For the past 15 years, Andrew Reid has been whetting the tastebuds and appetites of Cave Valley, St Ann residents with his tasty pan chicken at his Non-Such Reggae Jerk Centre.

Reid, who says his business thrives on providing good customer service, is a participant in the PAN 2024 competition.  Last month, he finished in second place for the parish of St Ann at the second workshop in Montego Bay, St James.

“I am all about pleasing the customers. Some of them can be a bit disrespectful at times and hard to please, which can be the biggest challenge, but I always try to please them so that they can return. Customer service is a top priority for me,” said Reid.

Reid, who began doing pan chicken in Boro Bridge, St Ann, threw in the towel and went on the farm work program overseas for a few years. He also worked as a lifeguard in several cities in the United States.

“Things weren’t stable back then, so I decided to try out the farm work program. Doing pan chicken is something that I enjoy doing for a very long time. After three years, I returned to Jamaica where I started up my business and it has been going well so far,” Reid shared.

He continued, “This business is my hand and my foot. It provides for my two daughters and my grandchild.”

Reid said he is looking forward to sharing his culinary skills and pleasing customers at the PAN 2024 Grand Finals, which takes place this Sunday, August 25 at Independence Park, Black River in St Elizabeth.

“I want to show people that I have the best pan chicken. I really would like to win one of the top three prizes. My aim is to open a next pan chicken business and to provide employment for others. My chicken really stands out because of the texture and the taste, so I’m going in with a lot of confidence,” said Reid.

The PAN 2024 grand final will see top PAN Chicken chefs battle it out in a live cook-off, vying for a chance to win the grand prize of $1 million courtesy of CB Foods. The competition will be fierce as the second and third-place winners will also take home impressive cash prizes of $750,000 and $500,000, respectively.

Winners will also receive prizes from PAN 2024 partners including CB Chicken, National Baking Company, Red Stripe, JN Money, Walkerswood, and WISYNCO.

With 32 competitors, including two wild cards representing the parishes of Kingston & St Andrew, Portland, St Thomas, St Mary, St Ann, Trelawny, St Catherine, Clarendon, Manchester, St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, St James and Hanover, the stage is set for an epic battle for who really has the better tasting PAN Chicken.