08/16/2026
I hope this post finds you all well and in good spirits.
Warning: This is a lengthy post. Please read all the way to the end. It should take you less than 5 minutes.
Hello everyone.
First of all, let me clear something up before I say anything so there is no confusion.
Around the time that we started selling seasoning, a new admin was added to this page. That was me, Ronnie Bantau. The original admin is Bill Miller, who most of you know as the owner and The Captain. Bill is my uncle.
He was here from the beginning. He left a great job, took a pay cut, and came to Texas to work with his dad to open Captain Nemo’s. He was the baker and the person who created and maintained the amazing bread that everyone talks about.
My grandfather, Bill Sr., started Captain Nemo’s. While they were not formally Sr. and Jr., this is how many people referred to them over the years. My mother, Connie, was the manager who worked alongside Bill after my grandpa passed away in 1989 and Bill bought the business and retired my grandma, Faye. He kept his finger on the pulse of this operation for the next 30 years and poured his heart and soul into it with the love of his life, Lyn right by his side.
Backing up in this story, my mom and dad moved us to Texas in 1978 to open the second location near Beltline and Conflans. They worked as the managers of that store for a while before deciding that the restaurant business was not for them. That location eventually moved down across from Irving Mall. When Grandpa’s health was failing and it became difficult to keep an eye on that location, it eventually became necessary to shut it down.
The store at Grauwyler and Irving Heights became the only location in Texas and remained in operation until December 31, 2020.
I grew up in the restaurant.
I spent countless days hanging out with my favorite uncle while he baked the bread. When I was old enough, I learned to mix the dough, help transfer the product from station to station, and watched him time after time loading and unloading the oven.
The heat and the smell are things I will never forget.
I cherish the memories of jumping into his hot rod 1969 Camaro or onto the back of his motorcycle and running up the street to the corner store to get a snack and maybe play a game of Defender if we had a couple of quarters in our pocket.
He was the master of that game, by the way. I never got to put my initials on the scoreboard of that old stand-up arcade game.
Eventually, he would glance at his watch and tell me, “We have to head back. The next batch needs to come out of the proof box in five minutes.”
And back we would go.
I could never spend enough time there with my best bud and the smell of that bread.
When he took over the operation, I came to work as the manager of the Pizzeria next door. Over the years, I also worked behind the counter at the sub shop, both on the day shift and, for a while, as the night manager.
Even after I moved on to other things in life, I would occasionally call Uncle Bill and ask if I could come work some night shifts for a few months to make some extra money and, more importantly, to stay connected to the restaurant.
He always said yes.
I often dreamed of taking over for him when he retired and carrying the story of this Irving legend on for the next generation.
Those dreams changed in 2009 when I moved my family to my wife’s home state of Minnesota.
We loved Minnesota. I found a career that I loved. We raised our kids in a small town and truly loved the community we chose as home. My kids are all grown now and are good humans that we are incredibly proud of.
All these years, despite being happy with my decision to move and having a successful career, I still thought about it.
What if I had not left?
Would I be running the sub shop right now?
And that question is exactly why I’m here writing this long, drawn-out story.
I can’t resist the urge anymore. I don't have any more excuses. My marriage of 27 years ended and I now have an amazing woman in my life and she sees how excited I am to do this. She wants to be there with me, writing the next part of this story.
I have decided that I am ready to step away from my career and explore options to revive our family’s legacy.
I want to reopen Captain Nemo’s.
I flew back to Texas in 2020 to work behind the counter on the last day it was open.
At the end of that day, after all of the conversations, the stories from people who flew in from out of state, and the few people who recognized me from 20 years earlier, I waited until the last order was cooked.
Then I did something I’ll never forget.
I cooked one last sandwich.
It was for my lifelong friend Shannon, who was there working alongside us. She worked at Nemo’s for a many years and is an important part of the Captain Nemo’s story.
As I walked out the door for the last time, it was an emotional moment. I hated knowing that I would never again smell the bread and the grilled onions. I would never again hear the sound of that grill getting pounded during the lunch rush.
I walked away from an old friend that had helped raise me.
So here I am.
Ready to do something big and scary, and not entirely sure how I’m going to do it.
I have kicked around several ideas, from going big and trying to open another full-blown restaurant with features the original never had, to starting a food truck that can jump all around Irving and make sure everyone gets an opportunity to get that sandwich they all remember.
I want to move back to Texas and devote myself full-time to this project.
I have to figure out how I’m going to raise the capital necessary and still take care of my living expenses. The most likely first phase will be a food truck, because this seems like something I can realistically bring to life and potentially use to fund Phase 2—finding a location in Irving and opening a new brick-and-mortar shop.
I wanted to share this with you all because I hope it’s as exciting to you as it is to me.
I have always been amazed at the loyalty and love of our Nemo’s faithful.
When I started making the seasoning and selling it, I could not believe the excitement when I sent out the announcement that we were making it available.
You are all such a great group of people, and I want to give something back.
I want to write another chapter of the Captain Nemo’s story with you.
The Captain has given this his blessing and told me that Grandpa would be proud.
Now all I have to do is follow through and do the hard part.
And I’m ready.
Ronnie B.
Chief Spice Merchant
Nemo’s Captain in Training
Your friend forever
Please do me a favor. I know that people are going to want to send private messages. Please refrain from flooding this account with comments, questions, and inquiries via facebook messenger. I don’t want to blow up Bill’s phone nor mine. I know that some of you actually have his cell phone number. I ask that you resist for now sending him texts. And if any of you would like to speak with me directly, you can search facebook for Ronnie Bantau and find me easily. My email is [email protected]. If you happen to email me, please include “Captain Nemo’s” in the subject line so that I can filter and sort messages.
Thank you so very much.
