Robert Russell takes time out with his family. Seated beside him is wife, Beverly, while his children (from left) Jason, Shari, Anna-Kaye and Robert II, look on.- Photo by Noel Thompson Janet Silvera, Outlook Writer
He meticulously sprinkled Splenda on fresh mango, ripe banana and cornflakes while he ate a healthy breakfast at the Country Kitchen restaurant at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston on Thursday morning, June 7.
As he enjoyed the flavour of fruit, he asked, "So your banana (boiled) was good? You like bananas? I am going to cook you some one of these days."
In no time the conversation had turned to the intricacies of selecting green bananas that literally melt in the mouth. "You can actually feel it to know whether or not it is soft," Robert Russell advised before getting back to his interview with Outlook.
The words 'kitchen' and 'food' may just be inscribed somewhere in entrepreneur Robert Russell's genetic make-up.
Those intimately involved with the fun-loving culinary aficionado will tell you there is hardly a thing in the kitchen which he hasn't used his hands to 'tun and mek fashion' with.
His entire family has followed in his footsteps, taking on careers in the food and service industry.
His eldest, Robin, manages the celebrated Coral Cliff Entertainment Hotel and Gaming Lounge. Son and daughter team, Jason and Anna-Kaye, operate Montego Bay's most popular restaurant on the waterfront, Pier One, and his wife Beverly and daughter Shari are the faces behind the city's renowned Yatch Club.
Having given 35 years to the restaurant business, Russell modestly admits that he may have influenced their career path. "They all got involved in the business - from the smallest to the biggest, learnt to work from an early age, in all aspects of the company."
A Kingstonian by birth, Robert Russell first made his name inOcho Rios as an hotelier, then later in Mandeville as a businessman.
Today, in Montego Bay where he lives, his name is synonymous with the biggest reggae festival in the world - Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest where, as one of the founding members, he has served as chairman for the last seven years.
On the Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest board, he is known as 'Mr. Fix It', and has overall responsibility for ensuring that all the departments and their heads work together as a team. He is often called upon when any of them meets a roadblock.
Initially, Russell was in charge of security for the multimillion-dollar festival, which he ran for a number of years, but his son Robin is now the 'head cook and bottle washer' at that helm.
Russell's life has been so colourful and richly diverse; he could easily write a book that would probably make it on the best-seller's list.
He admits that during his early years in Mandeville it was "Early mornings and late nights for me and my family."
"My son Robin, the eldest, would come in after school and help out in the business," he reminisced.
The early years
An old boy of Calabar High and St. George's College, he says his first love was film, but living among quite an extended family, he learnt the art of preparing a good meal from his mother, a Guyanese woman, who grew up in Trinidad.
"She introduced us to a lot of eastern Caribbean cuisine. I grew up eating a lot of curry and souse."
His mother's house was home to his many friends. "It seemed like we were always entertaining and when my mother became tired of me and my friends, it was my job to make sure everybody had something to eat."
This led to his mastery in kitchen as early as 14 years old.
Outside of entertaining, he was an avid music lover, who thumped congo drums and sang in The President band at St. George's, sharing the limelight with names such as medical doctor Richard Kirkwood, and Clive Morris, who still plays in Miami.
They later formed the group, Terry and the Hurricanes, taking on weekendgigs at the popular Copacabana at Cable Hut Beach and Links in Ocho Rios.
A hyperactive life
Hardly fulfilled with any one project, the next step in Robert Russell's hyperactive life was the leasing of a joint-venture 60-room hotel tagged 'Little Madness' in Ocho Rios. Russell claims this was the first real all-inclusive on the island, and he may just be right.
"When other properties were running 30 per cent occupancy levels, we were running in the 90s all year round," he boasted to Outlook magazine, adding that he and his partners brought in acts from the United States for the 52 weeks in the year.
Innovatively, he and his partner advertised in the Village Voice, a newspaper in Greenwich Village, New York, for entertainers who wanted to come to Jamaica to perform in exchange for an all-expense paid vacation, and this was a hit. "We received 260 applications, did an audition in Central Park and selected 52 acts for the 52 weeks of the year."
The rest is history. Russell sold out to his partners and went on to become one of the most respected businessmen in Mandeville, Manchester, where he operated the Feeding Tree and the most popular Chinese restaurant at the time - The Den - a jerk pork and chicken restaurant and watering hole.
He later opened the town's first discotheque; and he and his wife Beverly operated a canteen at Kirkvine, feeding some 1,500 people.
Like fabric, he wove himself into the lives of the people in Mandeville, so it came as no surprise that he was made a Justice of the Peace at age 20, and later served as president of the Chamber of Commerce for three years.
A member of the Masonic Lodge, and an asphalt paving contractor of the roads leading from Mandeville to Ferris in Westmoreland, these odd achievements are listed on his impressive résumé, showcasing a man of eclectic talent, whose presence and work have affected the lives of many.
Love for the movie industry
The brightest smile that lights up his face appears when he speaks of his role asassistant director of Perry Henzell's rough-hewn classic The Harder they Come, with music legend Jimmy Cliff.
To date, that was the most satisfying project he has ever worked on, Russell states.
His love for the movie industry was what directed his move to Montego Bay in 1987.
"I had planned on building a movie studio, in fact, had major plans for a casino, convention hotel, convention centre, theme park and condominium apartments," he noted.
With approval in hand and massive funding from a New York group, he pulled up his family and resettled in the Second City, but a spoke was placed in his wheels when a poll released by the late Carl Stone stated that 'Jamaicans weren't in favour of casinos.'
Not one to give up, his mammoth development was shelved, but he had bought the company that owned the building on which Pier One on the Waterfront now stands. A year later, he bought the land from the Urban Development Corporation and rebuilt the property.
Russell became an integral part of the Montego Bay business community in no time, and when Sunsplash decided to pull out of the city in 1993, he and a group of businessmen and one woman came together and decided to do a festival.
Not an easy road
Hence, the birth of Reggae Sumfest, now with the title sponsor's name attached, Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest. The original shareholders included Johnny Gourzong, Mickey Morris, Walt Crooks, Sidney Reid and Lucille Lue.
"We took what was swamp, Catherine Hall, and in 13 weeks transformed it into what it is now," Russell recalls.
Reminiscing, he tells that it hasn't been an easy road.
"It was hard, we had so many challenges, particularly with the venue, artiste booking, finding the right mix and getting sponsors, "The show was then, and still is, a very big production and very costly."
From the early days, it took millions of dollars to stage the festival. Today, it remains in the region of about $100 million.
The event is now celebrating 15 years and Russell remains chairman of the annual event which this year - from Sunday, July 15 to Saturday, July 21 - will feature a star-studded line-up of local and international talent.
The week-long event begins with a beach party featuring Fab 5 band. Dancehall night, dubbed the 'Xplosion', will kick off the signature three nights on Thursday, July 19, with artistes like Beenie Man, Ninja Man, Vegas, Lady Saw, Elephant Man, Baby Cham, Macka Diamond and Anthony B.
"We will deliver first-class acts, featuring a plethora of talent, both new and well seasoned," concluded the Summerfest Productions chairman.
Robin Russell describes his father as a visionary.
"If you were to look in the dictionary under 'entrepreneur' you would see a picture of him.
"He has always been willing to try any new idea, even if he had no experience in that field. Because of his example, he has given me the confidence to do anything I want to."
Robin quotes a popular saying of his dad, which is, 'If you are going to do a job, do it well or don't do it all'.
"This has driven me to constantly put out my best in all my endeavours," his son concludes.
