A new Jamaican restaurant has popped up in Cloverdale.
Tommie鈥檚 Jerk has been offering a variety of tacos and burritos for a few months now.
The Facebook page for Tommie鈥檚 bills the new take-out shop as 鈥渁 fresh & innovative way to share Jamaican jerk chicken tacos.鈥� But the eatery is so much more.
Located behind the Cloverdale Community Kitchen off 180th, the small restaurant has a nondescript door and a humble sign. When I arrive, BBQs in the parking lot smoulder as smoke from grilled jerk chicken and beef swirl through the air. The smoke drifts through the parking lot and over the shipping containers that house the low-cost bike shop, Cloverdale Community Cycles, next door. Music drifts across the lot too.
Owner Tai Brown jumps out a door and hits the grill to chop and turn some meat. He then chats to some customers. Runs back into a small doorway to grab some food. Takes a selfie with some other customers. Jumps back inside. Brings some free samples out for yet more customers. Runs. Jumps. Slides.
The man moves at a bounce. And at 6鈥�4鈥� - 240, it鈥檚 a big bounce. But he鈥檚 light on his feet and it seems to reflect his personality too: nimble and passionate.
I quickly realize Tommie鈥檚 Jerk isn鈥檛 just about the food鈥攊t certainly is about the food鈥攂ut it鈥檚 also about Tai.
When I chat to Tai, his face reveals everything you need to know about the man. He can鈥檛 hide who he is. A big smile reflects the size of the love he has for both people and food. His eyes are windows that show the joy the man lives with today after passing through 鈥渄ark times,鈥� as he describes it, and coming out the other end, scathed, but ultimately healed and better for it.
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As Tai chats to customers, and he chats to every customer, his contagious joy infects all and everyone leaves with a smile on their face.
He named the restaurant for his birth mother, who still inspires him, and the idea to open a restaurant was born from a desire to import his culture and love of food to Canada.
Originally from the Windy City, Tai followed a woman up here several years ago. The relationship eventually ended, but he fell in love with life north of the border and stayed.
As Tai was contemplating which food route he would travel, he started experimenting with his cooking.
He stumbled upon the idea of making jerk tacos/burritos. Usually jerk chicken is served as a whole leg/thigh, he tells me. But with the tacos and 鈥渕ore experimentation to come,鈥� Tai feels he can reach a larger customer base.
鈥淗ow can I bring my culture here?鈥� Tai asks. 鈥淏ut also, how do I put my own spin on it?鈥�
He got the Jamaican side of his culture from his adoptive mother Ceolia, a Jamaican immigrant to Chicago in the 鈥�60s.
鈥淪he was always experimenting with different things. Always experimenting with this or that.鈥�
He says she used to experiment with everything from Gouda-stye mac and cheese to gourmet dishes.
鈥淭here would be lines of people outside my house when my brother and I got home from school. Anyone from the mayor to a man down on his luck would eat at my mom鈥檚 table.鈥�
That table of great food and experimentation rubbed off on Tai.
He says he鈥檚 done a tonne of different things, but ultimately hitting Vancouver鈥檚 420 a few years ago was his turning point. He went down to Sunset Beach in a chef鈥檚 jacket one April to test his wares on the masses.
No one knew anything about Tai or Tommie鈥檚 Jerk, he says, so when he got to the beach, he just looked for the biggest man he could find. Someone who would tower over Tai.
鈥淚 said to him, 鈥楲isten, how 鈥榖out I feed you? Just taste it. If you don鈥檛 like it, it鈥檚 okay. You鈥檙e not going to hurt my feelings. I鈥檓 not looking for trouble with you. We know that.鈥� So he said, 鈥榝ine.鈥� And I made it and gave him a drink.鈥�
Tai says the big man took a few bites and did not say a word. As he stood speechless, the big man鈥檚 girlfriend ripped the taco out of his hand and took a bite. 鈥淪he said, 鈥榊eeeee-aaaaah! This is so good.鈥欌��
After that the couple spread the word through the crowd.
鈥淚t took me more time to find parking and walk there than it did for me to sell all my food,鈥� he laughs.
Tai realized he wanted to bring that experience to a brick and mortar shop close to his Surrey home. Tai lives on the Cloverdale-Newton border.
After searching around for a bit, Tai contacted the Community Kitchen as they had some space for rent. And after navigating an enormous amount of red tape from both the City and Fraser Health, Tommie鈥檚 Jerk opened in March.
Going into his fourth month at the Community Kitchen location, Tai says he鈥檒l open a restaurant in the Cloverdale area by the end of the year.
鈥淐loverdale has shown me so much love and it鈥檚 been really, really good, so far,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e out of the core area. We鈥檙e way, way back at the end of a cul-de-sac.鈥�
He says he likes Cloverdale because it鈥檚 a crossroads and he gets a large amount of business from people in both 91原创 (a lot of folks working at dealerships) and Newton. But he adds he鈥檒l be able to draw more customers with a more centralized location. He also wants a proper seating area. Currently people can sit outside, which he says is fine for now, but once winter hits, he鈥檒l need that indoor seating.
So far, business has been good and word of mouth has been his best marketing tool.
鈥淥nce you serve a good product and give great service and build great relationships with customers, that鈥檚 when people say, 鈥楬ey, this is great.鈥� Then they tell people and then they tell people and then they tell people.鈥�
Tai says he can鈥檛 take credit for that, but I remind him that he made the food, served the people, and built those relationships.
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鈥淲ell, I listen to my customers,鈥� Tai laughs. His smile hangs on his face. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e like, 鈥楬ey, why don鈥檛 you try this or try this?鈥欌��
Tai thinks if one customer wants something specific, then it鈥檚 not a stretch to think another customer will like the same thing. That attitude keeps him open to trying anything.
鈥淚鈥檓 working on a ground pork recipe to see what happens and it鈥檚 gotten rave reviews so far.鈥�
His trial process involves dozens of tasters. If his pork passes muster with them, it鈥檒l make the menu.
Tai went to Jamaica to learn firsthand the best practices of jerk-style cooking. He says Jamaican jerk isn鈥檛 just about the spices. 鈥淛erk, ultimately, comes from the smoke.鈥�
He strives for his food and his restaurant to be creative and innovative and to reflect the love both of his mothers (both now passed) had for people. And to honour both women.
I ask Tai what his ultimate goal is. He pauses for a moment. His big smile slowly starts to return, first at the corners of his eyes, then to his mouth, and then his cheeks glow. His innate passion now fully expressed on his face.
鈥淢y objective is just to bring the Jamaican experience here to B.C. and spread it. To share it with people. To share great food with people. To meet people. I love people. When you come (to Tommie鈥檚 Jerk), it鈥檚 a vibe, it鈥檚 an aura, it鈥檚 an experience.鈥�
Tai says he鈥檒l have Jamaican patties out soon and he鈥檚 also working on some jerk egg rolls.
鈥淚鈥檓 always trying to be innovative. I鈥檓 always trying to create new things.鈥�
Tommie鈥檚 Jerk is located behind the Cloverdale Community Kitchen at 5337 180 Street and is open both Friday and Saturday from 12 - 8 p.m. Tommie鈥檚 is also available on and on and he can found on and .
editor@cloverdalereporter.com
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