In every nook and cranny of Jamaica there are Familiar Faces who have become an integral part of a community, but some of us don’t even know their name. In fact, some of their stories remain untold. Who are they? Where are they from? And how did they get there? The Sunday Observer Familiar Faces series explores these and more!

IN the heart of Coronation Market in downtown Kingston, where vendors and shoppers from across the island converge almost daily to buy and sell produce, Garth James has been dishing out delicious stew peas for more than a decade — earning him the title ‘Stew peas master’.

The humble chef’s journey to becoming the ‘master’ started more than 14 years ago, when he returned to Jamaica after living in the United States for about 20 years.

A lover of food, he entered the industry 17 years ago, working for a catering company in Florida. He told the Jamaica Observer he’d cook American soul food, but soon realised that his Jamaican customers wanted a taste of home.

James began whipping up some Jamaican classics, such as fried chicken, curried goat, and stew peas. Customers fell in love with his stew peas and it became a crowd favourite.

While life in the United States was good, James said that he missed his homeland and returned to share his gift of cooking with his compatriots.

On his quest for the perfect location to set up shop, he shared that his mother told him about Coronation Market and suggested that providing a more convenient way for market vendors to buy food would be a great idea. He told the Sunday Observer that he decided to give it a go and, soon after, became known as the ‘Stew peas master’ by all the vendors.

Check out these five things about this familiar face and scan the QR code for reporter Tamoy Ashman’s video chat with him.

1) James moved around a lot. He first lived in Jamaica, then moved to Toronto, Canada, for about three years. He later moved to the United States, where he spent 14 years in New York. He also lived in Florida before moving back to Jamaica.

2) Growing up, James’ ultimate dream was to make and repair cars. He studied to become an auto mechanic; however, he was forced into the culinary profession by a relative. He shared that he’s still partially living his dream, as he works part-time as a mechanic.

3) While living in the US, his ideal breakfast was pancake and eggs — a dish he grew to love. While Jamaican food options for breakfast are great, he still finds himself craving pancakes.

4) In addition to cooking, James loves to bake up a storm. His favourite pastries to make are cakes, puddings, and decorative buns.

5) Despite being known as the ‘Stew peas master’, his favourite dish is fried fish.

Is there someone in your community who should be part of our Familiar Faces series? Send suggestions to editorial@jamaicaobserver.com

Garth James shared that he chose Coronation Market for his cookshop because his mother said it would be a great spot. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

Chef Garth James preps a breadfruit just outside his cookshop at Coronation Market in downtown Kingston last Thursday. (Garfield Robinson)