Bringing the Caribbean to the West Coast
Don't be fooled by the closure of the 1 st Avenue Jerk Shack, there's a second location and it's going strong. The familiar lease negotiations can be blamed for the closure, and the bright future can be blamed on flavors that make your mouth sing.
Everything at Jerk Shack is made in-house, including spice rubs, sauces, and specialty slushies. Chef/Owner Trey Lamont also makes his own garlic sauce, oh boi hot sauce, and cilantro lime sauce. Layering is one of the secrets to the amazing flavors. Chicken is brined in jerk spice, smoked, chilled with more spice added. When ordered, chicken is dredged in more spice, and heated. More spice, then tamarind sauce to get that sweet/spicy taste, then the hot sauce. Ribs are similarly layered: seasoned for over a day, smoked, chilled. Once nearly cooked, they're chilled again. Cooking causes the fat to come out, chilling reabsorbs it, retaining flavor. Seasoned again, and chilled. When ordered, they are brought to temp and grilled. "They are juicy, full of flavor, and fall off the bone," says Trey. "It's about caring for the product. I'm going for a complex flavor profile; it's how I show my passion." Slushies pair perfectly with the spiciness of the food.
Jerk Shack's menu offers meat by the pound, Caribbean plates with rice and peas cooked in coconut milk, plantains, and sandwiches. There are also catering pans-larger servings perfect for private parties or large groups. If you're looking to Jerk Shack to cater a party, start with the affordably-priced catering pans. "We're happy to make other things that we do as specials, like oxtail or curry goat, but we don't always have these in stock, so there's an added cost and time to getting the product and making the food," explains Trey. "The reason we do traditional Jamaican fare only on special is that you can get it other places and we want you to try other Caribbean food."
Trey started with his Papa Bois food truck in 2009 and ran it until 2017, grilling chicken for sandwiches and bowls. He partnered with the Black Bottle/Vacilando owners on their 1 st Avenue spot, The Innkeeper, changing it to Jerk Shack. "They wanted something more upscale with nice presentation. I wanted the food to be amazing. People say you eat with your eyes first, but I think it's your nose. If you're not salivating when I put a plate in front of you, I'm not doing my job. Everything on the menu now was on the food truck and at 1st Avenue, flavor-wise. Our plated food from 1st Avenue is now served in foil pans that are easy to eat from or carry out. It's how you'd eat food on the islands. It's sunny, you sit outside, sharing meat by the pound."
In his current location, opened in May 2023, he was able to build his own kitchen for the first time. "Doing it myself means I have everything I need. Now we're on a courtyard with seating and a stage where live music can take place, across from Communion and behind Raised Donuts. There's retail parking in the garage, and we have garage doors that open to the courtyard. We work with an art broker and have paintings on the wall for sale. It's great to have art in the space, and we don't take commission. We have local and international artists."
Trey was born and raised in Seattle and spent hours in the kitchen with his Big Momma and grandfather Homer, who made all the meals. One of nine siblings (he was sixth in line), Trey was the only grandchild who didn't get kicked out of Big Momma's kitchen. "I guess she saw that I was genuinely interested and not just there to lick the spoon," he laughs. "I would sit on the counter, and she would say, 'Give me this or that' and I would know what she was asking for." He was raised by his single father but had many mother figures. One of his aunts had 10 children of her own. "I guess I was really one of 19 kids." Trey got many of his recipes from Big Momma, but spent more time in the kitchen with Homer, who had been a cook in the military.
His father worked at the Sheraton for 35 years as the senior doorman. "Whenever I was at the hotel waiting for him, I'd hang out in the catering kitchen. I learned so much. It was late '80s, early '90s and chefs were rotating in/out from India, Hong Kong, the UK. Besides teaching me, they had contacts at other hotels, and they'd tell me about job opportunities. I'm sure it was illegal, I wasn't getting paid, and I was 10 or 12 years old. I turned professional when I was 14 when we went to New York in the summers. My cousin had a restaurant and he paid me to work, starting as a dishwasher and moving to the line. My dad's side of the family is my Caribbean heritage. I loved the food and flavors, but it wasn't available in Seattle."
Trey's passions were competitive fighting (from ages 5 to 28), writing music, and cooking. "When I couldn't make money, I would take other jobs so I could do them on the side." He was a martial arts teacher while in high school and met parents of students who owned restaurants. One student's parents found out he wanted to go to culinary school (he graduated top of his class from Le Cordon Bleu in Seattle) and offered him the opportunity to learn expediting and work in the kitchen. They were Ann and Rick Yoder, owners of Wild Ginger. He bussed tables and job shadowed in the kitchen. "The techniques and skills I learned there, I still use today." He helped open Triple Door and worked security at both places, and did some promotion bringing musical acts in, all before he turned 21. He worked security at a number of clubs on Capitol Hill while still teaching and competing in martial arts. He also worked as a private chef. He left security work in 2014-2015.
His connection to the Black Bottle Group was through a student, Simon, enrolled in a cooking class for children at Coyote Central. His father is Brian Durbin of Black Bottle. When Jerk Shack was a year old, someone wanted to buy the business. The other partners wanted to sell, Trey did not. He sold his partnership in the group to buy them out. All went well until the pandemic. He closed it in October 2023.
Trey decided he could best help his community through his culinary skills, opening restaurants, offering jobs. "The fast casual concept is scalable. My plan is to open other locations and purchase the land, ultimately selling it back to community members. It's not about a money grab, it's about community commercial ownership." One of his ardent supporters is Omari Salisbury , the founding CEO of Converge Media and community activist with a global background. "Trey is the real deal. Not only a great cook, but he always puts community first." Nothing is in place yet, but Trey would like to move into South King County where there are more people of color who would understand his food. "Ultimately, I want to cover the whole West Coast, from Vancouver, B.C., to California, in pockets of neighborhoods we can feed." In the meantime, head to Jerk Shack Seattle for your Caribbean fix.
Jerk Shack
1133 24 th Ave, Ste N
Seattle, WA 98122