Morrison
MELODY CAMMOCK, communications specialist caught up with Bevon Morrison, president of Kaieteure Foods (KF) the new eatery located in the Jamaica Conference Centre, and spoke with her about new challenge she faces turning Kaieteure Foods into the best downtown restaurants.
MC: As an environment specialist, the idea of a restaurant located on one of the world's best harbours must have been especially appealing.
BM: I think so but it is much more than that because when you say I am an environment specialist, I see myself more as a development specialist. I view myself as someone who finds a way to create opportunities in a particular place so people can come in and invest and do other things. I believe that if we achieve our goal, we will realise the ultimate objective of bringing people back to the downtown business district. This is precisely why our tag line is KF is not just a restaurant it's an experience.
We at KF want to be seen as agents of change. I have always sought to be creative and a step ahead, even taking on recycling in Jamaica when people thought I was crazy. I would tell people I have a vision that one day we would have clean streets and people will be recycling.
MC: It seems to me that you wish to exert social and cultural changes for downtown Kingston, using KF as the catalyst
BM: I am very environmentally conscious. To me KF has to be more than just a place to come in sit and have a meal. KF is all about creating a sensory experience. It is about presenting the tastes, sights and sounds of Jamaica. When our customers come to KF I want them to be captivated by the excellent cuisine, the courteous staff, soothing music, the breathtaking view of the harbour and the setting don't forget that the restau-rant is housed in one of Jamaica's architectural masterpieces the Jamaica Conference Centre. My responsibility therefore is to look primarily at realistic ways that we can assist in the transformation process being undertaken by organisations such as Kingston Restoration Company, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce and companies like Grace Kennedy & Company and the ICD Group. Downtown Kingston is a place rich with history and tremendous natural beauty which needs first to be restored and then preserved. As a matter of fact our customers will feel that they are watching history unfold before their eyes.
MC: Can a restaurant play a part in bringing about cultural change?
BM: A restaurant is really a meeting place a place where people come and share their hopes and dreams and create ideas and network and do business all sorts of things. This is what KF does; we offer a special lounge for businesspersons to come, talk and meet with their clients. There is also a place where people can come by, sit down, reminisce and think about the day. However, it should be much more, it should be place where artists can gather and share their art or where musicians can come and perform whilst patrons tuck into tasty food. These plans for KF are currently in the works and soon we will unleash a cultural resurgence in downtown Kingston.
MC: What strategies are you going to employ to realise KF goals i.e. 'More than a Restaurant It's an Experience.
BM: Well, already we are gearing up to unveil concerts, art exhibitions, music festivals, Sunday brunches, and even lunch and waterfront tour packages are now being designed. There will be an exploration of our indigenous foods to make innovative menus. We now serve only the finest coffee Blue Mountain, the freshest home grown fruits and vegetables. Real plans are now under way for a beautification project (can't reveal yet) which will incorporate social marketing, as we have to gain the trust and more importantly the appreciation and support form the community. An education campaign for sustainable development will certainly form a part of this thrust.
MC: I know that you have a keen interest in tourism, is KF's approach determined by tourism?
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
BM: I am so glad you asked that Melody. Tourism is certainly one of Jamaica's leading industries and it is against this background that I see KF as an agent in the development process of downtown Kingston. The restaurant will showcase Caribbean food, music, art, and young talented artistes needing exposure. So we are already involved in tourism its not just sun, sand and sea but culture. That is where KF fits under the cultural tourism banner.
MC: KF catered at the recently concluded World Netball Championships receiving rave reviews. Is sporting events going to be one of the restaurant's specialities?
BM: Yes, definitely we have the expertise and the capacity for off-site catering, large numbers and again because of my scientific background I am able to look at appropriate nutrition for specific types of athletes. And yes we got really great feedback for the functions we catered for particularly the International Seabed Authority and the Law of the Sea Meetings of the United Nations. We have already catered for banqueting functions as large as 1,500 persons.
MC: How are you gearing up for the Christmas season?
BM: Oh we have started our planning the menu, pricing, targeting our prospects and we have (to borrow a phrase) 'in the pipeline' a very ingenious plan to reach our target audience to capture the Christmas business you'll see.
MC: Any final thoughts?
BM: I have a vision of a new downtown Kingston. I think that vision is the art of seeing the impossible. Downtown represents a creative place with a rich history, and tremendous natural beauty. If people could see it the way I do they would invest in downtown and create the renewal and rebirth that is needed. When I think of downtown I can almost hear the tramcar and people talking in the streets, I can almost see the streetlights and I can feel the creativity. I can hear people at the market; I can hear them having hopes and dreams and thinking what it could be like. I can see them walking along the pier or them looking down in the water. I can see them throwing a penny as you would do if you were in a European country; you are in Italy, Rome, and you are by the fountain of love and you throw a coin in and you dream and you hope. This is what downtown could become so at KF we believe that we can make a difference. We believe that the waterfront restaurant which is located on the seventh largest natural harbour in the world can be that place - an oasis.
