18 • December 2, 2021 - December 8, 2021
THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS
AmNews FOOD
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Jasmine’s Caribbean Cuisine, opened during the pandemic, is thriving By LAPACAZO SANDOVAL Special to the AmNews Jasmine Gerald of Jasmine’s Caribbean Cuisine, which was voted Best Caribbean Restaurant, Black Plate Awards 2021, is an entrepreneurial spirit with a can-do attitude. A beautiful woman, soft-spoken, regal and brave, Jasmine opened Jasmine’s Caribbean Cuisine, her first restaurant, during COVID-19 on Restaurant Row, and over a year later, it’s thriving. To understand the boldness of Jasmine’s boss-in-charge move, allow me to reacquaint you with the history of “Restaurant Row,” a moniker that wasn’t made official until 1973. This stretch of expensive New York real estate (46th Street between Broadway and 9th Avenue) has been home to restaurants since the early 20th century with the oldest establishment, Barbetta, opened in 1906. Enter Jasmine’s Caribbean Cuisine at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the entire world was shut down and put on pause. Here’s what Jasmine Gerald of Jasmine’s Caribbean Cuisine had to share about stepping into your dream
JG: Yes, it’s true. We opened up on November 4th of 2020. It was an opportuAmsterdam News: Ms. Jasmine, nity that was presented to me by one of your place, Jasmine’s Caribbean Cui- my partners and she told me to come sine, is delicious. Where are you from? and look at this space [371 W. 46th] which was vacant. I roped in my other Jasmine Gerald: Thank you. I’m from partners, one of whom is my mother, the St. Thomas U.S. Virgin Islands. and we all loved it and that’s how Jasmine’s Caribbean Cuisine was created. AmNews: I can’t believe that you started during the pandemic. Is this true? AmNews: Your location is everything and please, color me impressed. This is a bold move. This is Restaurant Row. with passion and purpose.
a ribbean island and you feel that love. t r AmNews: Gosh, that’s exactly howd my colleague and I felt. Hey. You hitJ your objective, beautifully. h JG: Thank you. A lot of people tell us that the place reminds them of beingm with their grandmothers, of beingc back home. w r AmNews: Well, that’s the cuisine too.a Delicious and surprisingly light. A per-b fect meal before going to see a Broad-a way theater, and your staff is attentiveG enough but they give you space. s H JG: When you come in they say theyt feel love and that’s important for us.n Our main cook has been cooking forA over 35 years and is the originator ofh the Jazzy Pasta. i
AmNews: What is Jazzy Pasta? I hada the slow-cooked, fall-off-the-boned oxtail with gravy, and my colleague hads the Jerk Chicken wings with a sauce hea said was spicy but not too hot. s JG: You have to try the Jazzy Pasta.w It’s penne pasta in a creamy saucet with basil, red, yellow, and green pep-i pers, carrots, and parmesan cheese. t
AmNews: I see a lot of famous folksd have been dropping by. I’m sure it’so word-of-mouth and congratulations.b You deserve it. B f JG: Thank you. I feel really humbledL by it all. t R AmNews: Besides giving us deliTo learn more check out a Restau-S cious home cooking, what else did rant Row Gem: Jasmine’s Caribbeanv you want to accomplish with open- Cuisine ing your restaurant? New York Live TV https://youtu.be/t E4jShhG2f3Y via @YouTube i JG: I wanted to open a place that d would provide employment. I wanted Address: 371 W. 46th St, New York, N.Y.a to open a place that made you feel at Phone: 646-964-5337; Reservations: home when you walked into the place, opentable.com, resy.com i and give you that Caribbean feel, and @JasmineCaribbeanCuisine for Ins-t it’s away from that madness outside. tagram and Jasmine’s Caribbean Cui-t You feel like you are at peace, on a Ca- sine on Facebook i a p F w h w t J JG: [laughing] Location is important. You know what’s so funny, when I first went to look at it, I had an open perspective but once I stepped inside, I fell in love with the place. No, we all fell in love with it.
(Lapacazo Sandoval photos)
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