She Brought Her Caribbean Paradise to Restaurant Row

Jasmine Gerald took a chance on opening a restaurant in Times Square during the pandemic. Born in St. Thomas, in the US Virgin Islands, she emigrated to New York at 14, and owned beauty salons in Nigeria, Sweden, and New York before COVID hit.

With the help of her family, including her mother, who managed a French restaurant called Escargot in St. Thomas, she opened Jasmine’s Caribbean Cuisine on West 46th Street in the fall of 2020.

“People’s spirits were down, so I was like, ‘Let me create a place where people come in for good food, good vibes, good drinks, and just introduce my culture.’ It was more like an escape. When people walked in the door, they were just like, ‘Wow, I feel like I’m away,’ ” she said.

Jasmine’s had the advantage of being the only Caribbean restaurant in Times Square, and happy customers quickly spread the word.

“They felt like, ‘Oh my God, I’m coming to eat like my grandmother’s food or my auntie’s food,’ ” she said. “You know, once you put that love out there, once you’re consistent with your food and drink, people will spread the word.”

Since it was hard for Gerald to name just one favorite on her menu, she listed her go-to’s: their jerk wings, oxtail, surf and turf, coconut salmon with jasmine rice, macaroni and cheese, and empanadas.

In the summer of 2023, she expanded her Restaurant Row footprint and opened S’Aimer across the street, which she describes as “Caribbean with a French twist.” A larger space with a speakeasy vibe and outdoor garden, it serves an elevated menu with offerings such as lamb chops, escargot, beef tenderloin, and truffle fries.

Gerald’s plan is to open more restaurants and maybe even a food truck. The mom of two regularly donates food to St. Luke’s Lutheran Church on 46th Street, which provides 300 hot meals in a transformed theater every Tuesday and Thursday, from 1 to 2 p.m. throughout the year.

Gerald also wants to continue to give back with professional advice to aspiring restaurateurs “to inspire and mentor young people and talk about my journey,” she said. “So many people out there want to do things, and they don’t, and my life is always, I walk on faith and not fear.”

How did the word first spread about Jasmine’s?

We were open for one month and then we had to close [for COVID] and we had to do delivery. And then a young lady came in and she did a TikTok video and she was like, “Oh my God, I found this amazing Caribbean place in Times Square. The food is great, but they don’t have any liquor. You guys should come and check it out.” Then people just started coming in. And then the community, the people in the neighborhood, were super-supportive. Times Square Alliance also was super-helpful as far as just pushing businesses at that time.

Who helped you open the restaurant?

At the time, it was just my family. We all came together. I was like, “If I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna need your guys’ support.” So my mom, because she worked in a restaurant, she taught me the ropes of how things should be prepared. We all had to get our food-handling licenses. I reached out to people who were in the industry who helped me through it, also accountants and lawyers. So at that time, it was just like, “Okay, I don’t know anything about the restaurant business. Who am I going to ask?” If I had to Google, I had to Google. My mom helped with the prep, and I had friends who were chefs. They came, and people suggested other people.

My son started off as a cleaner, and now he manages the restaurant because I wanted him to understand how a restaurant works. So if someone doesn’t show up, he knows what to do. Same thing for me—I could always cook, but now I can cook amazing, because I had no choice. My chef called out, and my mom and I were in the kitchen cooking. My daughter, she’s the host at the door, and then my partner, he’s there and he makes sure the restaurant is functioning properly, and the food is being delivered. So, it’s definitely a family business where we put 100 percent into it.

How did you create the menu?

Normally when people go to a Caribbean restaurant, they think it’s just a Jamaican restaurant, and I always tell people it’s not a Jamaican restaurant. We have food from Jamaica, Trinidad, Dominica. We also have Latin dishes like empanadas, and we also have food from Antigua. What I did was I chose dishes from countries that I love. You have the jazzy pasta from Jamaica, you have the curries, the curry chicken, the curry shrimp from Trinidad. We have the stew chicken that we make in the Virgin Islands. And then we also have the escovitch fish that they make in Jamaica. Then we have the ackee and saltfish that I love, that you can eat anytime, but that’s like a breakfast dish. Then we have the callaloo because my daughter is vegan, the veggie cook-up, the vegan stew peas, the sweet plantains. So in creating the menu, I thought of everyone.

What are your bestsellers?

Our oxtail, jazzy pasta, escovitch fish, coconut salmon. Our coconut salmon is unique because it’s very clean. It’s a light coconut sauce so the coconut flavor is not overpowering it. People love our jerk wings. And for the people that love spicy food, our pepper shrimp. A lot of African people that come in, they love the pepper shrimp. It’s super, super spicy. Our top-selling drinks are our “Scandal” rum punch, Island Gyal, and Coco Breeze.

Why did you decide to open S’Aimer?

We needed a larger space. We wanted to do something for catering, parties, weddings, but also we wanted to get a speakeasy vibe. S’Aimer is more upscale, sexy and dark. It’s an elegant space. I did the French because of my mom, who is from Dominica. So it’s more of a Creole. S’Aimer means “for the love of everyone.”

What are the pros and cons to having businesses on Restaurant Row?

A pro is that there is no other Caribbean restaurant in the area. We are on Restaurant Row, where it’s so many different restaurants and it’s like the hub for tourists. You have so many people that come down that want to try something different. So we do have a lot of tourism, repeat customers because of the location. It’s easy to get to, the trains are there, the bus drops right on the corner. So the location is perfect for that.

A con right now is just dealing with the congestion pricing and the difficulty of that. Also, we do have people that have worked with us for a very long time, but it’s just consistency of finding good people. And the increase in the prices of food. Everybody’s just raising prices with everything and then when you raise your prices, customers are not happy.

Who are some celebrities who have come in?

Idris Elba, he came in. He loves Caribbean food, amazing guy. DJ Khaled tried to come to Jasmine’s, but he went to S’Aimer because [Jasmine’s] was so crowded. We’ve had the guy from Stranger Things, Gaten Matarazzo. He loves the restaurant. He comes all the time. Vanessa Williams, she’s lovely. Lovell Adams-Gray, he and his wife are amazing. They are super-supportive.

Jasmine’s is at 371 W. 46th St., and S’Aimer is at 338 W. 46th St. To learn more, visit www.jasminecaribbeancuisine.com and www.saimernyc.com