RICHMOND, Va. — Jamaica House is giving back to the community that has supported the Richmond restaurant with its 30th-anniversary block party this Sunday.
Six days a week, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., the restaurant in Jackson Ward serves up a taste of the Caribbean.
Carena Ives, originally from St. Mary in Jamaica, is the restaurant’s owner.
“Jamaica House has been around since 1994 specifically, July 1994,” Ives said. “So this year, our 30th year anniversary, which is a big deal.”
WTVRIt is a milestone celebration that Ives could not have imagined when she first opened the restaurant.
“We started with three, three employees myself, my mother, and my brother,” Ives, explained. “And we now have a staff of 33. That’s huge. That’s 33 families.”
Ives said most of the restaurant’s employees have been with the business for an average of 10 to 15 years.
And over three decades, she’s worked with local chefs, cooks, and VCU students, some have returned with their own families.
“So we’re seeing that generation progression, and it’s really humbling. It’s really humbling,” she said.