It’s the 7^th year in a row and people are lining up for the Caribbean Choice Restaurant/Bakery/Grocery’s Customer Appreciation Day on Saturday, October 6 in West Palm Beach.

According to owner, Don Smith it’s all about the customers. Last year’s event attracted about 600 customers who went to enjoy the food, music and festivities for the entire day. It is also the store’s 7^th anniversary and Smith’s birthday celebration.

The Restaurant Business

Smith told CNWeekly News he has been in the restaurant business for the past 17 years, seven of which are at the location in West Palm Beach. He operated four other Caribbean Choice restaurants in New York before he decided to move to Florida. According to the restaurateur, “It was time to put a cap on it and move.”

Opting for West Palm Beach, Smith said he had checked out Atlanta, Georgia as well as Miami and Fort Lauderdale, but realized he could have a bigger impact there since there were “only one or two Caribbean businesses in the area.”

He started out renting one suite that housed the take out section and later expanded to include the restaurant and the grocery.

But Smith is no stranger to grand ideas about the restaurant business. In fact, he is the one who introduced the food concept to Golden Krust Inc. who in 1999 wrote him a letter of appreciation engraved on a plaque. He recalled telling Lowell Hawthorne, CEO of Golden Krust Inc. “Patty and bread along can’t pay bills”.

Golden Krust, now a household name, has about 140 franchises and is expanding rapidly. However, when Golden Krust had one store and Caribbean Choice had four, it was through these stores that many New Yorkers got a taste of Golden Krust. Ironically, the Caribbean Choice locations in New York are now Golden Krust franchises.

There are also plans for expansion of Caribbean Choice, according to Smith. He said a few people who knew him from New York want to run stores similar to his here in South Florida and he is willing to have them use the name, with a guarantee that he will be the director of all the stores to ensure quality control.

They have already located the sites in Royal Palm, Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie and one is already under construction.

As far as the restaurant business goes, he advises that there are three rules: You have to get the money to put it together, provide good products and have good customer service. Smith says he’s trying to improve upon what he already has. “I think I will be here for another few years if God allows me to be here.”

Smith said of the restaurant business, “It’s one of the hardest jobs and I am still in it because I love it.”

The Food

The restaurant, clean, spacious and inviting serves up a hearty helping of Jamaican foods, with attractive presentation, which is key. I had the pleasure of sampling some of the offerings and have found some favorites from Caribbean Choice.

The curried goat, well seasoned and succulent, melts off the bones… and unlike some curried goats I’ve had, the curry penetrates the meat. Now, I’ve been let in on a little secret that real goat meat (as opposed to sheep meat) allows the curry to penetrate. It also tastes different, but not always detectable. So, if you are eating curried ‘goat’ and the inside is not curried, you may be eating mutton.

The oxtail tasted great. Again, melted-off-the-bones goodness and it was not too fatty, which is a complaint I have many times I order the Jamaican delicacy.

The white rice I found could be eaten by itself – which is not always the case. He won’t tell me how he does it, but I he said many vegetarians just eat the rice and vegetables for their meal. I can see why. Unfortunately, the rice and peas was not so impressive to me.

But, the brown stew chicken (which I don’t usually eat away from home) was phenomenal. Well seasoned, kind of sweet and seasoned to the bones. The jerk chicken was well-seasoned too, but the white meat portion I tried was dry. A little moisture would have made it excellent.

Smith said he uses “only Perdue Chicken no matter how expensive it is” and buys an entire goat, to make sure he gets the right meat. “It’s my joy and pride when a customer says I enjoy the meal.”

Dubbed the “Champion Caterer”, Smith also caters for weddings, parties and other events.

The next time you are in West Palm Beach visit Caribbean Choice located in the Coco Plum Plaza, 2845 N. Military Trail (caribbeanchoice.com)