Portland’s Best Kept Secret Owner Was True Ambassador – Minister Bartlett

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the late Alvin “Dickie” Butler, owner of the well-known Best Kept Secret restaurant in Portland, was a true ambassador for Jamaica.

Mr. Butler died on the early morning of May 14 at his Port Antonio home.

The Tourism Minister said Best Kept Secret “is an internationally acclaimed eatery of the highest order, which has attracted the who’s who as it relates to celebrities”.

“One would often see high-end vehicles parked right there in the coastal district of Bryan’s Bay on the hill overlooking the beautiful Caribbean Sea. The beauty of Best Kept Secret, which Dickie designed and built from scratch, is its simplicity and quaint nature in relation to its appearance on the outside but inside it’s a different story. Magnificently gorgeous. You just have to take one look on trip advisor to see the fabulous reviews,” he noted.

Mr. Bartlett noted that Mr. Butler was passionate about his more than four decades-old business.

He said the late restaurateur was a true tourism success story, having started out by selling ripe bananas at the front of the location, which now welcomes visitors from Europe, North America, Australia, and Africa for an excellent dining experience.

“He will be sadly missed, and so on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism… my condolences to his family and friends,” the Minister added.

Mr. Butler, who was featured in the internationally renowned Time Magazine, has received multiple awards locally, including from the Jamaica Tourist Board as recently as three years ago and from several local food entities.

He is also a recipient of the Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Award.

The late Winnie Mandela, former wife of Nelson Mandela; actress Linda Evans; actor Lou Gossett Jr; late actress Patrice Wymore-Flynn [wife of cinematic legend, Errol Flynn], and many others, have dined at Best Kept Secret.

Jamaican based in Miami, Florida, Lisa Thomas, who is a repeat visitor to Best Kept Secret, told JIS News that she was saddened to have heard of Mr. Butler’s passing.

“His was the best home-cooked meal you will have in Jamaica! From soup and fruit to a delicious omelet to amazing fish. Every place setting is unique – the art, mementoes, and sculpture. Great place, great man, great family,” Ms. Thomas noted.

Family friend Gareth Anthony shared that he had his wedding reception at Best Kept Secret and had known Mr. Butler “almost all my life”.

“Dickie was also a community man, who gave his life for the betterment of the tourism industry here in Portland, and that is not an overstatement,” Mr. Anthony added.