Our initial idea was to open a café/lunchroom with a patio on Gomezplein in Punda. It was in a building once occupied by Peltenburg Jewelers, which had moved to a larger one on Gomezplein. Enjoying a coffee or a beer outdoors on a patio was practically nonexistent; almost all the restaurants were indoors, in air conditioning. I believe only Keukenplein had a patio. Ultimately, the Gomezplein location was swapped at the last minute for the current one on Wilhelminaplein, which at the time was a cluttered entrance to the city center.

After renovating the former shop, Plein Café Wilhelmina opened its doors on Queen's Night, April 29, 1998. Back then, Queen's Night didn't exist in the form we know it today—a party night leading up to King's Day. I remember us unpacking the new rattan patio chairs that evening, and the whole place was filled with trays of beer cans for the next day.

In the late 1990s, after a business on Handelskade and Keukenplein, we were practically the only restaurant in Punda. In the evenings, Punda was the domain of the chollers. We often closed at 7:00 PM because no normal person wanted to walk around Punda at night. Punda was truly a ghost town at night.

Once a month, on Friday evenings, we had "Wilhelminapop," featuring a different local live band each month. "Common Ground," "Als je met z'n Zessen bent" band, "Grupo EA"—these are just a few names that come to mind. Those were very lively and lively evenings. To attract a diverse audience, we also had a piano outside, where pianists regularly showcased their skills. Norman Moron was one of them. We also hosted the first Oktoberfest evenings in Curaçao.

We also organized all sorts of arts and culture activities, such as the Queen Wilhelmina Exhibition by Mrs. Lentje van Hoboken, and the painter Paco Weber, who sat daily on the terrace in front of the café, painting portraits on the lids of oil drums. In short, all sorts of activities, in addition to our menu and extensive specialty beer list, aimed at drawing more people to the city center. We wanted to breathe more life into Punda. This was only partially successful. Only with the arrival of the student housing in Pietermaai did the daily specials become very popular among students, which in turn attracted other people.

After five years, we handed over the business to then-manager Bas Kemna, who, along with his partner Niek de Munck-Mortier, successfully continued and expanded the business. By continuing to pay close attention to detail and almost always being the face of the business, Bas and Niek, and then their successors, Danny and Paul, managed to maintain a successful hospitality business for 25 years, where consistency and familiarity are paramount.

I think it's great that some of my colleagues still work there and that, for example, the Claus and Beatrix are still on the menu.

Any special memories? So many! We had a wonderful time with a very diverse group of people, where everyone felt at home—guests, workers, and neighbors alike, including a few homeless vagrants (chollers). I have fond memories of Steve, for example, who would set up the patio for us every day. When he was done, we'd always have a beer together and he'd tell us about his life, how he'd become homeless. And Angel, whom we cared for for a long time, but who was suddenly gone. Besides all the fun parties and European and World Cup matches, and the fact that our children grew up there for part of their lives, these are the memories that have stuck with me the most. But not to end on too dramatic a note, I'm glad our little one is still in good health after 25 years and expects to remain so for the next 25 years!

Stay tuned for Bas Kemna's next story!