by: Anna Frost
Old and new tastes mingle at the Aquinnah Shop, where three generations take part in the food and operation of the restaurant.
The youngest of the clan, Jacob Vanderhoop, now runs the kitchen as chef. His father Matthew Vanderhoop is the owner of Aquinnah Shop, which he took over from his mother Anne Vanderhoop Madison. three work in sync now to make shop run like clockwork during the crowded summer season.
Though Jacob is currently working his fifteenth summer at Aquinnah Shop, he said that jumping into the family business wasn’t always his plan. The restaurant business is a stressful one, but he loves working at the shop.
“I wasn’t planning on going to culinary school, I switched up when I was in college. I decided that this was what I wanted to do and I made the switch, and now I’m stuck here,” Jacob said with a laugh.
Jacob soldiers on in the kitchen, preparing menu items from both his own and his grandmother’s recipes. The Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School graduate has been developing fresh entrees over the last few years. The newest of these additions is the jerk swordfish, a seafood spin on the well-known Jamaican dish jerk chicken. Jacob has also added others: a grilled halibut with corn chowder, and pan-seared tuna and seabass plates.
The pan-seared sea bass stands out especially, not only for its crisp outer layer and moist inside, but for its accompaniments. The fish is served on a bed of lobster mashed potatoes, featuring flavorful pieces of claw and leg meat. The first bite reveals that this is no ordinary entrée. Care and ingenuity is in each component on the plate.
It is safe to say that fish plays a starring role on the menu of this cliffside eatery. A special put out one night by Jacob effectively served up a kitchen sink full of fish to the guest smart enough to order it. Bass, swordfish, halibut, mussels, shrimp and scallops that adorned a pile of spaghetti, covered in a spicy marinara sauce showed that Jacob is not afraid to add personality into his dishes.
For dessert, Anne makes fresh pies with a distinct grandmotherly touch. Seasonal flavors such as raspberry, strawberry-rhubarb, and cherry-peach sing after a hearty meal of the local seafood offered on the menu. The flaky pie crust acts as an unassuming, yet delicious, delivery system for the juicy fruit filling. And, of course, the pies can be ordered a la mode.
But the pies are not Anne’s only legacy. Traditional seafood items, such as the stuffed quahogs and cod cakes, are her recipes and enjoy a permanent spot on the menu. But tradition is not the only reason these items have stuck around. Both appetizers are easily one of the best versions of their kind found on the island.
The timeless cliffs that the restaurant sits atop provide guests with testimony to the restaurant’s perseverance. Guests can sit on a balcony and gaze out onto the vast water that breaks on Moshup Beach below. To the side, the exposed clay of the Gay Head cliffs stands majestically, displaying its red-brown colors in contrast to the rich blues and greens of the landscape. The Gay Head Lighthouse, recently relocated, is in view of the coveted deck seats as well. Though the restaurant’s cool, wood-laden interior provides a peaceful dining atmosphere, a well-placed reservation for the deck rewards customers with indescribable beauty.
The Aquinnah Shop is wholly a family effort, spanning across the decades. To dine there is to take part in that history, if only for a meal or two.
