‘I love to feed people’

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.