For those of us who race along the North Coast Highway east to west, or vice versa, Priory is not a place one stops at unless you are catching the Sunday night party or the yearly kite festival. This, however, is changing due to a small cook shop owned by the ‘Puddin Man’.

The Just Cool Grocery, Green Grocery and Variety Store, located a few minutes east of St Ann’s Bay on the sea side of the road, is noticeable by its trademark pans covered in coal on the side of the road. This cook shop is well-known in local circles, and is fast becoming more popular across the island. Although it serves a full array of dishes from ackee and saltfish, brown stewed and fried chicken, escoveitch fish and sprat, it has gained fame, however, for its signature dish — its sweet potato pudding.

The owner, Edgar Wallace, now known as the ‘Puddin Man’, originally from Clarendon, opened the shop 13 years ago. After years of trying without much success, he says he owes the secret to their recipe to his wife’s input, and plenty of good customer feedback.

For about eight years now, since fixing their recipe, they have been selling their puddings to people across the island, including TV and radio personalities, numerous reggae artistes and even dispatching it to Kingston via the Knutsford Express for corporate parties.

The Wallaces bake three desserts: sweet potato pudding, cornmeal pudding and toto. The toto is a recent addition and the Puddin Man says this is a real hit with the customers. A whole potato pudding costs J$1,700 and the toto and cornmeal pudding J$1,900. All sell for J$150 per slice.

Puddin Man

Main Street, Priory (If you are coming from Ocho Rios, sea side of the road before you hit the Priory traffic lights)

Telelephone #s: 423-1760/375-2709