MARION "DOC" FORD is the protagonist of several novels by Randy Wayne White. Doc Ford is a marine biologist and ex-government agent, who currently runs a marine biology supply business from a stilt house in Dinkins Bay, Sanibel, Florida. Though he yearns for the quiet, contemplative life of the scientist, his past, and the talents it armed him with, keeps popping up.
A Message from the Author
Before I started writing novels, I used to sell fish right here in the same building where Doc Ford's is today.
For more than 12 years, I was a light tackle fishing guide down the road at Tarpon Bay Marina. I did more than 3,000 charters; spent 300 days a year boating these waters.When my clients chose not to keep what they'd caught, I'd load the fish in my pick-up, tap on the back door of this place, and ask the chef was in a buying mood.
I love the symmetry of that; I helped provide seafood here way back in the 1970's, and now, because I've joined this excellent team of restaurateurs and staff, I have the opportunity to play a small role in providing fresh fish here once again.
So welcome to Doc Ford's. Just as his novels are inspired by these islands, his days on the water, and the people he came to know, the spirit of this fine sports bar was inspired by the marine biologist who is the main character of those novels.
Doc Ford is the baseball-loving, tropical adventurer who - not so surprisingly - has spent a lot of tine in the same far-flung places that I wrote about when I was a monthly columnist for Outside Magazine: Places such as Cuba, Cambodia, South Africa, Australia, Vietnam, Borneo, and all over South and Central America.It was while traveling for Outside that I came to know and love the superb cuisine of the rural tropics.
I loved the sauces, the spices, and the passion that went into the food preparation
We hope that spirit is part of Doc Ford's Sanibel Rum Bar & Grille, too. But the real hearts, heads and souls behind this establishment, though, aren't fictional. They are real people; people savvy enough to envision a whole new concept in bars. "A rum bar? What's a rum bar?" we were asked.
They are people creative enough to design an entirely different kind od sports bar concept. "You're gonna have gourmet finger food? Sports bars don't serve great food," we were told.
Well this one does.
So credit the owners and the Chef for having a vision, and then finding the energy, taste and chutzpah to make that vision reality. Being with them reminds me of my old marina family, back when I was a fishing guide at Tarpon Bay. They're quirky and fun and gifted. They've made it work, and I'm proud to have played a small part.
-- Randy Wayne White.
