Jazzy Jacqui Tyson - Serving up delectable food and fashion

The Gleaner is celebrating November as Food Month which kicks off with Restaurant Week. Throughout the month, we will feature everything food, including some personalities in the industry. Restaurateur Jacqui Tyson is one of the industry's creative minds.

Latoya Grindley, Staff Reporter

By four in the morning, she is up and ready to embrace the challenges and rewards that her day will bring. Each day is a new day for the proprietor of From Thought to Finish to create lasting impressions on her clients, whether through culinary delights or meticulous event planning.

Jacqui Tyson greeted the Lifestyle team on a visit to her restaurant located at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston. Fashionably attired in her spunky wear and heels, the head of one of the country's well-known catering and event planning companies was also adorned in her chef's jacket.

Straight from supervising her kitchen staff, Tyson, the fashion model-turned-entrepreneur of a growing brand, was eager to share her story, and the relaxing outdoor setting of her restaurant was the location chosen.

Returning to Jamaica after extensive travelling as a
demo chef with various appearances all over the world, Tyson was
energised and focused on capitalising on a relatively untouched niche
market.

Having overcome setting up a restaurant in New
York which was affected by the World Trade bombing in 2001, she seized
another opportunity.

This marked the birth of From
Thought to Finish Jamento, a fully operational business providing
complete events planning and catering services.

"I was
really equipped with providing banqueting and décor services while
being able to infuse my fashion sense into it because I also have formal
training in fashion. But I wanted more. So I formed a partnership with
Dr Dennis McIntosh of Jamento which did events management and public
relations. And this merger has allowed us to offer a complete package
and service to our clients."

Boosting
business

Seven years now since the formation, Tyson
has also created a name for herself as a restaurateur. At present, her
mission is to boost business in the downtown area by transforming it
into a social hub where persons can enjoy fine dining in a comfortable
atmosphere.

"Downtown has so much potential. At the
conference centre which is where my restaurant is, it is the largest
conference centre in Kingston. On a daily basis, we have to cater to
these events. And this is in addition to our other customers who come
here for lunch. There is a defined executive market here, which is why I
think they (people) shouldn't have to go uptown to experience fine
dining".

With faith in the rebirth of downtown
Kingston, she is in the final stages of opening her latest restaurant at
the new Digicel building situated across from the Kingston
Harbour.

She gives high praises to her staff members
whom she spoke adoringly of.

"I have 28 staff members
and they are like my children. They have taught me how to let go as I
have learnt that people I have trained are able to do the work.
Sometimes though if I am not there, just to make me a bit more
comfortable, they will just send me a picture for me to see what is
happening," she said chuckling.

With so many
accomplishments and business ventures, the businesswoman knows too well
that limiting oneself is not enough.

According to her,
people should never box themselves in categories as that only serves as
a limitation and hindrance to exploring other
talents.

"It is okay to be multitalented and to
multitask because that is how you will really earn money," she
stressed.

And as for the events industry, which Tyson
believes is a growing one, there are certain requisites that are
necessary to excel.

"You have to have great
time-management skills, a great team and an eye for detail. You can't
get comfortable no matter how good of a job you did or are doing. You
always have to top it and take it to a different
level."

Keep abreast

For her,
bringing an A game to the industry is paramount and this forces her to
keep abreast of trends and current happenings in her
field.

"Jamaican palates have grown, as well as their
styling and tastes. What they see here and abroad is really what they
want and we have to deliver, and so being on point is important. So
watching television shows and reading magazines are some of the ways I
get my ideas and inspirations."

Referred to sometimes
as the best-dressed chef, Tyson finds her own way of infusing her
fashion intuition to jazzing up an otherwise dull chef jacket and
hat.

And when she is not acting in the capacity of a
culinary diva, she is seen strutting around in heels at various sites,
ensuring that clients will get their heart's desire and
more.

Tyson highlighted how much she enjoys every
facet of her work. But she knows that taking time to relax is
important.

"I am trying to separate the two because it
is very important to have time for myself. So I will withdraw from work
and go into relaxation time. I love taking drives and exploring my
country, take a drive out to Port Royal, and I like going to brunches. I
love spending quality time with my friends and
family."

The woman wearing many hats also enjoys
shopping, especially for clothes and shoes. She is steadfast though on
putting Jamaica on the map as a food
Mecca.

latoya.grindley@gleanerjm.com