My name is Tamika.  I am from Kingston, Jamaica.  Food in Jamaica is influenced by all the different nationalities that settled there – Irish, British, French, Asian, Spanish, American and African. Everyone wants to live in Jamaica because it is such a beautiful island! A lot of our ingredients come from other parts of the world. I developed a passion for cooking, watching and helping my grandmother from the age of 8 years old. She was a great cook and baker. On Sundays, she would gather all of us, her granddaughters, to eat together. Rice and peas are one of our special Sunday meals. Our home was always full of people.  Even though we were poor, my grandmother was always feeding everyone.

There were always people coming over to our house for my grandmother’s food. I remember the day she let me cook was one of the best days of my life. It really boosted my confidence, like I can do anything! Before leaving Jamaica, I used to cook from home and sell food for a living. My food was very popular and I really enjoyed doing it.  When I moved to the UK, I worked in a Caribbean restaurant for many years. My coleslaw was famous at the restaurant! One day I would love to own my own Jerk centre and franchise it – like Nando’s. Now, I live in London and I am looking forward to teaching you how to cook Jamaican food.