‘Great cook’ kept his family close
Albertino Botelho ran O Marinheiro on James North, an eatery known for substantial meals at low prices
If you never made it to O Marinheiro (Portuguese for The Sailor) on James Street North, you missed something special.
Steak or fish accompanied by potato, rice and salad that filled every inch of the plate.
Wine from a Niagara vineyard operated by a Portuguese family that could not be found in the LCBO, but was just sold to restaurants.
And huge homemade Portuguese rolls and soup.
And the price?
Either $8 or $10 a dish. A halflitre of that house wine was $7.
Albertino Botelho, who operated the restaurant with his wife Emilia, explained in 2002 to The Spectator how he was able to offer such low prices with one word. “Family,” he said.
He and his wife handled the bulk of the work and over the years — the restaurant opened in 1980 — his three children helped out. Some other relatives also lent a hand.
“When I turned 65 we went to a restaurant for my birthday and I got this little piece of steak for $18,” said Botelho, giving a pantomime of disbelief. “Those restaurants must hire people, have fancy decorations and glasses. You don’t pay for the food. I can make money on a steak at $8.”
Botelho, who died March 3 at age 84, knew his way around a kitchen. Before he opened his own place, he was a chef on the high seas.
Lest you think the food might not have been any good, Spectator restaurant reviewer John Kernaghan had two meals at the restaurant at 236 James Street North in January 2002. He had the lunch special, the Whiting Platter, and followed that a few evenings later with the Shrimp Platter.
“Quality ran from good to excellent,” declared Kernaghan.
Friends and former staff had warm words about Botelho on social media.
“Tio Albertino was kind and generous to so many people throughout his life,” said Sonia Almeida of Toronto. “I remember gathering for lunch at O Marinheiro with family and spending Sunday afternoon watching (him) cook over giant pots, telling stories of the past with the sweet sounds of soccer games playing in the background. My parents tell the story of how he called them over from Portugal for a better opportunity here in Canada. He set them up with a bank account and pointed them in the direction of work.”
Sabrina Neves from Brampton called Botelho a great cook.
“I had the pleasure of working side by side with him and Emilia at the restaurant,” she said. “Our dinners and chats after closing are a fond memory I will cherish forever. Albertino always went above and beyond expectations with a smile on his face.”
Ward 2 Coun. Jason Farr had fond memories of going to The Sailor with his wife on Friday nights.
“It was a great spot,” he told The Tale of a Town website. “We always wanted to sit near the kitchen. When you ordered your food, you could feel it and see it being made. It was just a wonderful place.”
Botelho was born Oct. 8, 1936 in Serra D’el Rei, about 90 kilometres north of Lisbon. He joined the Portuguese navy in 1957 as a communications officer and travelled throughout Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. He told The Spectator in 2004 he liked being on the open water, but cooking fetched a better wage.
He took a position as a cook on a cruise line after writing his papers in 1963. This took him to ports of call in the Mediterranean, India, Africa and the South Pacific.
The first time he saw Canada was when he was in the Portuguese navy. In 1967, he traded ocean trips for the Great Lakes and became a chief steward with the Canada Steamship Lines.
Paying the bills saw him work in the mines in northern Ontario, but he was always cooking. He moonlighted in the kitchen of a nearby restaurant.
Finally, came The Sailor and Hamilton.
During his career, Botelho served up everything from bologna steaks to lobster and quail.
He cooked for up to 1,000 people on the cruise line; at The Sailor he handled about 80 people on a weeknight.
In 2004, Botelho told The Spectator he had retired after more than 40 years of cooking. But he still showed up to the restaurant six days a week.
“I don’t need the restaurant, but if I quit I’ll go crazy,” he joked.
The Sailor closed about 2008. It is now the location of Green Bar, an eatery offering plantbased options.
Botelho is survived by his wife of 57 years Emilia, children Ulisses, Nina, Andrew, and seven grandchildren.