Runaway Bay Eatery
Where dining is always a vacation
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Q:How long have you been open?
A: Since November 2004
 
Q: How many people does your restaurant seat?
A: 32 people, but if you have a larger crowd, we have catered at other facilities.
 
Q: What is Curry?
A: "Curry is not a thing, it is a state of being". In particular, it is not a powder. A Curry does not necessarily contain curry powder. Curry powder is in fact a blend of spices, varying according to regional preferences or traditions. As a result, there are literally thousands of "curry powders", each of which was uniquely suited for the produce and tastes of the region it developed in.

Coriander seeds (to be well roasted, pounded) (1 lb);
turmeric (1lb 2oz);
fenugreek (4oz);
ginger, dried (1 lb);
black pepper (1 lb);
dried chillies (12 oz);
cardamoms (8 oz);
cinnamon (8 oz).

Salt in proportion to be added when using the curry stuff. The whole to be cleaned, dried, pounded, and sifted; then properly mixed together and put into bottles, well corked. A tablespoonfull is sufficient for a chicken or fowl curry.
Q: What is Jerk? 
A: Jerk cooking is an old jamaican way of cooking meat over 250 years old, brought to the island by the African hunters who were enslaved by the British during the seventeenth century. Jerk cooking is an authentic jamaican way to cook pork, chicken, beef and seafood over a fire pit or on a closed barbeque smoke pit. What makes jerk, is its taste. In the combination of the blended spices used [scallion, onions, fresh hot peppers, salt and many more] that is what makes jerk what it is. Jerk cooking is the perfect reflection of jamaican life style, sweet, spicey, hot and irie [charismatic].

The spices used that are in jerk seasoning have a very special pungency taste. These spices are world famous for their natural oil and aromatic contents and are pronounced to be lower in cholesterol intake than any other spices in the world. However the combination of these spices that is what increases the appetite of the people in the consumption of jerk. Jerk is traditionally served with jamaican festival.

This method of cooking dates back to the Carib-Arawak Indians who inhabited Jamaica. After capturing an animal and thoroughly cleaning and gutting it, the Indians placed it in a deep pit lined with stones and covered with green wood, which, when burned, would smoke heavily and add to the flavor. But first, the carcass was "jerked" with a sharp object to make holes, which were stuffed with a variety of spices. The holes also allowed heat to escape without loss of moisture.
Q: Why Red Oak? 
A: My wife Kelli and I met in Jamaica, while she was on vacation.  I eventually moved to Red Oak, and started Runaway Bay Eatery in November, 2004.
Q: Where are you from, in Jamaica? 
A: A small town, called Round Hill, on the South Coast, overlooking Treasure Beach.  I then moved to Ocho Rios at age 17, where I worked at Sandals Dunn's River Golf Resort and Spa.  It was here that I learned my culinary skills, which introduced me to Italian, French, Japanese, American and of course, Jamaican cuisine.
Q: What's the difference in Jamaican coffee?
A: Often used as a synonym for coffee excellence, Jamaican Blue Mountain refers to a specific region on the island of Jamaica: the Blue Mountains, of which Blue Mountain Peak is the highest point on Jamaica at 7,402 feet. Only coffee grown on certain estates may be called "Blue Mountain": Wallenford, Mavis Bank, Silver Hill, and Moy Hall registered the rights to call their product Blue Mountain, and Old Tavern Estate was in recent years awarded the right to use the name. The sale, roasting, and export of Blue Mountain coffee is strictly controlled by the Jamaican government and the Coffee Industry Board.

Jamaican Blue Mountain (or JBM) is quite expensive, often $30 a pound or more, but the general consensus of professional roasters today is that the brand rides on its reputation and mystique, and that the taste of the modern day JBM is not as good as the JBM of the 1970s or 1960s.

Further, there is a considerable quantity of counterfeit JBM out there — not surprising, considering that the quantity sold each year worldwide handily outstrips the actual yearly production. Not all of it is outright counterfeit — some is simply misleading: you may see "Jamaica Blue Mountain style" coffee, or "Jamaica Blue Mountain Blend." The former likely doesn't actually contain any JBM, and the latter need only contain as little as 5% authentic JBM to be called a JBM Blend. There is also Jamaica High Mountain, which refers to coffee grown by estates in the area that cannot use the JBM label. These may well be high quality coffees, but they should not cost nearly as much as true Jamaican Blue Mountain.