After trekking quite a distance, we arrived at what might actually be the end of the earth. Like a mirage rising in the dessert, the Fogo Island Inn appears on the horizon like an otherworldly object - a modern sculpture, a shipwrecked ocean-liner, a fisherman's studio, or some strange combination of them all.
We entered the Inn two weary travelers unsure of what we had gotten ourselves into but moments later were whisked into the glass-enclosed dining room overlooking the rugged landscape and were invited to feast on the first of our locally inspired tasting menu meals. As we settled in and began to relax, the attention to detail began to come into focus. Every item in the Inn, from the lush and vibrant wallpapers, to the inviting and comfortable seats, to the intricate and warm quilts had been hand-made by artisans living and working on the island. A cottage industry gone full-tilt. As we learned more about the craftsmanship and community involvement bringing the Inn to life we kept hearing one name over and over again...Zita Cobb.
Zita is the brilliant mastermind and benevolent philanthropist who envisioned this utopic economic Shorefast Foundation]. It's commerce for a cause. Zita grew up on the isolated island, and like many young people in search of work, left the island for college before starting a career and accumulating a small fortune at a start-up tech company. After time on the mainland, the island was beckoning her home and she decided to return and set up a college scholarship fund for the youth of Fogo. Surprisingly, she was met with resistance from the community elders, "you're sending our children away, we need a reason for them to stay." And in that feedback, the idea for Fogo Island Inn was born. A reason to stay...a reason for people to come...a reason for their long defunct fishing community to have purpose again.
engine. Now you might be asking yourself, aren't we just talking about a fancy hotel? On some level, yes - this is a jaw-droppingly beautiful hotel set within a staggeringly beautiful natural landscape. But the Fogo Island Inn is so much more than that. The Inn is a instrument owned and operated by the people in order to power their community [While the food and wallpaper and attention to details of the Inn are staggering, they all came from theend of the earth a little closer to the world without diminishing the thing that sets its apart, the people and the place.
people of the island. The Inn itself has become the island's main industry. All the staff, from the friendly person who picks you up at the ferry, to the concierge at the front desk, to the hiking guides - they are all locals, residents, neighbors, community. And by being at the Inn, if only for a few days, you become a part of the ecosystem as well. You feel like you're being welcomed into each islanders' home and being wrapped inside their arms. Now generations of islanders have a reason for their college-educated kids to come home. There are opportunities to meet with world renowned chefs, titans of business, artists clamoring for a residency in one of the 4 studios, even celebrities have been known to spend time at the Inn - all of these dignitaries and luminaries are flocking to Fogo's doorstep. And in creating the Fogo Island Inn and the accompanying foundation to incubate the economy of the community Zita has brought the
After spending time on Fogo you might find yourself asking yourself....does the end of the earth really exist? Is it accessible by three flights, a two hour drive, and a ferry crossing choppy North Atlantic waters (alternatively chartering a private plane!)? Is it what the Flat Earth Society (yes, a real thing) considers to be one of the four corners of the earth? Is it a stones throw below the Arctic Circle where generations of people sustained themselves by living off the land and sea. Or perhaps a better question is where does the earth begin and can it be found at the Fogo Island Inn?Fogo Island Inn
