Diners in Wausau, Wisconsin, can now sample the flavors of the Caribbean. A new restaurant called “A Taste of Jamaica” opened recently in the admissions building of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point at Wausau campus. Owner Janice Watson said it has always been her dream to open her own restaurant, and she is excited to introduce her authentic island dishes to people who have never tried the food before. Judging from customer reviews on the restaurant’s Facebook page, Watson is making a good beginning, with diners posting, “The food is absolutely amazing, and the service was outstanding! I will definitely be returning and recommending to everyone I know;” and “This was outstanding food and will become a regular Friday night meal for us. Who needs a fish fry when we have this here!!!!! Food was so flavorful and cooked perfectly!!!”

Watson moved to Wausau from Massachusetts and wanted to bring something new to the city in central Wisconsin. She acquired the space for her restaurant in the university’s admission building when she won a contest designed to help start-up businesses in the community. Watson wants to offer diverse food items because the Wausau community itself is becoming more diverse. She is hoping that her restaurant will be the first step in a long career in food and that her efforts will make her family proud of her.

Watson has been cooking for her family since she was a small child of six. When she is creating her menu items, she remembers how her grandmother used to stand over her and tell her how to prepare meals. She believes her grandmother would be very proud of her now that she has opened her own restaurant.

Watson serves authentic, traditional Jamaican cuisine such as chicken soup, jerk chicken, curried goat, and jerk ribs. All of her dishes have met with enthusiasm from students, many of whom welcome the “Jamaican feel” of the restaurant in a community with few options to try the foods of different cultures.

Kitchen staff at “A Taste of Jamaica” also welcome the opportunity to work for one of the few small businesses in the area that is owned by a woman – and a Black woman at that – serving traditional foods. This is “huge,” sous-chef Tyrese Cottrell told an interviewer from Wausau WSAW-TV.

“A Taste of Jamaica” serves lunch Monday through Friday from 11 am to 1:30 pm. Dinner is served on Fridays from 4 pm to 9:30 pm.

Photo and Info Source – Facebook