Editor’s Note: This is part two of a two-part series on the owners of The Beacon Restaurant and Bar.
When a young Edgar Alleyne moved from Barbados to the North Shore, it was soccer that put him in the spotlight. As an instant standout player in Lynn, Edgar’s innate talent led him to San Diego, where he was recruited to play professional soccer. When Edgar returned to the North Shore, his credits included bringing the first women’s soccer program to Salem State and leading his team to the state championships.
While soccer may have been his first love, his skills in the kitchen were heating up. While in San Diego, Edgar worked alongside French chefs, and over the next 20 years, his work in various restaurants in Boston and the North Shore helped to fine-tune the culinary craft first taught to him by his Barbadian grandmother. He had already earned a name for himself as the executive chef at D’Amelio’s Restaurant and Bar and at Red Rock Bistro in Swampscott when he met Johnny Ray, the man who would become his business partner in The Beacon Restaurant and Bar in Marblehead.
Edgar, or Chef Alleyne, has become a local celebrity, delighting customers with a menu that includes a delicate assortment of craft sandwiches, flatbreads, tomahawk steaks, and an everchanging selection of fresh fish and shellfish.
The dynamic duo of Edgar and Johnny work closely on the entertainment part of the business, including the Warwick Theater’s expanded offerings of comedy and magic shows, music documentaries, and live performances by the likes of Robin Lane and Fred Lipsius of Blood Sweat and Tears.
The Beacon looks ahead to a busy fall schedule including the annual All Hallow’s Eve Ball on Friday, Oct. 28, a Wreaths Across America Fundraiser Veterans Day Weekend on Saturday, Nov. 11, and a repeat performance by Frank Santos Jr., the R-rated comedy hypnotist, on Friday, Nov. 24.
Behind the scenes, Edgar’s second career of coaching soccer and running his own soccer school is still going strong.
*Tickets for events are available at https://thebeaconmarblehead.com/special-events.
Leslie Martini is a freelance writer and children’s book author. Though she and her family have lived in Marblehead for more than 26 years, Leslie is still discovering countless untold stories. If you’d like to share your story, please contact leslie@marbleheadweeklynews.com.