Taste of the Tropics comes to city

Tori Sutton
Staff Reporter
When she was a young girl growing up in Jamaica, Olive Williams could often be found in the kitchen, watching her parents cook.

But like any kid, she was a bit rebellious and wasn’t content to do things just like her parents, always insisting in putting her own spin on things.

“I would go and watch my parents cook and then I would do the opposite,” she said, in an interview earlier this week. “I don’t like to follow tradition…I would do the opposite to fit my taste.”

Finally, decades later, she has the chance to share her passion for cooking with the public at her new eatery, Olive’s Caribbean Restaurant, at 108 Downie St.

Though Olive might be in charge in the kitchen, it was her daughters, Sherlene and Ruth, who got the ball rolling to open the family-run business.

In fact, it was to be a surprise for Olive, who found out about everything just weeks before the sign was hung out front.

“My mom has been cooking for ages and Stratford does not have a Caribbean flavour to it,” said Ruth, of the reason why they decided to open the restaurant.

“We know there is no one who can cook like her,” added Sherlene.

It is Ruth who is in the restaurant with her mother every day, while sister Sherlene helps out from Toronto, where she is attending school to become a certified management accountant. Even family friend Kwame Delfish plays a pivotal role in the restaurant, having designed the interior and painted and decorated himself.

So far, the community’s response has been positive. At recent Canada Day celebrations in Market Square, Olive’s food was a big hit with the crowd and they’ve already established a base of return customers who are fond of the curry goat, brown stew chicken and fresh, natural juices prepared from scratch.

“The community has been really supportive,” said Sherlene.

While some families couldn’t dream of working together all day, Ruth said it is a blessing.

“Working with my mom is like working with my best friend,” she said, adding their days are filled with song and laughter.

The most difficult part of the process was finding a suitable location, but they are all enjoying working for themselves, though Olive admits it was hard to leave her co-workers at her old job whose company she enjoyed.

For the Williams opening the restaurant is symbolic. When they moved to Canada from Jamaica nearly 20 years ago, they settled in Stratford. .

“We are three strong women taking a chance in the community we grew up in,” said Sherlene.

“We’re starting our new business venture where we started our new life.”

PHOTO: From left, Ruth Williams, her mother Olive, sister Sherlene and family friend Kwame Delfish have come together to open Olive’s Caribbean Restaurant at 108 Downie St. (Tori Sutton)