Like clockwork every week,
a check from
Barbara Jean’s Restaurant and Bar
lands in the Land Trust’s mailbox. No matter what kind of business the restaurant had the week before, their
1% for St. Simons
check is there, “as dependable as dawn,” as one of our staff members said. Not only are the restaurant’s owners among our most dedicated, loyal, and creative partners, it was Jim and Barbara Barta who more than a decade ago
forged a path
for restaurants to contribute to land conservation.
The Barbara Jean’s
giving program
gave diners the chance to
donate 25 cents
to the Land Trust with every diner’s bill. In 2017, that program helped lead to the
launch
of the
1% for St. Simons
voluntary giving initiative. Since then, the
1% Program
has
expanded across
industries
including many hospitality businesses, retailers, media and services providers, art galleries, and others in addition to local restaurants. The idea of restaurant customers providing pennies to help protect and preserve St. Simons all began with the Bartas.
When asked why they started the program Jim responded:
“
We did this because we thought it was right for the community. Nothing more special than that
.”
|
|
For the community, though, the idea was indeed special – almost as much as the
“Easy Southern Dining”
home-style Southern entrees that are made-from-scratch daily at
Barbara Jean’s.
This
family-owned
restaurant is nestled in the center of the St. Simons Pier Village and is as much of a landmark destination as the village itself. Opened in 1998, the cozy eatery is more like Mom’s kitchen than it is a restaurant. The heart of the dining experience, and the creative force behind all the recipes, is namesake and co-owner, Barbara Jean.
Those recipes have garnered recognition locally and nationally, with feature articles in
Southern Living
,
Georgia Trend Magazine
,
Southern Lady Magazine,
and
Coastal Living
, to name just a few. Famed house specialties include
Crab Cakes
,
She Crab Soup
, the slightly mysterious
“Chocolate Stuff”
dessert, and
homemade breads
. Consistently earning great reviews from travelers, TripAdvisor awarded Barbara Jean’s a
Certificate of Excellence
.
|
|
Barbara Jean's famous crab cakes with a side of roasted carrots and green beans.
|
|
Jim is a retired U.S. Marines Corps
lieutenant colonel with a dry wit and
philanthropic spirit. In 2006, he was the recipient of the St. Simons Land Trust’s
Dorothy Gilbert Award, and CASA Glynn named Barbara Jean Barta as the recipient of its 2017
Alice Bradford Award.
The restaurant is located at
214 Mallery St. and is currently open for
dining-in as well as
take-out services with both options following strict CVC guidelines and social distancing requirements.
“Our first priority when COVID-19 began was to follow all prescribed standards, procedures, and protocols. Safety was the focus there. Next, we wanted to keep as many of our employees getting a paycheck as possible even if it meant we were losing money, and that clearly was the case. We also wanted to show some appreciation to our law enforcement community, and we did that by giving complimentary meals to uniformed officers from all agencies which we will continue to do until we are closer to normalcy.”
– Jim Barta
Those are just some of the ways that Jim and Barbara Barta have given back to the community for decades. Please join us in thanking
Barbara Jean’s, their outstanding team and loyal customers, and for being dedicated
preservation partners!
|
|
Please remember that our local businesses need us
now more than ever.
Be on the lookout for
1% Wednesdays
every week and
additional opportunities to support
our hometown restaurants, retailers, and service providers.
We will all get through this challenging time together when we
Keep It Local!
|
|
1% for St. Simons businesses raise funds to preserve and protect St. Simons Island. Contributions are raised by the participating businesses collecting a
voluntary 1% donation
of products and services from their customers. Currently, the program's contributions have been earmarked to help pay for the
|
|
Please also consider supporting these local businesses
by
forwarding this information
to your friends, family, and co-workers.
|
|
From the entire Land Trust team,
thank you for your partnership and support!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
