“A food arcade in every parish.”

That’s the call from Montegonian Junior Brown, a street food vendor for over 30 years, to the Government in order to improve the country and bring dignity to the street food vendor.

“A serious thing, man! If we had a food arcade in every parish, when people want jerk chicken, pork, soup, fry dumpling, dem drive in deh so and we have the shops selling local food. Each man pay dem dues to the Government and cut out this thing where we have to be running from police. The arcade [People’s Arcade], we call it piffle, a place like that should be occupied night and day. With somewhere like that, with my roast yam business I could a set it the real way. If we have that, jugglers could really grow them business and make it better,” argued Brown.

Brown, or “Yammy” as he is called by his customers, explained he was selling by the site of the Montego Bay Fire Station but had to move to the outside of the Montego Bay Transport Centre. This however has not impacted him as he is still being sought out by tourists and locals alike.

“A Clarendon mi originate, enuh. Sunsplash carry mi down yah from back in a the days, come fi sell peanut a Sunsplash and from peanut to roast yam. Decide say mi a set in a the roast yam thing as me see the living and a it me survive off ah. My menu a the baddest. Me have salt fish, roast yellow yam, white yam, potato, breadfruit, cassava, dasheen, ripe plantain, and the salt mackerel a the wickedest thing! My seasoning for that is a secret like the Colonel recipe at KFC. Several well-known people find me yah so and tourists love it, even on return visit them come find me,” Brown stated.

“My recipe keeps my customers coming back. The people them love me. The business has its ups and downs but me love it. Right now, yam dear, but if you love it and you know you have your customers you can’t just wait until it cheap fi sell it. People want healthy so me have to be there for my customers. A dis mi survive from, never get in a no problem, me just keep it real and a this my five kids go to school from,” Brown added.

— Photos & text by Aceion Cunningham