Mr Jerk

In 1979 Mr. Jerk had its humble beginning in Toronto, Canada in the backroom of a small West Indian grocery chain called Linstead Market. The demand for jerk pork and chicken was so overwhelming from its customers that in 1986 the Jamaican owners opened their first Caribbean restaurant specializing in jerk products. At the same time they also introduced a new Jamaican fried delight called festivals which was only known to the local beach-goers at Helshire Beach in Jamaica.This original restaurant was established in a very small space in the Peanut Plaza in North York, Ontario, Canada. It was so small that a reporter from the Toronto Sun newspaper described it as not much larger than a closet. No one could ever realize what a phenomena this little restaurant would unleash on the international scene when they offered authentic Jamaican jerk products to their customers for the first time outside of Jamaica. At this time most Caribbean restaurants were only known mainly for their patties, stews, and curries