Chris Taylor and his wife open second restaurant in Markham
July 9, 2024
It is not uncommon for Caribbean children to be raised by their grandparents.
Both parents might have migrated to lay the foundation for a better life for themselves and their offspring.
Sometimes, single moms don’t have the time to give their kids the attention they need because they are too busy doing more than one job to put food on the table.
In Chris Taylor’s case, his maternal great-grandmother took care of him before he left Jamaica to join his mother in the Greater Toronto Area at age 13.
The descendant of Maroons, who came from Halifax and settled in the Blue Mountains in Portland, settled in Kingston.
As a young boy growing up in the Jamaican capital, Taylor spent a lot of time near the charcoal stove watching her cook. He also did a ‘run a boat’, a Jamaican vernacular for cooking food, with other neighbourhood kids.
“One guy was responsible for the chicken, another would get the dumpling and another would get a couple of cans of butter beans,” he recounted. “We did that a lot as kids. I always knew I would be in a career that involved cooking and food.”
Last May, Taylor and his wife -- Aretha Horton-Taylor -- opened their second restaurant.
Chris Taylor and his wife Aretha Horton-Taylor (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Located at 7220 Kennedy Rd. in Markham, Chris Jerk is a 5,000-square feet facility that includes a dine-in experience.
“After a decade as business owners, I felt our customers expected us to do something more than just providing takeout,” said Taylor. “The space made it easier for us to open up for people to come in, sit down and just enjoy what we have to offer which is always exceptional. We are also looking to set up an accessible patio during the summer. There is so much potential here.”
The restaurant is open from Tuesday to Saturday.
“Shortly, we want to enhance the client experience by opening on some Sundays for brunch with some form of entertainment for families,” Horton-Taylor said. “We feel that we can connect more with people by doing that. Because we have been so busy over the years with the business, we have missed spending more quality time with our children and families. This will be an opportunity for them to come here and socialize. I am so excited about seeing this come to fruition.”
Toronto City Councillor Michael Thompson, who was the mastermind behind the creation of The Taste of Lawrence Street Festival two decades ago, attended the grand opening on May 7.
Toronto City Councillor Michael Thompson presents a Certificate to Chris Taylor and his wife Aretha Horton-Taylor (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
“Chris is an exceptional Chef,” he pointed out. “He has a sense of what it means to provide high quality food, particularly West Indian and Jamaica, which he wants people to consume. He brings a special touch to the culinary experience from his amazing team that are part of his mini empire. When someone feeds you, it is the ultimate experience. If you have bad quality food, you remember that. This guy is the type of person you will never forget because he is about quality, loyalty, family, commitment and excellence.”
Thompson presented a Certificate to the couple to mark the milestone achievement.
“Businesses are an integral part of our socio-economic growth and success,” he added. “It is the result of preparation, determination and hard work of individuals who aim to thrive in a significant market. The opening of this Bistro is an exciting addition and will provide clients with the service they seek.”
Infrastructure Manager Phillip Gulab has supported Taylor from the inception.
“I resided close to where he has his first business place and we became close over the years to the point where I would volunteer at his restaurant on weekends,” he said. “The food is excellent, particularly the oxtail and snapper which are my favourites.”
Phillip Gulab (l) and other invitees at the official opening of Chris Jerk in Markham (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Starting as a dishwasher, Taylor did his apprenticeship at hotels and golf & country clubs and was the Executive Chef before opening Chris Jerk in 2013 at Birchmount Road and Huntingwood Drive in Scarborough.
“Becoming a business owner never really crossed my mind,” he said. “It morphed into that. I was quite happy to be a Chef preparing mouth-watering dishes to the highest standard.”
Horton-Taylor was instrumental in her husband making the bold decision to be an entrepreneur.
“He treated his employers with great respect,” she noted. “He also took care of the kitchens he worked in as if they were his own. I thought if he was this good doing this for others, why not do it for yourself? My mom told me to get an education and, if possible, work for yourself because nobody can take that from you. I felt that Chris was at a stage where he would be far better off if he was on his own instead of toiling in others kitchens.”
To prepare for the new challenge, Taylor took a few culinary and business courses and found mentors, including former Mississauga Board of Trade Executive Chef Frederick Roberts who owns Freddy’s Kitchen in Mississauga.
Born in St. Thomas, Jamaica, he came to Canada at age 10
“Fred is someone I admire and tried to follow his footsteps,” he said. “For the most part, the mentors did not tell me what to do or what I should not do. They gave me the space to observe what they were doing. That along with trial and error enhanced my culinary skills.”
While working at Me Va Me which specializes in Mediterranean dishes, Taylor learnt how to build a Shawarma.
“I remember Chris saying how cool it would be to do a Jerk Shawarma and I told him not tell anyone else about his ideas,” said his wife. “I wanted him to get a restaurant and do his thing. Of course, you have to make money to run a successful business. Chris understands that, but there is something about feeding people and seeing them enjoy their meal that fulfil him.”
Chris Taylor pouring wine into glasses at the official opening of Chris Jerk in Markham (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
After about 18 months co-owning a restaurant, Taylor took the plunge.
The majority of the money from the split was used to open their first restaurant 11 years ago during the ice storm that paralyzed most of the city.
Starting a business involves risks.
It also requires a lot of planning, dedication and hard work as the Taylors found out.
“We did a lot of the groundwork to get it up and running,” Horton-Taylor remembered. “At the start, we tried to figure out how many customers we had to get every month to make the rent. Once we reached that threshold, we were able to relax just a little bit. We worked around the clock. After finishing cleaning up around 2 in the morning, we were back at it about three hours later preparing for that day.”
The Jerk Chicken Shawarma served on poutine with regular or sweet potato fries is the restaurant’s signature dish.
Oxtail, curry goat, jerk salmon, snapper and kingfish served with basmati rice and steamed vegetables along with vegetarian meals, including callaloo or steamed vegetables with curried chicken peas or just a wrap are popular menu items.
“I wanted to do something different,” said Taylor. “I don’t feel that every Jamaican restaurant has to be the same.”
Married nearly 26 years ago, their first meeting in the summer of 1995 at a downtown club was fortuitous.
“I am not a party person, but my friend begged me to accompany her,” she recalled. “Chris was there helping his friend promote an upcoming party.”
Invited to hang out at his Rexdale apartment after their first meeting, Horton-Taylor instantly fell in love with his food.
“Honestly, it was so delicious,” she pointed out. “When he said his dream was to have his own food business, I suggested he could get a jerk drum and sell jerk chicken on Friday nights to people who hung out around his Martingrove Rd. & Finch Ave. W. housing complex.”
Horton-Taylor also kept her promise to be his first customer.
In a diverse city like Toronto where there is a demand for multicultural food, Taylor feels there is an opportunity for Black boys to thrive if they choose to enter the culinary profession.
In fact, he created a tagline, ‘Tongs over Guns’.
“That’s a program I want to get off the ground where I can teach them how to use tongs to cook,” said Taylor. “They will get jobs because there is always a need for a good chef. Some of them can even go on to become owners of restaurants. Far too many of our boys are out there throwing away their lives instead of finding something productive to do.”
