Jamaica: Beyond Jerk

Jamaican food doesn’t start and end with jerk and ackee and saltfish, as our insiders’ guide to the island’s booming foodie scene proves…

The Insiders

Michelle Jones – host of food TV series Vibes Cuisine in Jamaica, Michelle names her favourite places to dine on the island.

Theo Smith – the talented young chef heads up Great House Caterers, and is an authority on Jamaican fusion cooking.

Michaal Movery – the man behind Coco Browns sauces, and an evangelist for using fresh, Jamaican-grown ingredients.

Andrea Johnson – founder of coffee trading company Serra, Andrea splits her time between New York and Jamaica.

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Jerk is as Jamaican as the 100m sprint (jerk pork is Usain Bolt’s favourite dish, incidentally), and at the heart of it lies the scotch bonnet pepper – a small, wrinkled nugget of fiery heat with a touch of sweetness. It also forms the basis for Coco Browns’ hot sauces, produced by Michael Movery and his wife Jennifer, who started out serving the condiment to diners in their Ocho Rios cafe and now focus solely on making and selling their product. Movery sources most ingredients from farmers in Jamaica, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. “Jamaican produce has a distinct flavour”, he says. “A scotch bonnet from anywhere else won’t have the same intensity of heat and flavour.”

Blue Mountain Coffee

Blue Mountain is to coffee what champagne is to sparkling wine. It’s rarer, more expensive and has – if you believe the hype – a more complex flavour than lesser varieties of the black stuff. “I like to think of coffee as a lot like wine,” says Andrea Johnson, whose company, Serra Trading, roasts, exports and distributes Blue Mountain Coffee. Like champagne, it’s also governed by strict laws so only the best coffee from a strictly defined area can be called Blue Mountain. Though most of it’s exported, there’s a growing appreciation for Jamaican coffee in the country. “There’s a small coffee culture developing – cafes are becoming a cool place to hang out and some baristas are learning latte art,” Johnson explains, “though it’s still got a way to go”.

Fusion Cooking

Blending Jamaican food with inspiration from other cuisines is nothing new, says chef Theo Smith: “Jamaican cuisine soaked up influences from around the world when settlers first came to the island centuries ago.” Though not widespread among most Jamaicans, Smith says fusion cooking “has grown in popularity among food enthusiasts”. His guava-glazed pork loin with polenta and Provençal vegetables takes the best of Jamaican produce and gives it a European spin.

Michelle Jones: Top 5 Jamaica Eats

Robin's Prime: Gloucester Avenue, Montego Bay

Located near Montego Bay’s Hip Strip district, this chic, modern space turns out awesome steaks – my favourite is the rib-eye with macaroni and cheese on the side. Also serves a great breakfast.

Little Ochie: Alligator Pond, Jamaica’s South Coast

Evrol ‘Blackie’ Christian’s rustic seafood spot has grown from a one-man operation to a major employer in the community, complete with its own food festival. It’s well worth the drive for the food and scenery, and I always opt for steamed snapper with bammy – a flat cassava flour cake that helps soak up every drop of the creamy sauce.

Guilt on the Terrace at Devon House, Kingston