SOLOMONS, Md. — Trifecta at Harbor Island Marina is a family business in more ways than one. Restaurants have been part of the lives of this trio for decades — Lusby-born sisters Ashley Mason and Meagan Cox (Ricker) are opening the restaurant with their mom, restaurant veteran April Sisk. The restaurant will have its grand opening on Thursday, Oct. 30, and will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday–Monday (closed Tuesday).
The menu is an exciting combination of classic Southern Maryland favorites and updated comfort dishes with a Polynesian twist. Diners will have plenty of crab and seafood options plus new ways to try some of their favorites.
Mason said the menu first formed as the sisters remembered one of the many Southern Maryland restaurants they ate at as kids — this one, a Chinese restaurant that served fresh, crispy wontons with homemade duck sauce. For their own restaurant, they envisioned wontons with Old Bay and a peach-apricot duck sauce. The sweet and sour theme stuck, and they created a menu around Polynesian fusion. Like many other aspects of this restaurant, the menu flavors fit right into their family history, harkening back to Sisk’s time as a bartender at the Tiki Bar on Solomons Island in the ’90s, for which she once graced the cover of The Washington Post.
The menu was also inspired by Cox and Sisk’s “high standards” at their current restaurants: Sisk has owned Hidden Harbour in Dowell since 2015, while Cox is a part-owner of The Local in Hollywood.
Cox and Sisk bring their experience and skill, but Trifecta is unrelated to those restaurants. It’s not a new location, but an entirely new venture, celebrating the three women, their love for each other, and their connection to Southern Maryland.
“It really does feel like a homecoming,” Mason said.
Mason’s parents owned CJ’s Foodstore, which started with her grandfather in 1994, and later added CJ’s Backroom in 2002. The sisters grew up watching their mother rise with the sun and head to the store, where she ran the deli and food section; the sisters later worked in the store, following in the footsteps of their mother’s work ethic and quality standards. Mason recalled the hard work, but also the feeling of belonging and community — she remembered chatting with regulars and getting help with her Spanish homework. CJ’s was where she learned how to talk to people from all walks of life and that the restaurant world embedded you in something bigger than yourself.
The sisters attended Our Lady Star of the Sea from kindergarten to eighth grade, and Mason considers them a “true Southern Maryland family.” Over the years, the three women of the Trifecta have spread their wings across the region and made their community even larger. Cox continued the restaurant tradition, while Mason left the business and currently works as a senior adviser at a national security agency in addition to the behind-the-scenes work at Trifecta.
Sisk has been a staple of the local restaurant scene in the decades since she ran the deli counter at CJ’s. She’s still mostly in the kitchen at Hidden Harbour because she “puts the food first.” On top of everything else — the view, the atmosphere, the culture — Mason believes the food remains the top draw.
Mason said it was always her mother’s dream to own a restaurant on Solomons Island, and the timing and location were right for the three of them to build the restaurant together. The support from everyone — from their community to their landlord — has kept them going throughout the process. Their journey is rich with stories of dining together and learning the business together all over Southern Maryland and filled with love and respect for the culture, land, and people — including each other. This Trifecta proves that hard work earns respect, and family business works best with a community heart.
“It’s not all rainbows and butterflies working with my mom and sister,” Mason said with a laugh. “But we all bring our strengths to the table and I’m really grateful to be doing this with them. And I’m so grateful for the community support.”
Trifecta will open their doors on Oct. 30. The owners are ready to welcome people in for the great menu, great view, and to get to know this local, born-and-raised family, eager to be part of the Solomons community.
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