Get the flavors of Jamaica right here in Euclid, Ohio

Irie Jamaican Kitchen jerk chicken
Irie Jamaican Kitchen’s jerk chicken
Irie Jamaican Kitchen's curry chicken bowl
Irie Jamaican Kitchen’s curry chicken bowl
Irie Jamaican Kitchen's fish stew
Irie Jamaican Kitchen’s fish stew

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


I was planning a business lunch to talk about the Waterloo Arts District, redevelopment, travel and other things with a colleague at The City of Euclid. When I asked where we should go, she suggested a new Jamaican restaurant that people are raving about on E. 185th Street: Irie Jamaican Kitchen.

This small, cafeteria-style takeout is decorated in the bright colors of Jamaica (black, red, yellow, green). There is bar-style seating with a few stools, too. We dined in and got to meet Omar, the owner, and chat with him about his inspiration. It turns out he went to Cuyahoga Community College and Kent State University for culinary arts and hospitality management. He worked at restaurants his entire life.

Three years ago, he decided to fulfill his dream of owning a restaurant and working for himself. He opened Irie Jamaican Kitchen at Richmond Mall. One month ago, he moved to Euclid, where he currently lives, because he loves the community and felt it would offer a great customer base. So far, he’s doing well.

And, we can see why! Everything was fresh, tasty and full of flavor. There was so much to choose from, including healthy options. You could get a bowl (Jamaican version of Chipotle) with either salad or rice as the base. I got a salad bowl with jerk chicken, vinegar cucumber slaw, pineapple coleslaw and heavenly, carmelized, fried plantains. I also ordered a cup of thick, rich chicken-feet soup. My colleague had a rice bowl with curry chicken, mango salsa, plantains and sour cream. I wanted to try the fish stew in brown sauce, but there will always be another time.

 

Euclid City Schools’ culinary arts program offers low-cost lunch to the community

culinary art studentsEuclid City Schools, in partnership with Lakeshore Compact, offers a two-year culinary arts program to Euclid High School juniors and seniors that teaches them nutrition, safety, sanitation, equipment use, food preparation, baking fundamentals, customer service and other skills toward certification. The students run a full-service restaurant, Euclid Culinary Bistro, that is open to the public three days per week for lunch.

Colleague Susan Porter of LEAP and I decided to support our community by visiting the bistro, located in Shore Cultural Center at 291 E. 222nd Street, Euclid, Ohio. It is open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. during the school year, but call to check the hours since they close for school breaks and holidays when class is not in session. The bistro also offers a buffet three times per year (opening day in October, before winter break, and closing day in May).

If you want to help students with their serving skills and culinary skills and are interested in an affordable, no-frills, hot meal, you might try stopping by just to do a good deed by supporting the program.

We had fried pickles, a thin strip steak with steamed yellow squash, and a club sandwich with house-made potato chips. Some of the food was cold; some of the order was wrong; some of the food needed to be sent back and re-cooked, but we looked at it as an opportunity to help students learn real-world restaurant skills. Chef Dan Esquivel, their teacher, stopped by our table and invited us to return, which was a nice, personal touch.

It is kind of like going to a dental, massotherapy or cosmetology school; you go to let the students “practice” on you since practice makes perfect. And, it’s pretty cool to be part of their learning experience.