Ja Patty Brings a Taste of Island Life to Rhode Island
Co-founders Conroy Outar and Alison Rosario cook and sell authentic Jamaican food at their new restaurant and "tuck shop" in Providence
Jamaican jerk chicken rice bowl with plantains. Photo by Jamie Coelho.
Editor’s note: This article was updated from an earlier version that was published in 2020.
Ja Patty has evolved from a food truck to a brick and mortar “tuck shop.” Previously, the business operated only out of a commercial kitchen space in Pawtucket’s Lorraine Mills with a mobile food truck. They maintained a weekly changing schedule, but now you can bite into their crisp, warm Jamaican patties and jerk chicken rice bowls anytime during consistent restaurant hours. The new spot is located at 1577 Westminster St. in Providence, right near the Scurvy Dog. It’s open Thursday, Sunday and Monday from 11 a.m.- 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Ja Patty brings a taste of island life to Rhode Island, which we all know — unlike Jamaica — is not, in fact, an island. Co-founders Conroy Outar and Alison Rosario cook and sell authentic Jamaican food from their new “tuck shop,” which is a term taken from Jamaica which means a corner shop where you can pick up ready-to-eat treats and meals. Popular menu choices include beef, jerk chicken and curry veggie-filled patties, and apple pie dessert patties — each enclosed in savory baked dough — plus jerk chicken, goat curry, oxtail and veggie curry rice bowls, all served with plantains.
The new restaurant features a vivid turquoise backdrop with wooden furniture with interior design by Michelle Lee Parenteau of Michelle Lee Designs. Beautiful murals are painted all along the walls, including one created of Bob Marley by artist Kendel Joseph, and beautiful tropical flowers by Jefferson Reilly of Street Side Murals.
Photo by Honey Buns Social.
Ja Patty co-founders Outar and Rosario started the business seven years ago out of a mutual love for Jamaica and Outar’s drive to launch his own hospitality-based business. Outar was born in Black River, St. Elizabeth, and was raised in Kingston, Jamaica. Rosario, on the other hand, was a school nurse teacher and mother of three from Warwick, and she has always loved Jamaica as a vacation destination. The co-founders met at a business meeting, and matched up their interests to start the food truck together using Outar’s family recipes for Jamaican patties and other dishes.
Outar has an extensive background in hospitality. Back in Jamaica, he enrolled at the Hotel Olympia Institute and worked at the renowned Boscobel Resort, then came to the United States in 1991 on an H-2 work visa and began employment at the Sea Crest Resort on Cape Cod. He started out as a dishwasher, then busser and server, and slowly worked his way up to management. He also spent time at the former Remington House Inn in Warwick as general manager, and eventually landed in Providence, where he trained in food service at the Westin, and then moved on to Red Stripe and Mill’s Tavern restaurants.
Launching his own business was the logical next step. He had previously led two food catering businesses, including Me Tastie Jamaica and then Patios Catering. At the same time, Rosario wanted to start a food truck in addition to her career at the time as a school nurse teacher in East Providence.
“Alison wanted to sell patties, and I make patties. So I said, ‘You want to sell, and I want to make them, can we figure this out?’” Outar says. Once they teamed up, they launched out of the food business incubator program at Hope & Main in Warren, where they prepared the food for farmers market sales starting at three or four in the morning.
A Jamaican meat patty. Food photos by Lisa Gendron, Agroterra Photography.
They were based at Hope & Main for several years, then launched their own commercial kitchen inside the Lorraine Mills on Mineral Spring Avenue in Pawtucket right before the pandemic took hold. They operated out of that space for nearly five years until recently when they opened the commercial space and restaurant on the West End of Providence.
In addition to a hot, cooked ready-to-eat menu, they also sell frozen Jamaican patties that customers can reheat at home.
Outar and Rosario hope to bring more fusion dishes to the Jamaican food business. Outar says that the Irish brought some baking influence to Jamaica, and since Rosario has an Irish background, they would like to play off of both cultures in cuisine. They already incorporate other ingredients into dishes, including beet relish.
“I grew up on a farm in Western New York,” Rosario says. “My family canned and preserved whatever was in season. I am used to using what was around, and making relishes.”
Outar also says that Rosario has helped him view Jamaica in a different light. She learned to cook Jamaican foods she loves to eat, and she would always return to the island to recharge and soak up its peacefulness. “Alison has made me appreciate Jamaica all over again,” Outar says. “Sometimes it takes a different perspective.”
While the co-founders come from different backgrounds, they work well as a team. And they hope to start a conversation through their Jamaican food business. “Let’s use this food and experience to start having a conversation,” Outar says. “Let’s find out what we have in common. And what we don’t have in common, we can use that to learn about each other.” 1577 Westminster St., Providence, 401-424-9880, japatty.com
