You’ve been playing hard out on the water; you’re hot and tired and hungry. But you don’t want to head back to shore just yet. What is a Bay boater to do?
If you’re out on the northern part of the Chesapeake, the Bohemia River specifically, you can put in a call to a unique small delivery business run by Karen and Jeff Culver.
Bohemia Bites is like a food truck for boaters with fresh, homemade food delivered directly to your boat.
The Culvers began the business in 2021, offering boaters everything from pizzas to lobster rolls, prepared directly on the Culver’s boat and delivered by smaller dinghy boats to your vessel. Boaters “get hungry, they don’t have to work to cook and so we are one call away,” said Karen.
Husband Jeff says the started the company for Karen to have “something of her own” when she moved to the region from the country of Colombia around five years ago. Karen takes the calls and orders that come in, while Jeff cooks.
With the help of their three kids, extended family and friends, this business has created a way to enjoy food on a river that has no restaurants. The summer months are when business begins, usually around Father’s Day weekend. With reasonable prices and a $5 delivery fee, Bohemia Bites offers a menu of 10 items plus non-alcoholic beverages.
The Culvers had planned to use a tiki boat to deliver water, ice and ice cream up and down the river this summer, but the boat sank during a storm before Father’s Day.
Despite that same storm delaying the beginning of the delivery season, business has been good they say. They have built a community on the Bohemia with customers greeting the Culvers when they see them and talking about how much they love their pizza.
“People love our food,” said Jeff. “Everybody raves about the food.”
It’s a bit of an untapped market. All items are limited, so once they are out of food for the day, they will not be available again until the following weekend. And you don’t have to be out on the river. Bohemia Bites will deliver to you at anchor or at a marina.
Palm Beach Willies on Taylors Island has a similar concept, a floating dock bar and grill, with a connected marina that boaters can dock at.
Reach Bohemia Bites at 410-449-9509, open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only. For updates on ordering, specials and hours visit their Facebook page or Instagram.
