West Chester, PA. (Nov. 8, 2017) – Miss Winnie’s is the latest restaurant to join the West Chester food scene. Specializing in Jamaican cuisine the menu includes favorites like jerk chicken, jerk pork, fried plantains and more. Prices range from $3 for a patty to $14.25 for the Curry Goat Platter special served only Friday and Saturday evenings. Open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., the restaurant is mostly a carryout destination for lunch and dinner with a few tables for a casual self-serve dining experience.
Owned by the father-son duo Bert and Nick Johnston, the inspiration came from Bert’s Jamaican heritage. Born and raised in Jamaica until the age of 15, Bert learned to cook from his mother, Miss Winnie, which is where the restaurant gets its name. The two explain, Miss Winnie, is a motherly figure not only to the family but also to friends and even strangers here and in Jamaica. Nick said, “she always makes people feel welcome and part of the family; that’s the same atmosphere we want the restaurant to portray.”
While Bert always cooked, it wasn’t until the family was looking for catering for their annual Christmas party over ten years ago when Bert decided to cook the food himself. He figured he could do just as good of a job, so he cooked up the family favorite jerk chicken. It was a hit and the reason many people look forward to attending their Christmas party still to this day. As luck would have it, Bert’s career as an engineer came to a pivot point. His project with HP came to an end and he was given the choice to hop on a new project or retire and start his dream of opening a restaurant. He chose the latter, partnering with his wife Mary Anne and son Nick who graduated a few years ago.
Although Nick’s education is in sports management, he always had an entrepreneurial spirit thanks to Mary Anne (his mother) and Grandma Mary (Mary Anne’s mother) who are two pure-hearted entrepreneurial spirits. Nick worked very closely with Mary Anne for the past two years at one of her companies soaking in everything like a sponge. The two decided that now was the time to make this dream happen and after looking at various areas, settled on their West Chester location because they knew they could bring a unique offering to the restaurant scene.
Located at 211 E. Market Street in West Chester, Pa., Miss Winnie’s offers Jamaican Jerk (both spicy and non) food along with other Jamaican goodies like: Oxtail Stew, Curry Chicken, Beef Patties, Plantain Tarts and more! Miss Winnie’s uses the best ingredients to provide great food at affordable prices.
Elizabeth Boyce is a student at West Chester University. She can be reached at EB845731@wcupa.edu.