Jerk Hut Restaurant

About the Business

Specialties

Authentic Jamaican restaurant specializing in catering and entertainment

History

Established in 1993.

Jamaica, the third largest island in the Caribbean features miles of white sand beaches, azure seas, and lush tropical vegetation watered by many rivers. The peaks of the island's famous Blue Mountains reach 7,402 feet above the Caribbean Sea. When Columbus landed on the island in 1492 it was inhabited by tribes of Arawak Indians. The Spanish briefly settled the island but were soon overrun by the British. Plantations flourished throughout the island and Africans, East Indians and Chinese were brought in to tend the crops. Later, the French, Germans and Middle Easterners joined the melting pot. With the arrival of each group, another layer of complexity was added to the cuisine of Jamaica. The Arawak Indians preserved meats by coating it in a complex blend of spicy seasonings and grilling it on a wooden grate over a low smoldering fire. A technique we now call JERK. The Arawak also contributed cassava, bammie and pepper pot to the Jamaican culinary tradition. The Spanish brought planta

Meet the Business Owner

Business owner information

Andrew A.

Business Owner

Andrew Ashmeade, a native of Christiana, a small town in central Jamaica, came to Tampa to attend the University of South Florida and decides to stay.  He is married with four great kids.Andrew grew up enjoying the freshest tropical produce and most exotic herbs and spices.  He began preparing meals for his family and friends at a very young age and they loved his creative use of ingredients. While in college Andrew started using the tropical ingredients he loved as a child to prepare fresh home-style Jamaican food for his friends who soon became his first customers.In 1993 he opened his first Jerk Hut restaurant the business outgrew that tiny storefront on Nebraska Avenue in Tampa and finally settled into its current North Tampa location at 926 E Fowler Avenue.  This flagship location is open seven days a week, has a full bar and live entertainment. There is a lunch buffet daily and on Sunday Andrew produces a fabulous Reggae Brunch.