We lost everything.
We're still standing.
A fire took our restaurant — everything we'd built. The insurance still hasn't made us whole. But our family kept cooking, and East Waco never let us fall. This is our comeback, and you can be part of it.
The fire took everything
Tru Jamaica opened its doors in 2019 as Waco's first and only authentic Jamaican restaurant, in the building our family bought on Taylor Street in 2016. We poured everything we had into it — Mama Vivia's recipes carried all the way from Manchester Parish, Jamaica, and years of work to build a home for them in East Waco.
Then, on December 8, 2022, the fire came. It didn't just damage the dining room — it took everything. Our equipment, our furnishings, the space we'd built by hand. In a single night, the restaurant we'd worked so hard to open was gone.
And here's the part that's hardest to say: we still haven't received all of the insurance money we're owed. Rebuilding a business after a total loss is punishing enough — doing it while still fighting to get what was promised has stretched our family to the limit. Every month we wait, we carry the cost ourselves.
But we refused to close for good. We moved everything we had left into our food truck and kept cooking — oxtails, curry goat, jerk chicken, served out of a window on the street. And Waco showed up. Day after day, you lined up for us. That loyalty is the only reason we're still here today.
Our recovery journey. (Real photos coming soon — these are placeholders for now.)
What we're rebuilding
Kitchen & Equipment
Replacing the commercial ovens, fryers, hoods, and prep equipment the fire destroyed — the heart of any restaurant.
The Dining Room
Rebuilding the space where Waco gathers — tables, seating, flooring, and the warm room our guests remember.
The Insurance Gap
Covering what insurance hasn't paid, so the rebuild doesn't stall while we keep fighting for what we're owed.
Keeping the Family Working
Keeping our doors open and our people paid through a recovery that's taken far longer than it should have.
From ashes to comeback
- 2016
Our family buys the building at 937 Taylor Street, planting roots in East Waco.
- 2019
Tru Jamaica opens — Waco's first and only authentic Jamaican restaurant.
- The Fire
A fire tears through the building and takes everything. The restaurant is a total loss.
- The Fight
The insurance falls short. We begin the long fight to recover what we're owed — a fight that continues today.
- Food Truck Days
We keep cooking from the food truck. The community lines up, day after day, and keeps us alive.
- The Rebuild
Brick by brick, we rebuild — with the same recipes, the same family, and the same heart.
- Today
Reopened on October 15, 2025 and fighting forward: restaurant, food truck, catering, and a commissary kitchen lifting up other local vendors.
Be part of the comeback
We lost everything once, and we're still waiting on the insurance to make it right. Every donation helps us close that gap — restoring our kitchen, rebuilding our dining room, and keeping our family serving the East Waco community that never gave up on us. No gift is too small. As we say back home — one one coco full basket.
Support our rebuild through our official GoFundMe. Thank you for standing with our family. 🙏🇯🇲
❤ Donate on GoFundMeCan't donate? Here's how else you can help:
• Order a meal — every plate supports us
• Buy a gift card for later
• Book us for your event
• Share our story with a friend — it truly helps
"We may have lost the building, but we never lost each other, or you. Thank you for keeping our family's dream alive."
— Aniceto, Vivia & Mercedes
The Family · One Love & Blessings 🙏🇯🇲