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Bull Bay Caribbean Cuisine Inc. has been opened for less than five months, and yet the upscale restaurant located in Wilmington, Delaware in the U.S.- where Jamaica’s reggae legend Bob Marley once called home with his mother Cedella Booker – is carving out a niche as a must visit eatery for tasty Jamaican/Caribbean food. The restaurant with its sumptuous cuisine powered by some of Jamaica’s delectable favourites has been pushing the country’s culture to the world.

Operated by siblings, Rushell and Mark White, the restaurant is located at the corner of Ninth and Orange Streets.

Dobusinessjamaica caught up with Rushell who said the restaurant’s name was due to their wish to pay homage to their Jamaican roots, family and culture.

“Our maternal grandfather was born and raised in Bull Bay.  My brother and I were born in Yallahs, a few miles from Bull Bay.  Our dad was a five star chef and so to pay homage to our mother and father we wanted to honor our mother, whose father was born in the Parish and our father, whose love of food lives through the restaurant,” she said.

The restaurant is more than just about pushing Jamaica’s culinary delights. The mission is to serve authentic Caribbean cuisine to an array of clients and provide them with a vibrant eating experience that celebrates delicious cuisine that will be certain to tantalize the taste buds and satisfy appetites.

Now that the business is up and running, Rushell examined some of the challenges encountered to get the business off the ground.

“We encountered, in starting up, challenges in accessing business investments and programmes to support the vision.  We still have yet to garner support in those areas, but we are committed to growing our business to benefit the community, especially during this time of the redevelopment in Wilmington.”

With social media offering new marketing opportunities, Rushell said she has been capitalizing leads on this platform to get the word out. She is also happy with the support the restaurant has received from the Delaware community itself.

The hope is that the restaurant will be a conduit for recreating some of Jamaica’s cuisines.

“Many Americans travel to the Caribbean.  A frequent stop in the Caribbean is Jamaica.  We wanted to recreate some of the great first class dining experiences of vacationers in the Caribbean, by establishing a restaurant in the heart of the business district in Wilmington-essentially, an island resort inland,” she said adding that the other desire was to celebrate the legacy of legendary reggae superstar, Bob Marley.

White, being cognizant of others who want to follow in their footsteps to set up businesses in the Diaspora, offered a few words of wisdom.

“Trust your judgment, ensure that your business offers opportunities to set a positive example and provides opportunities to build the communities near the business and within the Diaspora,” she opines.

Bull Bay Caribbean Cuisine’s menu is made up of our favourite Jamaican dishes but names with a twist.

“We categorized them by our eating habits expressed in the vernacular:  “Lickle Peckish” are those dishes that will satisfy a little appetite; “Watchin Di Waistline” are those dishes that are lighter- usually the seafood, stew chicken, curry chicken; “Hungry Bad” are those full course meals like oxtail, curry goat, jerk chicken and “On di Lighter Side” are our signature salads- jerk chicken salad, shrimp salad and jerk chicken salad,” White reels off.

Looking ahead, she said her aim is to preserve the romantic tale of past and present worlds by providing opportunities for local employment, collaboration with local colleges, and the development of culinary arts studies with a strong support of the arts, culture and entertainment.  Bull Bay Caribbean Cuisine is not just a restaurant, it’s an experience.