For all his adult triumphs he says he’s indebted to the influence of mentors like “Miss Ana Walker, a very powerful woman in New York who took me under her wings and former New York State Senator Dr. Waldaba Stewart for teaching me the responsibility of entrepreneurship and how to use this platform to better our community. I’m also inspired by Marcus Garvey and his work.” Five years ago Peter masterminded The Reggae Chefs® in direct response to the pervasive knockoff of Jamaican culture and brand Jamaica overseas. “I lived in Las Vegas briefly and happened on a [stage] show called Reggae in the Desert. I’d never seen so many people who weren’t Jamaicans just consuming our music. As I looked around the perimeter people were selling Jamaican food, Jamaican flags and Jamaican T-shirts. But as I walked around I realised these people weren’t Jamaicans. I thought it was great that our culture was that influential and that powerful. But then I wondered if there were Jamaicans who would really take on the responsibility to share our culture with the world in a unique way,” he said. Looking at the man in the mirror, he found his answer and after ruminating over the unifying power of food, came up with The Reggae Chefs®. This personal chef and entertainment service provides a fusion of authentic Jamaican culinary and cultural experiences by an all-star team of Jamaicans. “I know I wanted it to be truly authentic and we were going to put pressure on ourselves to deliver a superior service,” Peter rationalized of his exclusive Jamaican team who had to be versed in the island’s culture and history to serve as ambassadors. He researched where people went in Jamaica and what they go for and used these preferences to create the “icons of culture” entertainment packages his clients pair with their meals. The idea caught on immediately with non-Jamaicans curious about the country and the service. Of his compatriots though Peter said it took a while for Jamaicans to warm to the Reggae Chefs®. “Jamaicans funny yuh nuh! Dem seh dem can cook their own food so why would Photo credit: Shawn Walsh
they hire this service” he quipped. But as word got around, that resistance changed. “We started to get Jamaicans who lived abroad for a very long time who got wind that we could bring them back to their glory days if they booked the Reggae Chefs®. [They heard] we could knock some Ludi and Dominoes with them, and in their kitchen cook their favourite dish from dem lickle (small) and not just the fancy stuff,” Peter shared. “We’ve had people who’ve never been [to the island] use it as an introduction to Jamaica. People who are terminally ill who couldn’t make it back to Jamaica. Some clients are searching for their history, 2nd and 3rd generation [Jamaicans] who have been told they can’t go to where they are from because the crime is so high and so they book the Reggae Chefs® as an entry point into Jamaica,” he shared. 26 CIJ FALL 2018
