REGIONAL DINING FEATURE
MamaMill’s JamaicanKitchen Eatery brings tropical taste of the island to the Northeast Side BY TRICIA SCHWENNESEN D onnovan Jackson grew up in Jamaica and named his Jamaican restaurant in Cibolo after his grandmother, Mildred “Mama” Mill. Born in 1917, Mama Mill was the 10th of 11 children, according to a sign hanging in the restaurant. She lived most of her life in Mount Hermon, Jamaica, and was a teacher and a church choir leader. She died in 2018 at the age of 101. Mama’s most important lesson was, “God rst, people second and yourself last,” Jackson said. “From the last position, that’s where we see all the blessings,” he said. “Service rst and the money will follow.” It is a sentiment he has lived out after launching Mama Mill’s Jamaican Kitchen a year ago in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It was horrible,” Jackson said. “We started in 2020. When everything was shut down we were steadily building.” Jackson, who is retired from the U.S. Army, owns the Noble Group, the umbrella organization for his realty company; an event center and lounge; a CBD shop; and now the restaurant, all o of Meek Street. Realty came rst, then the event center and lounge, which regularly hosts reggae DJs and Latin dance nights, Jackson said. With crowds comes hunger, he said, and at rst food truck purveyors sold to his patrons, but that proved unreliable. “Out of frustration, I came out [of the lounge] and came around …,” Jackson said, indicating the corner. “Just in that moment of frustration at 10:30 at night, it’s like the sky opened up and said, ‘Build your own restaurant.’” He already owned the building, a 1920s craftsman that originally was a three-bedroom, one-bathroom house. Jackson said he spent about $500,000 reno- vating the house, working to maintain its historical integrity while modernizing it for restaurant use. Mama Mill’s Jamaican Kitchen serves traditional favorites, including jerk chicken made on the grill; oxtail; brown chicken stew; beef or jerk chicken patties; coco bread; rice and peas; and plantains. “A lot of thought went into the rice,” he said, “putting the coconut in the rice, seasoning the rice.” Jackson said he has also added a couple of his wife’s Southern recipes to the menu, including macaroni and cheese, and candied yams. “There’s authenticity in what we do,” he said. Customers are now mixing oxtail with a side of macaroni and cheese, Jackson said. “I’ve had oxtail all my life and I’ve had mac and cheese all my life but never together, never the combination,” Jackson said.
3 DISHES TO TRY 1 Combo ($19.99): The plate comes with three meats, rice plus two sides. Here is oxtail, curried shrimp and jerk chicken with rice and peas, and plantains. 2 Jamaican patties ($3.75 each): A traditional hand pie lled with beef or jerk chicken. 3 Jerk Chicken ($9.99-$14.99): This chicken is spicy, jerk- seasoned and grilled outside. It is served as a meal with rice and two sides or a la carte.
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PHOTOS BY TRICIA SCHWENNESEN COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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“OUT OF FRUSTRATION, I CAME OUT OF THE LOUNGE AND CAME AROUND ... . JUST IN THATMOMENT OF FRUSTRATIONAT 10:30AT NIGHT, IT’S LIKE THE SKY OPENEDUPAND SAID, ‘BUILD YOUROWNRESTAURANT.’” DONNOVAN JACKSON, OWNER
Donnovan Jackson owns the Noble Group, that includes his realty company, a restaurant, CBD shop and lounge.
MamaMill’s JamaicanKitchen 110 Meek St., Cibolo 210-408-0408 https://mamamillskitchen.com Hours: Sun.-Mon. closed, Tue.-Thu. 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m-9 p.m.
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NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION • MAY 2022
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