“Family-owned” shows up on a lot of restaurant signs. At Tru Jamaica it describes the staff list. Nearly everyone you meet here is related to someone else in the building.
Vivia Charles, head chef
My mother is the reason this restaurant exists. She was born in Jamaica and has been cooking Jamaican food for customers since she and my father opened their first restaurant in Northern Virginia in 2001. Every recipe on our menu comes through her. If a dish doesn't taste the way it tasted in her kitchen at home, it doesn't go out.
She believes food should be seasoned properly, cooked slowly when it needs to be, and served with enough on the plate that nobody leaves hungry.
Aniceto Charles Jr., co-owner
I was born in Houston to a Jamaican mother and a Venezuelan father, and I grew up in Northern Virginia. I handle the business side: partnerships, catering, the website you're reading, and a lot of conversations with our neighbors in East Waco. If you have eaten here, there is a good chance I stopped by your table to ask how everything was.
Mercedes, family and front line
My sister Mercedes works alongside us at the restaurant. She helps keep the place running and makes sure guests are taken care of.
Everyone else
Beyond the three of us, you'll find aunts, a brother-in-law, my fiancée, and a nephew working shifts. It means our team knows each other well, argues occasionally, and cares about the same thing: that you had a good meal.
Why it matters for your food
A family kitchen has an advantage a chain can't copy. The people cooking are cooking their own family's food, and their name is on the building. When we say the food is authentic, we mean it is the same food we eat at home.
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