Food and Friendship from Jamaica to Michigan

It was an amazing experience to learn about another culture and truly honor the heritage with authentic recipies and ingredients. The best part of the day was being able to learn from the hands of another family. We are excited to bring diverse food to Harrison and keep learning.”

Trisha Galloway

By ANGELA KELLOGG-HENRY

Cleaver Managing Editor

Few things bring us together more than food and at Longer Table on Monday a small gathering took place in the Venue on Main commercial kitchen bringing together two families to exchange cooking styles.

Through her friendship with Shakira Smith-Anangfac, Trisha Galloway, owner of Longer Table became interested in traditional Jamaican food. Smith-Anangfac and her coworkers at Rite Aid were frequent lunch visitors to Longer Table. Longer Table even hosted a lunch in their honor when the store recently closed. Smith-Anangfac now works at Harrison Family Pharmacy and invited Galloway to dinner with her parents O’Neil and Jennifer Smith currently visiting from Florida.  Originally from Jamaica, the couple couldn’t tell Galloway how to cook Jamaican food, but they offered to show her-an offer Galloway quickly accepted.

Galloway is always quick to try new menus, dishes and is interested in how different ingredients taste and present. Her creativity with menus is a major draw for her customers at her café restaurant on Second Street in Harrison.

Galloway prepped per the Smith’s instruction curry pork, jerk chicken, and Jamaican curry chicken. Also on the menu was a traditional bread called Festival, rice and beans, rice, fresh vegetables, and slaw. Festival is fried bread best described as sweet cornbread and hushpuppies mixed together. The mix is available in a commercially prepared product, but Jennifer Smith prepared her batch from scratch.

The Smiths brought with them Scotch Bonnets at Galloway’s request. The chili pepper variety was something Galloway had a hard time finding locally. They also brought the Walkerswoods Traditional Jamaican Jerk Seasoning. A tip for purchasing that product is always buy the mild variety O’Neil warned with a mischievous grin.

For Galloway’s contribution to specialty recipes, she prepared her southern fried chicken with take home frying instructions for the Smiths.

Shakira made a large container of green seasoning that had sat overnight. The combination of ginger, garlic, onions, bell peppers, green onions, scotch peppers can be created for each person’s taste. Sometimes oil or other seasonings are added, and the mix can be used for flavoring meat, added flavor for rice or to any dish. O’Neil called this mix a ‘bougie’ food item that is not necessarily a staple of Jamaican cooking but enjoyed by those who would have the ingredients on hand to make it. Chicken and fish are the main meats prepared and cooked in Jamaica.

For several hours while food was cooked and prepared lively conversation about food, spices, and cultural differences in food was enjoyed. The kitchen progressively started smelling better and better as meat roasted and bread was fried. Also discussed was the Smith’s love of a small town, Harrison not unlike the small area they were from in Jamaica.

While Monday’s cooking session wasn’t for the menu at Longer Table, Galloway is considering running some Jamaican food specials. This writer wholeheartedly agrees with that notion as I was able to enjoy a plate of homemade authentic Jamaican food along with the Smiths and Galloways. Longer Table is located at 122 N. Second St. in Harrison. Follow them on Facebook or contact them at Longertable502@gmail.com.