BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – Right off the bat, Julian “Jewelz” Johnson gives off an energy that is both youthful and maternal.
On Monday afternoon, Jan. 6, Jewelz was wearing a pretty, multi-blue patterned head scarf and a green chef’s apron with the tag on the outside when she burst through the kitchen door into the restaurant dining room to introduce herself. “I am Chef Jewelz, Jewelz, Mama Jewelz, that’s what people call me.”
Jewelz likes to laugh, and she’ll wink at you playfully after making a point, but she confessed that she knows hard work, disappointment, and failure. The words Jewelz uses to describe herself are “ambitious,” “passionate,” “driven,” and also “grateful” and “appreciative.”
“If what you’re doing doesn’t evoke passion, you’re not doing it right, or you should be doing something else,” Jewelz remarked.
What Jewelz and her husband Duane Perkins have been doing since last Nov. 1 is establishing the first brick-and-mortar restaurant location for Jamaican Jewelz, their food truck and catering company. Built up over the 14 years since moving to Vermont, Jamaican Jewelz has become a familiar name in the area, best recognized by their big, yellow truck, “The Beast,” that makes appearances at local festivals and events.
“I say I am a ‘farmers market baby,’” Jewelz joked. She and Perkins started out at the Bellows Falls Farmers Market with just a table, a tent, and a cooler that Jewelz would literally pull through the village streets from their house to the market.
Eventually they purchased a “little food cart” for $2,500, and moved around a bit, staying in one spot long enough for someone to complain. There is no question that Jewelz is in love with her adopted hometown and state, and is a part of the community, but she has faced some adversity.
Jewelz reported that after the former Bellows Falls development director Francis “Dutch” Walsh, who had supported her, retired in 2016, she received a letter from the town calling her mobile business “an eyesore.”
At one point, Jewelz said, someone stole their sign. She shook her head. “You just have to move on.”
And that they did. Now, in addition to the trucks, which will continue to operate in warmer months, and their line of sauces available for purchase directly from them or at local markets like Lisai’s and the Springfield Co-op, you can find Jamaican Jewelz the restaurant at 65 The Square, in the downtown area of Bellows Falls.
Jamaican Jewelz plans to be open six days per week, closed Wednesdays. The space is bright, with a sparse decor – Jewelz says she is still finding their footing – but when you walk through the front door and are greeted with the aromas of curry and jerk spices, your focus will be the food.
As Jewelz gave a quick tour of the kitchen, she challenged, “Look around. Tell me what you notice is missing.”
It took a moment, and Jewelz stated broadly, “Right? No stove! I am industrious,” she continued. “I can cook on a matchstick. But without a stove, I am limited.” Jewelz held out her arms. “I can’t express myself!”
Jewelz’s family emigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica when Jewelz was a child. She credits her mother with her tenacity as much as her desire to cook. “My mother was very tough.”
The first meal Jewelz ever made was “brown stew chicken” when she was only 9 years old. Jewelz said they lived in New York, and her mother worked the night shift at the post office.
One night when leaving for work, she told her daughter, “I want you to have dinner ready for me when I get home.”
Jewelz admits it was not only being left to figure it out on her own, but the pressure of “you will have dinner ready” that excited her.
Even though Jewelz said she wants to “live a quiet life with family,” she also feels an eagerness to keep moving, keep trying new things, and go where the moment takes her. For at least through the end of her two-year lease, this is the spot.
Jewelz partners with local, small farms to source fresh ingredients. A list of farmers, menus, and more information can be found at www.jamaicanjewelz.square.site.