New GM JC Picco brings “fresh look” to The Rum Barrel

JC Picco

Pat Croce's Rum Barrel Restaurant/Bar has added JC Picco as General Manager of Mile Zero's popular 17th century-styled pirate tavern.

Picco, owner of a successful local restaurant delivery service and a food and beverage industry stalwart, will head Rum Barrel operations and its top-notch staff.

"I just want to bring that positive vibe that Key West is famous for and offer a fresh look at a great brand," said Picco, who owned and operated his own bar in Texas.

The former shift leader and trainer at Key West's Hard Rock Café has also been director of food and beverage at full service event venue, Kelly Square, in Sherman, Tex., and assistant GM at Crabby Bills Seafood and Big Daddy Conch's in Key West. Picco currently runs Key West Food to Go, a rapidly growing local restaurant delivery service.

"I'm very much a hands-on kind of guy, more than your typical "office manager" type," Picco said. "I love mingling with customers and working alongside staff."

Picco has lived abroad and across the U.S. as the son of a military civil serviceman. But one thing that never changed was his love for music--he's a bonafide drummer--and the food and beverage scene.

"It's the only thing I've been able to find that comes close to playing live on stage," said Picco, who visited Key West 12 years ago, took a job as bartender at a local hotel, and never quite left.

"There's this rush in a busy restaurant, the clanging plates, customers murmuring," Picco said. "It's a part of me that just never left. It started in high school and here I am today."

Rum Barrel Managing Partner Jeff Sorg weighed in on the team's new addition.

"We're psyched to have JC join our management team," Sorg said. "He brings a wealth of restaurant industry knowledge, an entrepreneurial mindset and strong leadership abilities."

It doesn't hurt that Picco looks the pirate part, Sorg added with a laugh.

If you're a member of the media and need more information on JC or The Rum Barrel, please contact Kari Cobham at kari@thepiratemuseum.com.

Finding the HMS Oxford

Captain Henry Morgan

This week's guest blog post is by Pat Croce, owner of The Rum Barrel and founder of the St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum.

Four years ago today, I was in Haiti pursuing an elusive dream that we now hope is within our reach.

This week, Bob Cembrola and I spoke once again about our mutual interest in finding and salvaging the remains of Captain Henry Morgan's flagship, the 34-gun HMS Oxford, off of Haitian waters.

(Bob is not only a good friend of mine and a dynamite marine archaeologist, he's also the curator and an adjunct professor at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.)

It's been more than seven years since we began our pursuit to recover Morgan's Oxford and we continue to believe that we're getting closer--despite kidnappings, civil wars, devastating earthquakes, government-imposed moratoriums, and palace coups.

Read the rest on Pat Croce's blog!

Featured Artist: Lance Taylor & the Accidentals

Lance Taylor performs

Key West performer Lance Taylor has been writing his signature version of Americana, blues, and folk music for more than 15 years.

Between 1998 and 2003, Lance traveled all over the country, recording his own songs in basements, hotel rooms, living rooms, and home studios along the way. The first volume of Loose Change, the album that resulted, was born of a spontaneous undertaking, Lance says, that took place without much preparation--or knowledge, for that matter.

Loose Change, a collection of home, field and studio recordings, was the first album Lance put together all on his own. He calls it his "baby" and says that listening to it takes him back to that time when "you can capture magic, when you're just trying to find your way around some new and different world."

Lance continues to work on Loose Change volumes in Key West along with three other albums, Next To Me, Time Takes Time, and Inspired.

Lance Taylor & the Accidentals perform on the Rum Barrel Quarterdeck this month on June 3, 4, 11, 18, 25, and 30. See our events calendar for more and future performances.

To contact Lance for bookings, email him at wlancetaylor@gmail.com.

Why Key West is a great place to stay on a Florida Keys holiday

Travelbite.co.uk ran a great piece on the perfect Key West holiday. And we couldn't agree more with their recommendation to stop by The Rum Barrel when you're in town.



Photo courtesy Travelbite.co.uk

 Here a taste of what they said:

"After your meal, why not get into the island spirit with a visit to Pat Croce's Rum Barrel, which claims to offer the largest selection of rum in the world?"

And might I add, we do have one of the largest rum selections anywhere... We've seen the stumbles to prove it.

For more tips on other hawt places to visit in Key West, check out the rest of the article HERE.

Lori and Desi's seaside paradise wedding

One of our gorgeous servers Lori held her wedding reception on the Rum Barrel rooftop. Looks like her crew had a blast! Check out her blog post on the wedding adventure here.