Jam’it adds Caribbean spice to the hood

Red Hook has a new Jamaican bistro! Jam’it, a block up from DeFonte’s, opened it’s doors last month.

A lot of effort was put into the presentation of this Jamaican fusion restaurant. It took over two years after getting the property to finally open, since they had to build a brand-new kitchen in the back and get the building department to certify the restaurant.

I walked in as a group of local teachers were sampling the food. More eager customers arrived as time went on. This is the only establishment that offers Jamaican food in Red Hook.

I tried their rice and peas, which is a Jamaican staple. It was perfectly seasoned. Chef Leo added garlic powder and coconut cream to augment the taste.

Dawn Skeete found this space by chance and wants to embrace this community as much as she can.

“We don’t just want to be a restaurant, we want to be part of the community and grow with it,” Skeete said.

“We do that by hiring people who live in the community, since it is difficult for folks who live outside of the community to get in,” Skeete said. They already have two locals on the payroll.

The restaurant was busy with eager customers all month, which was something she was not really prepared for but was pleased that came to fruition.

Skeete, who previously worked at her family’s restaurant, Jamaica Grill in Bedford Stuy, thought the reaction to her restaurant from residents and businesses was tremendous.

“Two prayers were going up at the same time,” Skeete said about her desire for customers and Red Hook’s desire for an establishment like hers. “I was praying for customers and customers were praying for a Jamaican restaurant. Somehow both prayers were met and both prayers were answered!”

They have classic Jamaican

They have classic Jamaican dishes as well as Irie Soul plate dinners. The Ire Soul plates can include a delicious blend of Jamaican meat with American sides, where one can get jerk chicken with potato salad, mac and cheese, collard greens or yams.

They also have a Breden/Amici section. Amici means friend in Italian, and in Jamaica Bredren also means friend, so this section is a fusion of Jamaican meat with Italian sides/pastas. For example, one can get traditional Rasta Pasta, Pasta Aglio, Pasta Marinara or Pasta Pesto.

“Rasta pasta has become known as fusion of Jamaican spices and Italian pasta,” Skeete said at a table in the restaurant. “Not everyone likes the Rasta pasta, so we do a pasta aglio, we can offer them different types of pasta.”

They do meatballs with jerk sauce to add a kick. They make it authentically their own and use the Jamaican seasonings and spices.

“Now every other person is coming asking ‘can I get the Jamaican Oxtail Dinner'” Skeete said. “The Jerk chicken has been a favorite as well. We do offer options for vegetarian folks and we are looking into ensuring whatever dish we offer for vegan folks is truly vegan. Not only are we a melting pot of different cultures, we are also a melting pot of different digestive systems in terms of our dietary needs. .

“Red Hook is a very diverse community so we wanted to be able to appeal to a cross section of that community, Skeete said. “New York, for that matter is a melting pot of cultures and we want to be a representative of New York in an authentic fashion.”

“If I can just break it down, we appeal to black folks and we appeal to white folks,” Skeete said. “The only way we can make money is satisfying the people in the community.”

According to the restaurant’s owner, Chef Leo is at Jam’It Bistro because he believes in the vision that the establishment has. Two people who live in Red Hook are currently working at Jam’It and they hope to hire as time goes by and the business continues to grow.

The food at Jam’It Bistro is made to order and is always fresh for the customers.

“Some individuals come in and say we are a little pricey,” Skeete said. “They say we are a little pricey but when they have the food, they taste the reason we are a little pricey. We don’t skimp on the seasonings. The containers we use are biodegradable containers, those containers are a little pricey.

Vegetarian dishes cost $11-13, salads cost $8, Irie Soul Dinners cost between $12-19, Jamaican classic dinners with sides cost $11-15, the Bredren/Amici section costs $10-19 and a plan roti wrap is $4 while various fillings are between $9-11.

Another addition she wants to add in the future is a partnership with the Red Hook Community Farm. A man from the farm next to IKEA has come in and talked to her and they are looking into incorporating some of their seasonal vegetables into what they make.

“We will be killing two birds with one stone,” Skeete said. “We will be patronizing another vendor within the community while at the same time giving people what is seasonal. That is part of the experience.”

A final addition will be their own cultural juices, under the brand “happy,” that will be available in the store on March 2. Flavors include sorrel, pineapple ginger and ginger lemon. The juices will initially just be sold at Jam’It Bistro but as the months go by they plan on offering the juices in other stores.

People are finding Jam’it

Word has spread about this innovative restaurant on Columbia Street between Luquer St and Seabring St. in a variety of ways.

Residents have been taking flyers and giving them to their friends and family. Skeete believes that this has helped an instrumental way that their name has gotten out there. 

“That just shows us that the people of Red Hook are happy we are here, want us to stay and are willing to go the extra mile to help us grow,” Skeete added. “We can’t ask for better than that. What we need to do as a business is to be able to service them.”