Chateau 7 came about as a result of…

Patra has always been a foodie and had long been talking about doing something food-related, which would complement her musical career. We discussed (her) opening a restaurant and establishing a chain of restaurants around the world. In-between a tour and one of our trips to Kingston, we came across the current location for Chateau 7 (Red Gal Ring). Fortuitously, the trailer beside the jerk centre was for rent. The trailer is what we identified as the juice and salad bar. We secured the location and shortly thereafter negotiated the lease of the jerk centre.

The number ‘7’…

Seven is known to be a powerful number and one that bears much significance to us both. We knew the food would have to have a twist, and the place, a name that would speak to our style and what we were presenting. Chateau 7 is a name that came to me unconsciously. Of course the word chateau roughly translated means “a large country house”, so it’s not an exact fit, but the name encompasses the vibe that we are trying to build.

The concept…

Kingston is home to a plethora of jerk centres; indeed, most have been around for several years. From our inception, highly respectable people gave us advice which, had we followed, would have left us unable to develop the taste that we have. That’s not to say that it was bad advice; it was just not the way we wanted to do it. Our entire menu and taste is original. We refer to our dishes as gourmet jerk. We were not surprised that one of our competitors now has a jerk chicken soup – something that we have already done. Even the owner of one of Kingston’s more popular jerk centres has been coming to Chateau 7 and remarking, “This is the best jerk pork I’ve ever tasted. No, man…This is extraordinary!”

The entire concept is akin to bringing a kind of a South Beach vibe with a Jamaican attitude to the hills, complete with our own sidewalk café in front of what is to be the juice and salad bar. We are innovators who think outside of the box.

You opted for a stand-alone restaurant because…

Well, firstly this effort is a joint one between Patra and me. The ability to call one’s own shots is very important. Hotels tend not to think in terms of risky propositions. Have you noticed there are no hotels in Kingston that actually have jerk centres in them? There are a couple of hotels that might do jerk chicken or jerk pork, but it’s not their staple. Also, adding jerk seasoning to chicken and cooking does not a Chateau 7 jerk chicken make!

Or they may be in such close proximity to a jerk centre that it doesn’t make sense. We are specialists in jerking (on pimento wood) and I believe that, because we naturally push the envelope of the freedom of exploration of new combinations of foods and flavours, we have earned the loyalty of so many customers who come from far and wide for the experience. And when they come it’s like a bet (to determine if the food is as good as they have heard or as good as the last time they visited) which they are happy to lose.

On menu offerings like jerk pork soup, ackee and salt fish fritters and jerk pork fritters…

The meat of the matter — pun intended — is that these are all Chateau 7 creations. There is an almost universal response when customers see Jerk Pork Soup on the menu board…Jerk Pork Soup??? Ninjaman laughed at Patra and asked her, “Wha kinda dip made from avocado and other ingredients for use with the ackee and salt fish fritters, which makes it truly a gourmet fritter.

The jerk pork fritters naturally cannot or ought not to contain any fat as the oil would saturate the fritter. We use lean strips of jerk pork and seasoning to give this fritter its unique taste.

And of pimento jerk mud and broadleaf conch…

In Jamaica, the two most popular species are the mud conch and the broadleaf conch. The two, although similar in flavour, are completely different in texture. Without divulging too much of our process, suffice it to say it involves pimento, natural seasoning, and of course the famous Hot and Sexy sauce. We have witnessed people involuntarily swearing when they taste it. People drive from Portmore for it. On one recent occasion when it was out of season and therefore not on our menu, patrons got very, very angry with us, as if we should have flouted the law to allow them their ‘fix’. Yes, our customers are that passionate about their jerked conch!

Why and how did you develop the Hot and Sexy sauce — our Food Awards committee has surmised that it pays homage to Patra! What say you?

Her sexiness is inarguable but coincidental. That being said, your Food Awards committee is not entirely incorrect. In the beginning we had some very powerful, influential and very successful friends suggest to us that we buy bulk jerk sauce and add our own flavour. We rubbished the idea and Patra set off experimenting with different mixtures and ingredients until the Hot and Sexy sauce was born. The Hot and Sexy sauce (named and created by Patra), especially when drizzled over the Sexy Jerk Pork and Sexy Jerk Chicken, is designed to cause people to involuntarily make an audible and distinct sound of pleasure. She is the creative mind behind the execution of the menu. I am the executive taster. It’s a tough job but someone has got to do it!

On Patra’s culinary prowess…

In the words of Marco Rubio, “Let’s dispense with the notion that she doesn’t know what she’s doing. Patra knows exactly what she’s doing!” She is a natural. Her mother had taught her how to cook at an early age. I have heard her actually talking about food in her sleep. It’s her other passion – apart from music and performing. So it’s no surprise that while with Sony Records she would routinely be asked – begged (and be paid) to prepare meals for the people at Sony,

Vibes Magazine and Shabba Ranks. Her stories about her cooking exploits are quite entertaining, but the thing that separates her standard of cooking from others is her imagination and execution of the idea. She was tutored privately and certified in Coconut Grove (Florida, USA) but most of her ideas come from her dedication to the gym and trying different diets in order to maintain her fantastic physique.

How have extensive travels influenced the menu offerings?

Some of the places to which we have travelled have definitely opened our eyes to some of the dishes, best practices, techniques and flavours which are replicable in Jamaica with our own local spices and talent.

It is undeniable that travelling invariably – whether one is conscious of it or not – affects how you see the world and the place you call home. Mundane menus all across the island give us motivation to further differentiate our menu and taste from everyone else’s.

A recent experience in Uganda and Turkey exposed us to local dishes which, when compared to those in many other places, never failed to impress. In Uganda, for example, everything is prepared fresh – literally from the farm to the plate…with some cooking in-between, for who wants raw pork? Everything had a different flavour that was still uniquely Ugandan, yet they managed to have infused Indian spices in their dishes, which gave most meals an international taste – if there is such a thing.

On feedback since the opening…

Quite honestly, when we began this venture the expectations of smooth sailing were quickly replaced by the reality that many people who consider themselves great chefs are actually not. Mistakes were made in the beginning as “chef” after “chef” insisted on inserting their own unsolicited flavours to what we had put in place, which led to something called inconsistency. Customers don’t want to have something this week, enjoy it and return next week and it’s completely different. We learned fast that we could not operate a jerk centre without knowing how to jerk. Only after Patra inserted and asserted herself in the mix did we begin to see product consistency and the fruits thereof – for example, brand-new customers approaching the counter and ordering a pound and a half of pork without tasting it. Since then, about five months now, we have been having an exponential increase in new and absolutely satisfied customers. She is currently training chefs to maintain the standard that we have meticulously set, so that she doesn’t have to jerk long-distance when she is on the road.

Stony Hillians are particularly happy that we have managed to keep the menu flexible and interesting and the taste addictive and original. Plus, we’re closer than Manor Park.

Future plans…

In the immediate future, we are going to start deliveries in the Stony Hill, Norbrook, and the Corporate Area. The juice and salad bar will be opening very shortly. The menu in the juice and salad bar will be unlike any other. The menu will be as innovative as that of the jerk centre’s.

We have been organising our themed nights including a stand-up comedy night, our own Roots and Arts night – where artists and artisans, dub poets, etc, will display their works and their crafts in an open mic setting, a live music night and a House music night. Chateau 7 is a brand and some of our current products are currently being developed with the idea to mass-produce and export.

Patra is also about to release her first single in a while (internationally) and is about to relaunch her musical career and cannot believe the synchronicity of the business taking off and her re-emergence on the music scene. I am also back in the studio and will be completing a solo album before year-end.

In the long run, Chateau 7 will be looking towards expanding beyond the shores of Jamaica and developing internationally recognised products.