Wayne Sharpe

I grew up in Kingstown, Jamaica. My stepmom was not a fan of cooking, so I had to take over and prepare meals for the family. I soon found myself cooking for my siblings and cousins all the time. I enjoyed celebrating those I care about with food, and this love for cooking continued throughout high school. I even got formal training in the hospitality school of Jamaica.

Later in life, I moved to Miami, where I met an incredible lady who took me under her wing and introduced me to new culinary concepts. Then, I moved to Atlanta and opened a restaurant where I finally got the chance to become a chef-partner at this fantastic place called Escovitchez.

In 2020, I returned to Miami and plunged into the fast-casual restaurant scene alongside my partners with EatJrk. Although I was initially hesitant to leave my fine dining roots behind, fate had other plans. As we prepared to open our second location, an unexpected opportunity fell into our laps – an extra space perfect for a speakeasy. We started by serving craft cocktails and spinning our favorite tunes, but something was missing: a culinary experience to match. So, I found myself back in fine dining, reminded of the rewarding satisfaction of creating an experience and seeing guests enjoy every single moment. It takes more hands and hard work, but at the end of the shift, it fills me with joy.

Sometimes, things fall into place without you even realizing it. Life has a funny way of making your wildest dreams come true, and that’s precisely what happened to me. I now have the perfect space and the best of both worlds. It’s a fast-casual spot during the day but turns into a fine-dining, cool speakeasy at night. I couldn’t have asked for anything better!