WHOEVER said daydreaming cannot lead to productive outcomes may want to put a question or two to Vineyard Town resident Richardo Russell.

For what began as a mere fantasy among friends has evolved into the three-year-old Ricky’s Chicken Delight, which provides employment for nine residents of the East Kingston community.

The staff comprises two chefs, two delivery personnel, three cashiers, a janitor, and a general labourer who ensures that the meats are well seasoned in advance.

“From ever since, cooking has always brought people together in this community,” Russell told the Jamaica Observer.

“The people around here really like food… We thought about having a good restaurant so mi and mi friends them came together and start a restaurant. It was so successful and it has been going up and up from ever since,” he added.

He said he did not “start out with much” and credits the two chefs for making the eatery what it is today.

“We started from nothing. To be honest, we started with five pounds of rice and 30 pounds of chicken. We didn’t start with much money, about 20 – 15 thousand dollars. Right now we are doing 300 pounds of chicken per day. On the weekend we do a lot, a lot of chicken,” Russell shared.

The main offering at Ricky’s Chicken Delight is, of course, fried chicken served with French fries. But Russell stated that he prepares other meals on a daily basis for his loyal customers.

“We cook three to four meat everyday with pumpkin rice and rice and peas, along with pasta and vegetables. Our specialty is chicken and chips; wi haffi have that as day peep. As early as 7:00 am people come to the shop, ‘Rickey it nuh ready yet?’ They want it (chicken and fries) to carry to work,” Russell added, noting that his plan is to expand the business by opening outlets in surrounding communities.

Meanwhile, Chef Oshane Grant said that he always had a passion for cooking.

“From mi a youth a grow up my mother teach mi how to cook. Mi go a country and mi learn the two ways to cook: the country cooking and the town cooking. Town people mostly use gas stove and in the country they use wood and coal stove. So I use to do two different types of cooking which have two different types of flavour. But the food on the coal stove simmers down better,” Grant explained.

He said as a child growing up, Grace Creative Cooking was a must-watch television show for him.

“All the day when mi a go married, it was a Saturday and a me come here come cook inna the six o’clock and finish by around 10 o’clock and go back over mi mother yard to get ready for my wedding,” the 28-year-old father said.