Jamaican food lands locally

PERKINS TWP. — He's from Jamaica. She's from Norwalk. While their backgrounds greatly differ, many similarities do exist between spouses Anthony and Veronica Perkins, notably a shared passion for each other, family along with a mutual interest in flavorful food. And their latest venture incorporates those very foundational ingredients to build up a new restaurant recently debuting in Perkins Township. P'JerKins, a Jamaican-inspired eatery, recently opened at 3708 Columbus Ave., Sandusky. It's located within a plaza at the intersection of Strub Road beside a BP gas station. "We've brought the warmth and rich tastes of Jamaica to Perkins with high-quality, homemade dishes that everyone will love," said Anthony, who came to the U.S. on a basketball scholarship. He played at Wilberforce University, near Dayton, where he met Veronica, a 2004 Norwalk High School graduate. Before coming stateside, Anthony attended culinary school in Jamaica. "I've always enjoyed making food," Anthony said. "My grandmother, Phyliss Cooper, taught me. Every Sunday, all the family would come over for dinner. She would make brown stew chicken, ox tail, curry goat. It was amazing." Now living in the Sandusky area, relocating from New York City three years ago, both Anthony and Veronica believed a Jamaican restaurant, quite popular in big metropolises, could work in a small city like Sandusky. "We saw the need," said Veronica, who, along with Anthony, first tested their product by selling plates out of their home for several months. "There wasn't any authentic food around us. You would have to go to Cleveland or Toledo. This was something I really wanted to bring into my hometown." Among the dishes served: rasta pasta, beef and chicken patties, curry shrimp and chicken, which includes jerk chicken. P'JerKins also infuses traditional American fare, like chicken wings, with Jamaican flavors. "Good food is good, no matter what type of food it is," said Veronica, understanding many people living in and around Sandusky might have never tried Jamaican delicacies before. "If you like flavor, you will like this," said Veronica, whose background is in banking. "There is nothing like the flavors you are going to get here with our authentic, home-cooked food." Anthony, Veronica and their four children often at P'Jerkins — Joseph, Joshua, Madison and Mya — welcome people to come in and sample their vast menu offerings. It's open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. "Everything we have here is fresh, unique and cooked here," Anthony said. "We are the only restaurant around here doing something like this. This is always what I wanted to do, and we're happy to be here." What's in a name? Regarding the name P'Jerkins, one of Anthony's and Veronica's children, Madison, combined their last name — Perkins, which is also the township where the restaurant is located — with its best-selling dish, jerk chicken, to make the restaurant name.