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Yovan Santiesteban and Tammy Sager. PHOTO PROVIDED
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The tiki hut at the Eagle’s Nest on Stringfellow Road in Bokeelia. PAULETTE LEBLANC
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Eagle’s Nest owner and chef Yovan Santiesteban has a deep desire to prepare his customers food which will help them transition from a day, which may be filled with their own kind of busy, to a more enjoyable state of leisure. In fact, to Santiesteban, food is more than just a means of fueling. In his hands, he hopes it becomes an instrument that will bring people joy. Santiesteban said he is fortunate to have his wife, Tammy Sager, helping run the restaurant since she has previous experience in the food industry. According to Sager, Pine Islanders spoke fairly openly about wanting a comfortable place to meet with friends and grab something familiar to eat.
“Pine Islanders needed some place they could come with their family and stay for two or three hours,” Sager said.
Santiesteban said he enjoys feeding people and admits he could stay in the kitchen all day if necessary. This happens, he said, because he insists on knowing what is happening in his kitchen.
Everything, including bread, is made fresh, as Santiesteban insists that nothing served is pre-made or pre-frozen. Making things the way people enjoy them is a passion for this chef and he said if he doesn’t know your favorite meal, he’ll learn to make it.
“People are teaching me a lot, because I know a lot of ways to make pizza now,” Santiesteban said.
When it comes to the diners in the restaurant, he said, he doesn’t want anyone leaving while they’re still hungry. Evidence of this is displayed when he’s awake all hours, said Sager, trying to learn new recipes that he thinks might make folks happy.
“You can only fit so much on a menu,” Sager said, commenting on her husband’s desire to include anything and everything people have and might still ask for.
Since February 2023, when the Eagle’s Nest opened, Santiesteban said he is getting used to seeing folks who’ve become Eagle’s Nest regulars. Sager and Santiesteban both say they believe what brings people back in time and time again is likely the slow-roasted sandwiches, such as their Cuban sandwich and the fresh bread, along with inborn desire to make their customers feel at home and well-fed. This is done, he said, by making, everything he can contribute, such as barbecue food, seafood, Italian food and Cuban food.
“We have a goal to help spread community closeness. We try to do a lot because this is our home. We always want to give back to the island — that’s what Pine Island Strong is all about,” Sager said.
Sager and Santiesteban would like people to know about their Feeding the Fish Program.
“If anyone is hungry, they can come in and take a pre-paid meal off the board and be served,” Sager said.
The Eagle’s Nest is at 10800 Stringfellow Road, Bokeelia.
Hours at the restaurant are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 4 p.m. to 12 a.m.; and Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. During season, the restaurant is open Wednesday through Monday (only closed on Tuesday), 11 a.m. to 12 a.m.
Dining and Cooking