For the past 28 years, Donovan Thompson has made Kingston Delight Restaurant and Catering one of the most sought-after Caribbean eateries in North Miami Beach, Florida.

On Sunday November 10, Thompson and his team will tantalize the taste buds of patrons at the 22nd staging of the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival at the Miramar Regional Park in South Florida. It will be his 19th time participating at the event as a food vendor.

Thompson, who never studied culinary arts, started out in the food business by accident.

“I had a grocery store and a meat store, and I usually delivered meats to a restaurant called Tropical Oasis, and the owner would ask me to do a few chores for him. One day he said to me, ‘I am going to give you a gift.’ That gift was the location of his restaurant, which he sold me for US$60,000. That’s when I started Kingston Delight Restaurant and Catering,” Thompson told Observer Online.

Thompson’s business has been in huge demand by event promoters. He has another restaurant that is currently under construction, and he also operates a food truck, which he says is used for events and parties.

He says he enjoys the food business because of the joy that comes with it.

“I don’t do it for the money. I like the excitement. I look forward to doing what I do. If you don’t love it, you’ll be miserable,” said Thompson.

His restaurant serves Caribbean and Jamaican dishes including fried chicken, wings, jerk chicken, jerk pork, oxtail, fish, brown stewed chicken, shrimp, and tripe and bean among other dishes.

“Mi have a good staff, me alone couldn’t do it. Without them, I couldn’t pull it off,” said Thompson who has a staff complement of 19.

Originally from Havendale in St Andrew, Thompson migrated to the United States 45 years ago.

He is one of more than 30 food vendors who will showcase their culinary delights to patrons at the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival.

“We will have over 30 food vendors offering a variety of jerk dishes plus other delicious cuisine. There are also novelty vendors with custom made fashion wear as well as creative island themed shirts and other accessories,” said Eddy Edwards, Managing Partner and CEO of Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival.

Edwards added, “This year, patrons should come to expect more entertainment, more giveaways from sponsors and come to have an amazingly good time. We are elevating the whole festival experience from the look and feel of the buildout to a variety of food and entertainment options.”

He continued, “As a food centric event, the festival has a broad appeal that crosses racial and cultural boundaries. The festival provides a shared experience for the diverse South Florida community, and it also continues to be one of the most anticipated event on the South Florida entertainment calendar not only for the Jamaican and Caribbean community, but the appeal also extends into the general mainstream population, attracting from the diverse populations. Support from corporate giants such as Grace Foods, Publix Supermarkets and the Greater Ft Lauderdale Visitors and Conventions Bureau, The City of Miramar as well as our media sponsors such as NBC6 and Cox Media Group gives the festival strong validation.”

Back by popular demand, the Publix Culinary Stage, hosted by Chef Irie, will feature a special cooking demonstration by Boston-based Chef Darian. The 2024 Celebrity Cook Off will feature Local 10 anchor Alexis Frazier vs NBC-6 anchor Kris Anderson. Local celebrity Chefs Alain Lemaire and Chef Winston Williams will face off on stage.