Caribbean-fusion brunch restaurant J’ouvert Caribbean Kitchen is open in Buckhead

J’ouvert Caribbean Kitchen , the newest brunch concept from Belle and Lily’s Caribbean Brunch House owner Tasha Cyril, is now open in Buckhead at 558 Main St. NE. With the opening of her new restaurant, Cyril said she hopes to magnify the rich culture of the many islands in the Caribbean that people may not be as familiar with through food.

That hope shines through in the art, music and menu of the restaurant, essentially creating a love letter to Caribbean islands such as Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada and St. Lucia and the foodways of those islands.

“​​Just think of a fusion of flavors from Africa mixed with flavors from India and China,” Cyril said. “There’s so much more than just the small parts of us that’s probably more magnified — which is not a bad thing — but that brings people to just learn some more about who we are and what we do.”

“J’ouvert” is derived from a French term that means “the start of the day.” However, in the Caribbean, the term has become a tradition that marks the unofficial start of Carnival, a lively festival that originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the late 18th century. Now, the term is a cornerstone for a brunch restaurant that aims to bring Caribbean fusion to Atlanta.

With the help of her co-collaborator chef Rory Grange, Cyril set out to curate a menu that melded flavors and ingredients from America with those from the Caribbean. While the menu incorporates popular classics such as jerk chicken and oxtails, it also features creative dishes such as Trini vegan roti stuffed with curried pumpkin, mushroom, cauliflower, and crumbled cashews, jalapeno and cheddar cornbread, a teriyaki steak and eggs skillet and street corn with jerk mayonnaise.

Cyril said the menu also reflects her experience growing up in St. Lucia, recollecting how she picked passion fruit from trees to make juice or eat straight from the vine. Now, that childhood snack is infused into a pancake delicacy topped with mascarpone and passion pulp.

“Let’s use flavors that I love that people are not probably used to or not as popular. If you’re from the Caribbean, you obviously know those flavors, but the average person might be like, ‘Oh, this sounds exotic. Let me try it.

“When I grew up, I never had pancakes. Growing up in St. Lucia, that’s not a thing. You might have pancakes, but it’s not for breakfast. That’s very much American, so how do we fuse foods that come from America with flavors from the Caribbean?”

“Buford Highway on Buckhead,” is what Cyril called the strip of restaurants being developed at the new Uptown Atlanta development near Lindbergh City Center. The restaurant joins the collection of Caribbean-inspired restaurants owned by Cyril and her partners Clive Ruddock, Sim Walker, Glenn Wilson, Yusef Walker, and Sopeak Pang, the minds behind Atlanta restaurants such as APT 4B and Ms. Iceys Kitchen and Bar.

Cyril said out of all the other restaurants, J’ouvert is the most accessible in terms of visibility and parking and is excited for people to experience it.

“I think we’ll do really good over here.”

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