Caribbean restaurant coming to downtown Hamilton, after starting out in St. Catharines

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Published July 18, 2022 at 12:28 pm

JamRock Irie Jerk, which has earned a foodie following in St. Catharines over the last seven years, will be opening a location in downtown Hamilton.

Signage for the Caribbean restaurant has been installed in the plaza between Bowen and Catharine streets, on the south side of Main Street East. The location will be in the deepest corner of the L-shaped strip of buildings that face Main, so it might not be overly visible. However, JamRock Irie Jerk, owned by Michelle Berryman, who also does the cooking, has already overcome the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic that is adept at serving both fast-casual diners, takeaway and delivery customers.

Its delivery drivers are easy to spot, since the car doors are painted with the flag of Jamaica, Berryman’s birth nation. (Irie, in Jamaican English, is a general term of approval.)

JamRock Irie Jerk is coming to downtown Hamilton. (Nathan Sager, inTheHammer)

Of course, JamRock makes the roti wraps that have the strongest association with Jamaican and Caribbean street food — including a vegetable version teeming with broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, curry chickpeas and sweet potato. Over JamRock’s years in operation, Berryman, a mortage broker and realtor by trade, has broadened JamRock’s menu beyond jerk chicken, ackee, curry goat and saltfish, which is Jamaica’s national dish.

Berryman, according to a 2020 Postmedia article, opened JamRock with her then-husband at Welland Ave. in St. Catharines in 2015. A mortgage broker and realtor by trade, she applied her business sense to restauranteuring, then eventually took over the cooking.

JamRock strives to make its food in small batches and have the full menu available by the time the first customers arrive in the late morning. Orders can be placed online at jamrockiriejerk.ca.

 

 

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JamRock has also been active in community work in the Niagara Region. It recently participated in a campaign to support the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, the largest non-for-profit homebuilder in the world.

The Hamilton location will be just to the left of Mumma’s Burritos in the plaza on the southwest corner of Main and Catharine. That plaza also includes CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice and a Domino’s Pizza location.

More information is available at jamrockiriejerk.ca. JamRock is also active on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Meantime, JamRock’s St. Catharines location at 2-250 Welland Ave. is open from Tuesday to Saturday. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. till 7:30 Tuesday through Friday, and 10:30-7:30 on Saturday.

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