Tasha Cyril infuses her heritage into Buckhead brunch.
Restaurateur Tasha Cyril didn’t plan on working in hospitality, much less in Atlanta. The St. Lucian native was studying forensic psychology when she found herself in need of some spending money. A casual job answering phones at Negril Chelsea in New York opened a new world of possibilities for her, as she learned everything from hosting to bartending.
She eventually moved to Jamaica, launched a Caribbean restaurant, then joined family members in creating a nightclub in St. Lucia. “I wanted to do more; the pace in the islands is pretty slow,” she says. Back in New York, she consulted on a restaurant opening before friends invited her to Atlanta to help operate Negril on the Westside in 2017.
“I came down for a month and did not like it. There was no walkability. The nightlife wasn’t the same as New York, so I went back,” she says. “But they called me after two weeks and said they really needed my help. Atlanta has grown on me.”
Today, Cyril co-owns Belle & Lily’s Caribbean Brunch House, APT 4B, Ms. Icey’s Kitchen and Bar and most recently, J’ouvert Caribbean Kitchen and Bar in Buckhead. At J’ouvert, she serves brunch fare reflecting the flavors of Trinidad, Tobago, Haiti, Grenada, Jamaica and St. Lucia with dishes like Grandma’s oxtail stew, Trini vegan roti and calypso waffles. Here, she shares more of her story.
How did you go from working for others to running your own restaurant group?
After a year-and-a-half, Negril was doing really well. I said to [business partner] Clive [Ruddock], “We already do all the work over here. What do you think about going in on our own space?” We started looking for investors, and Ms. Icey’s Kitchen was born in 2019.
What makes J’ouvert unique?
People have the idea that Caribbean food is only takeout. We present our food in an elevated way. A lot of people are very familiar with Jamaican food but not familiar with foods from other islands. There are over 7,000 islands in the Caribbean! We are good at marrying cultures.
At J’ouvert, there are some deconstructed dishes that show elements of Haiti and St. Lucia. Some things are common on all the islands, specifically fruit, so the passion fruit pancakes pretty much showcase all the islands because I think we all grew up eating passion fruit in the Caribbean.
Where did the name J’ouvert come from?
J’ouvert is a festival/street party that kicks off the start of the Carnival parade in the wee hours of the morning. People masquerade in costume. Paint and powder are also common. I don’t know of any Caribbean island that doesn’t have Carnival. I wanted people who are from the Caribbean to be able to easily identify that this is a Caribbean restaurant from the name.
What are your plans for the future?
Ultimately, my goal is to own hotels. I’ve always been big on luxury, comfort and hospitality. I would like to have these properties in the Caribbean, hopefully back home.
Hotels usually have restaurants, and those are usually outsourced by the owners. Rather than have a food and beverage manager come in and tell me how it should be done, I’m going to have input on what the food looks like and know, operationally, what works.
J’OUVERT CARIBBEAN KITCHEN & BAR
470.836.9698
jouvertkitchenatl.com
@jouvertcaribbeankitchen
PHOTO: Erik Meadows
