Joe Inqui and his wife, Bren O’Sullivan literally sailed into Elizabeth City, NC. They docked at the Harbor of Hospitality and took a good look around. They loved the Pasquotank River, the small town atmosphere and most importantly, the people they met. But, Joe, a savvy businessman, also saw loads of potential in the area and decided, not only to live here, but also to invest here in rental properties. He thought that this could be a great opportunity and a means to an end of an extremely stressful job in the DC area.  Bren was onboard.

Joe and Bren took baby steps. They bought a few properties at a time, fixed them up and then rented them out, all while Joe was still working in DC. At first, Bren lived in Elizabeth City in an apartment, taking care of the day-to-day landlord issues.  He stayed very much involved in their new venture and would call Bren each evening for the rundown of events that took place that day. Joe would come down every few weeks to check on things or Bren would “go north” as she called it. Finally, they purchased a small house in the historic district in Elizabeth City and chose it as their home. Luckily, it was next door to me and that’s how we met. It would be a year or so until Joe was living there permanently.

When they moved in, my husband, Lane, reported to me that an Irish woman and her husband bought the house next door and, when discussing his trip to Ireland, realized they had drank in the same Irish bar. Quick friends were made.

Joe was meticulous about the renovation, but kept the old feel of the house, especially the kitchen. While updating the necessary and important things, he kept the original kitchen cabinets, which were in great shape. The older cabinets, next to the new countertop and sparkling appliances, gives the kitchen a cozy, lived-in look.   Guests rarely want to leave it and it’s difficult to herd them into the dining room when it’s time to eat.

Joe and Bren share in the cooking and love to have friends over to dine. Many of these gatherings are planned. However, it is the impromptu gatherings that shine bright in my mind.

They started when Joe was still working in DC. Bren would call me up and we’d take an inventory of what was in our respective fridges. Many meals were based around a frozen pizza, which we always doctored up with extra cheese, meat or veggies. Besides the pizza, one meal also included a side dish of leftover refried beans from our local Mexican restaurant, some rotisserie chicken from Bren’s fridge, and some wilted bok choy I had in the vegetable drawer, which I stir fried with a bit of onion and some leftover rice. A bottle of wine always enters the scene and it brings the whole meal together. We have laughed about these wild meal combinations many times.

Now that Joe is here full time, they are still known to have impromptu gatherings from time to time. For example, one evening recently, just as I sat down to eat my homemade Chicken Caesar Salad, I received this text message: We are throwing together some Korean BBQ and you are welcome to join us. Last minute, I know, but that is how we roll. Well, obviously Korean BBQ and Chicken Caesar Salad are an excellent combination, so I accepted, added another head of romaine to the salad, gave it a toss and knocked on their door. Two other couples and one dog from a two-block radius showed up. As usual, we laughed and ate and ate and laughed.

The best part of any party at the Inqui/O’Sullivan house is the Irish coffee at the end of the evening. Needless to say, having an Irish wife, Joe was a quick learner on how to make Irish Coffee. These coffees are a coveted, end of meal delicacy in the neighborhood.

Joe’s Irish Coffee

First Joe makes a very strong coffee in a French press.

He takes the remainder of the hot water and warms each glass.

 

 

Once the glasses are warm, he pours the water out and puts a bit of sugar at the bottom of each Irish coffee glass.

 

He then adds a generous helping of Jamison’s Irish Whiskey to the each glass.

 

 

The next step, he whisks the heavy cream with a bit of sugar just until the cream is very thick. Joe warns to stop whisking before peaks form.

Next, Joe presses the coffee and adds it to the glasses.

Now it’s time for the creme.  The cream must be able to be poured over a spoon. This is where Bren and Joe disagree. Bren says it should be poured over the back of the spoon and Joe thinks pouring it over the front of the spoon is best. Either way, the cream sets up on top of the glass and it is a beautiful thing.

Joe then likes to sprinkle some instant coffee on top as a garnish, but this day he didn’t have any, so he crushed up some ground coffee.

I have never seen a drop left in anyone’s glass at the end of the night or a dissatisfied customer. Only a smile, a warm glow and a few rosy cheeks grace the faces of the guests as they walk back to their homes nearby.

Sláinte