locale and its comfortable, welcoming atmosphere. The crowds grew and the family had to make a decision.
"The bar was really getting busy," said daughter Kathy Colwell-Will. "We had a lot of time to think about what to do over the winter and we decided to expand the bar and see what would happen."
What happened was bigger crowds on a regular basis, the addition of live music and a second renovation the following year. The bar was made even larger to serve the customers better and an outside grill was added for late-night fare and the family made the big decision to remain open seven days a week.
"It's no longer work for us," said Kathy. "We like hanging out here too, it's the best kind of work."
Kathy's own children, Harrison, 8, and Taylor, 7, have been known to don aprons and fold napkins at the popular, local icon for family fun and good food. It has become a family endeavor in the purest sense of the word.
"There are instances of three generations of families who have worked for the Colwell's," said Susan Winters, bookkeeper for the cafe. "They're a great family."
She would know. She has worked for the Colwell's for the past six years, following in the footsteps of her mother, Dottie Clark who also worked for the family, as did her son, Chris, 25.
Most of the employees of this favorite local jaunt are in fact, locals.
"Some of the people who come here to eat and relax have their own children working here," said daughter, Nancy Colwell-Quinn. "It's like a reunion and everyone works great together."
The popularity of the place is almost uncanny. The story is told about how the family had to put an overhang on top of the new bar, (which Dad and Nancy built together) because they found that patrons refused to leave even when it was raining. Crowds often huddle around the bar and watch the thunder and lightening from the beautiful vantage point the deck of the restaurant offers.
"It's just always fun down here," said youngest daughter Jacqui Colwell, 28, who loves being able to bring the newest family member to work -- her favorite, four-legged Black Labrador, Montauk.
"Everyone appreciates this place and we get the nicest range of people coming in," said Jacqui.
Surprisingly, on any given night that range is from 21 to 81 years young. With the water's edge as their backdrop, the Colwell's offer comfortable and casual dining in the outside cafe, where you can feast on seafood delivered fresh everyday served on the new, enlarged, wooden deck beneath stylish and heat-detracting umbrellas. It is not unusual to find families dining there throughout the summer enjoying the view and Chef Kevin Donavan's culinary creations. All year dining is also available in the small nautically perfect indoor cafe. Both venues serve lunch and dinner and provide catering on and off the premises.
Special events are planned for the summer season, including a Ladies Night on Aug. 12, where food will be served and vendors will be present for after dinner shopping.
East Point Cafe and Market is also a vital part of the Village of East Rockaway's Waterfront Restoration Project. The Colwell family has donated a 200-foot by 240-foot parcel of land, which lies adjacent to the caf, to the state. As part of the state's beautification project the bulkhead along the canal, on which the cafe sits, is being restored and plans to build a gazebo, a promenade, a public boat slip and a fishing pier will be included along the waterfront.
The hard work Colwell and his daughters put in is evident in everything about the cafe. It speaks of a commitment to their patrons and of a bigger commitment to each other as a family.
