Today we’d like to introduce you to Jim Jordan.
Hi Jim, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As a restaurant turnaround expert, I realized the value of a waterfront location and after more than a year of looking at turnkey waterfront restaurants around Florida, I settled on opening the Fish Camp on Lake Eustis in Tavares, a locally sourced farm-to-table concept. The reception and generosity of the public has been far greater than I ever imagined.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Fish Camp’s story is a sequence of miracles overcoming one struggle after another. We opened in April 2017 and realized very quickly the warnings people told us of cars driving off of Highway 441 into the lake dangerously close to our back dining room and patio. Two cars went into the lake the first year, which actually got us a lot of news coverage. We took a lead role in rescuing the drivers both times. Florida DOT solved the problem in early 2018 with a concrete barrier instead of the hollow aluminum guard rail. Hurricane Irma damaged the roof above our bar in September 2017 and a tornado ripped off our roof in the middle of a busy Fourth of July in 2018. Miraculously, no one was hurt and we were able to reopen six days later. However, 2020 and the Pandemic was our greatest challenge yet. The shutdown crippled the business and, between the social media flair-ups (random people saying we were not following guidelines and one person who’s never been to our restaurant saying we let employees work with Covid). The pandemic turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Fish Camp as we revolutionized our safety protocols and to date, have had zero transmissions of Covid as a result. It’s a good thing we don’t know the challenges we face when starting a business because that knowledge might have changed our minds.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Fish Camp Lake Eustis?
Fish Camp on Lake Eustis serves the community as a microcosm of what is going on in the culinary world in our corner of paradise, Lake County and Central Florida. We feature produce from local farms like Aquaponic Lynx in Yalaha and Long and Scott Farms in Zellwood. Our ground beef is Florida grass-fed Angus from Fort McCoy Ranch in nearby Marion County. Our craft beers are all Central Florida brews, and after four years, we’ve identified the all-stars in that category. We are the leading seller of Yalaha Bootleggin Company’s moonshine and serve a host of local distilled beverages and we also serve Lakeridge Winery’s Southern Red and Southern White labels. We feature local artists on our walls, especially in our Art Gallery dining room. Local musicians on Saturday and Sunday afternoons round out the overdose of Central Florida culture and cuisine you’ll experience at the Fish Camp on Lake Eustis.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was the youngest of four children and the quietest. I am an Observer (#5) on the Enneagram scale. I love reading and writing but also creating dishes and serving guests. I try to exemplify the motto, “Here to serve, not to be served.”
Contact Info:
- Email: fishcamplakeeustis@gmail.com
- Website: https://fishcamponlakeeustis.com
- Instagram: @fishcamplakeeustis
- Facebook: @fishcampfla
