Introducing One Park’s Judah Ellis

One Park Restaurant and Lounge is out to whet appetites with its summer menu.

“It’s about diversifying. We are trying to touch on multiple proteins so there is always something here, whether you’re a lover of fish, poultry, or steak. I wanted the menu to be light, fresh bites,” the New Kingston eatery’s executive chef Judah Ellis explained of his freshly crafted offerings, which debuted this week. “I think we have done a good job venturing off into different realms. We want to go international, but have Jamaican influences.”

Ellis is knowledgeable about cross-cultural cuisine. He was headhunted in February in his hometown of Toronto, Canada, by One Park’s co-owners Drew Wilson and Wayne Greenaway (the fine-dining establishment’s ownership is balanced by Jody Myrie and wife Patricia Wright-Myrie). He was offered the twinned roles of culinary director and head chef at the restaurant located smack dab alongside Emancipation Park and Marriott Courtyard Hotel in New Kingston.

Accepting, Ellis relocated to Kingston three months ago after consulting his Jamaican-born nurse mother, Hazelyn Henry. She migrated to North America in the 1980s, where she raised Judah and his six siblings with her trucking company owner life partner, Desmond Ellis.

Just arrived on One Park’s dual-sided laminated menus of starters, entrees, and mains is an oxtail gnocchi. “We do pastas extremely well, and the gnocchi is slow-cooked to perfection. It’s a potato pasta, and we are known for oxtail in Jamaica, so we fused those two with blanched callaloo, fresh parsley, a Béchamel sauce, made in-house, and Parmesan reggiano,” he told Food.

Mindful of extra-toasty temperatures on the island’s current heat index, there are five new salads for patrons to enjoy forkfuls of. “We have a watermelon salad with feta, cucumbers, mint, and basil with a citrus dressing made in-house. We also have mango and arugula salads,” noted the culinarian, who is degree-certified in culinary management, separately from Humber Polytechnic and Algonquin College.

New too, is a herb oven-roasted chicken served on a bed of warm potato salad with a charred vegetable medley of corn, escallion and tomatoes, dressed in a horseradish aioli. “Based on the feedback that we have gotten so far, it is absolutely amazing. Everybody who has tried it loves it,” raved Ellis, before politely excusing himself from our dining area convo to activate chef mode.

He has shifted to the restaurant’s open concept kitchen to prepare select dishes from the summer menu slate for us to photograph. An imposing figure with sculpted arms that are heavily tattooed with tribal and personalised designs, Ellis is at work on a medium-cooked imported Australian wagyu with triple truffle fries, fish tacos made from battered basa fillets with fresh shaved cabbage with pickled ginger pico de gallo salsa, and more.

Before joining the One Park team, the Canadian-born Ellis had a six-year tenure as executive chef at the fine-dining restaurant for RH, a luxury home furnishing gallery brand in Toronto.

“They specialise in signature high-end quality furniture, and go all over the world to procure goods from artisans, so the food had to reflect the furniture,” he explained. “Everything was imported there. We had caviar, lobster rolls, anything you would order at a fine-dining restaurant or steakhouse, they had it.” Before that, he spent 10 years in the employ of Joey’s, a casual dining chain restaurant, while in pursuit of his higher learning ambitions.

Asked how his creative passion is sparked, Ellis replied, “What I enjoy is that there are no real boundaries. The way I go into the kitchen, and the mindspace I reside in, is that I am a mad scientist.”

“I love to create and try new things. I was always trying new ingredients and experimenting with different ways of cooking as a teenager.

“What makes me tick? I am huge on growth and tapping into your full potential. I prefer surrounding myself with like-minded individuals. One of my favourite basketball players, Kobe Bryant, once said, ‘If you and I don’t have the same work ethic, I won’t meet eye to eye with people for too long.’” This disclosure segues most apropos the topic of reading.

“I am very big on psychology books,” said Ellis. “The most recent two I finished were Meta Human by Deepak Chopra and Read People Like A Book by Patrick King,” he shared, adding that he’s managed to adjust himself to full-time island life. “Living in Jamaica has been seamless, and it feels like home. I definitely miss Toronto, but it’s more so due to my immediate family residing there.”

Ellis’ presence at One Park has secured a thumbs-up from his bosses. “Chef Judah has exceeded expectations since taking on the executive chef role in March,” came co-owner Wright-Myrie’s endorsement to Food. “His culinary output has been outstanding, and his vision has brought a fresh, innovative approach to our menu and elevated the dining experience for our guests. His leadership and creativity have been instrumental in driving our culinary success.”

Indeed, teamwork is central to the 36-year-old chef’s approach. With personal fitness part of his daily life (gym time is every morning by 5 a.m.) and work experience as a trainer and doing bespoke client meal preparation, Ellis has challenged staff members to get gym memberships to start their journey. “Right now, my restaurant manager, general manager and one of our servers have joined me in the gym, and I’m training them,” said Ellis.

lifestyle@gleanerjm.com