THE MONTHLY GLEANER | MAY 15 - JUNE 14, 2025 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS 4 Neil Armstrong/Gleaner Writer TORONTO: COURTNEY GRANT, CEO of Caribbean Queen Jerk Group of Companies, has opened a new facility, CQ Banquet Hall and Event Centre, in northwest Toronto. THE ST Thomas, Jamaica native, who immigrated to Canada in 1998, said this is a dream come true for him. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 2, guests were given a tour of the facilities and treated to a five-course dining experience which allowed them to sample the diverse fusion menu. “Food is my passion and I love to feed people. I love to see people sit down and enjoy good food. When I decided to transition from just a take-out restaurant, I said, ‘You know something? I want to have a fine dining restaurant.’“ said Grant who noted that he wanted to be “the first black Jamaican in Canada to do a fine dine, sit-down meal”. He said there will be three spaces available for rental. The banquet hall, which has a seating capacity of 120, features a dance floor and is equipped with a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen to meet the needs of all occasions. Hall 2 has a lounge and bar, and there are plans to have a third hall that can accommodate 120 persons. These are complemented by a trained hospitality team. BUSINESS EXPANDED In 2008, Grant, an ex-soldier from Jamaica, and his team established the flagship restaurant at Weston Road and Finch Avenue. Over the past 17 years, the business has expanded to include five restaurants and a catering business. When he immigrated to Canada, he worked at a Campbell’s soup factory then moved on to a lighting facility where he stayed while attending a trucking school. He received his trucking licence and,after one year, decided to work in trucking. At one time, he owned 10 trucks and made deliveries across the city. Having worked for six months in Vancouver, Grant said he felt tired and decided he would leave the trucking business and retire. However, plans changed when he thought about the necessity of food and the fact that people have to eat. “Just out of the blue, I bought a restaurant at Finch and Weston roads.” He said, if he knew that he would become a chef he would have chosen a cooking course in the army instead of being an instructor in the Jamaica Defence Force, training recruits. ACT OF KINDNESS Grant said, as a leader, he will continue to follow God first, his family and his customers, noting that his customers “grew” his business. A personal act of kindness for a student, who was in his restaurant with two friends but not having a meal as they were, resulted in a surprise order for 100 meals from Emery Collegiate Institute, a high school in the community. The school’s vice-principal witnessed the exchange with the student that day and decided to support Grant’s business — that school administrator opened doors at other schools in the area for Grant as well. For the past three years, Caribbean Queen has been providing 250 meals every day in a local school project that provides healthy food for students. Another school came on board, so some days the restaurant prepares 500 meals for students. These meals are sold to the school at a discount. Kurt Davis, Jamaica’s consul general in Toronto, commended Grant and the Caribbean Queen family for their vision, dedication and the consistent pursuit of excellence. “This CQ Banquet Hall is more than just a space, it is a celebration of community, culture and connection,” he said, noting that the venue has been “thoughtfully designed to host your most cherished moments”. Davis encouraged the guests to support the banquet hall and event centre. “Courtney is such a dedicated and committed part of our community. He has shown vision and diligence in establishing and growing the operations of Caribbean Queen, helping to make the brand well recognised for quality.” The consul general described Grant as “a shining example of goodness in the community”. Providing an economic perspective, David Betty, the president of the Jamaican Canadian Association, said there are 1.29 million small businesses in Canada. “They account for 99.8 per cent of all businesses in Canada. They contribute 43 per cent of gross domestic product and contribute 63.8 per cent of the labour force, employing 10.3 million people,” he said. ‘I love to feed people’ Courtney Grant, CEO of Caribbean Queen Jerk Group of Companies CONTRIBUTED Ja-born restaurateur Courtney Grant opens banquet hall, event centre 2020 and served for three years before her defeat in 2023. She had been caught up in allegations that she made homophobic remarks and that she fired the then police chief without cause, charges that she vigorously denied. This time around, she won in a field of four candidates, including the sitting mayor. When elected in 2020, Nembhard was the youngest person to serve as New Carrollton’s mayor in a city that’s around 60 per cent black. She was also the first CaribbeanAmerican and first woman to serve as mayor of New Carrollton, Maryland, at the time. She won her first election to serve on the city council in 2018, where she was written in by parents in the schools where she previously volunteered. They then voiced their support for her should she consider running for mayor, an opportunity Nembhard said represented a unique chance to serve. CONTINUE CREATING DIALOGUE In 1998, when she moved to the area, Nembhard had been working to address hunger in schools. “I took it with grace and I went and just hit the ground running, just doing all that needed to be done,” Nembhard said. She also focused on supporting the youth and creating a space for them to learn and gather, she added. Overall, Nembhard said her goal is to continue creating dialogue within the community, while encouraging everyone to work together and to support equity. “I believe in my capacity; I can make a change,” Nembhard said. “I can create awareness about the climate that we’re in; to talk about police brutality, excessive force and that kind of thing. I’m in a position to make a difference.” The new mayor, attended The University of the West Indies (UWI), earning a degree in management and accounting. She was recognised as Student of the Year at the UWI in 1996. Shortly after graduating, Nembhard migrated to the United States and took a position at Citizen Bank, which is now known as Sun Trust Bank. From there, she worked as regional manager at Presidential Bank. Some of her priorities as mayor included providing resources for seniors, boys’ and girls’ clubs, improving infrastructure, updating the city’s vehicles, and police reform. In 2020, during her first campaign for mayor, Nembhard said she had no plans to defund the police and would be working closely with the police department to launch a community resource officer programme. She also said, at the time, that she planned to enlist officials trained in mental health to work with the police when such social intervention in required. editorial@gleanerjm.com Jamaica-born Phelicia Nembhard re-elected as mayor in Maryland Phelicia Nembhard CONTRIBUTED Lester Hinds/Gleaner Writer PHELICIA NEMBHARD, who started off her life in Whitfield Town in St Andrew, Jamaica, is back as mayor of New Carrollton in Maryland. NEMBHARD WILL be serving a second term as mayor after losing her re-election bid in 2023. She was first elected mayor in June
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUzNTI=