ST PAUL, Minn. — In downtown St. Paul, there's a new addition causing a lot of buzz.
“Pimento Jamaican Kitchen is celebrating its 11th year this year," said Tomme Beevas, owner of Pimento Jamaican Kitchen. "We’re planning on launching two new locations.”
Pimento Jamaican Kitchen and Lola on the Lake will open up shop on Bde Maka Ska this summer, as part of an ongoing project to rebuild after the original structure burned down in 2019.
Something Beevas says has always been a long-time goal.
“My culinary experience started in my grandmother’s kitchen in Kingston where I learn how to cook the rice and peas, the jerk chicken, oxtail — all from my grandmother’s recipe," he said.
Creating spaces where all are welcome, including their current locations at Keg and Case in St. Paul and their Eat Street restaurant on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis.
“It’s always been a safe space and during the pandemic, we had to take a step back and say how can we show up for our community, and similarly with the uprising, we are one of the only places who didn’t close, or board up," he said.
Beevas says they’re taking on new heights.
“We’re going to be using the beer wall, and you can get rum punch self-service, and then we are taking over the entire space to build a stage, a whole VIP section."
Eventually expanding to the roof with a new patio overlooking the city.
“Imagine the food truck in the corner," he said on the roof of a nearby parking garage. "Fast casual mix during the day and at night we turn up the party.”
A dream come true and a chance to continue expanding across the Twin Cities – and hopefully, Beevas says — nationwide.
“To be able to have people appreciate us, supporting us as we grow, we showed up for community and now they are showing up for us," he said.
Both new locations are expected to open in mid-summer.
For more information on the current locations open, visit their website here.
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