Fused Cravings serves bold bowls with a local twist

With a background in gastronomy, friends Kathryn Tenn and Jessie Ennevor decided to take a leap of faith and branch out into a new food venture. These days, the duo is bowling on flavour, delivering on delicious diversity and creativity with Fused Cravings, all while staying true to savoury traditions.

Located at Shop 31 in Princeville Plaza on Constant Spring Road, St Andrew, this new restaurant, going by the mantra, ‘Taste the fusion. Relish the cravings’, offers a variety of enticing signature bowls for foodies to enjoy.

Ennevor, one of the directors of the culinary establishment, told Food, “We have a number of tasty chicken bowls for customers to choose from. Only prepared with chicken thighs and Jasmine rice, we advise those who are open to Asian food to try the teriyaki bowl. The Korean bowl is also a bestseller because of the fried chicken element. Then there is the Mexican chicken bowl, for those who are into Mexican cuisine. And if you’re into local spices, the spicy jerk bowl is a must-have.”

For variety, there is the chicken burger, and the eatery would not be complete without the inclusion of the famous fried chicken, courtesy of Tenn’s family recipe.

“Kathryn’s family has been in the restaurant business for about 30 years now. My family was more into entrepreneurship, construction, to be exact. So, I was the odd one out. I went to a culinary management school in Canada, and I came back to Jamaica because of COVID-19,” Ennevor revealed.

CHIPOTLE-INSPIRED

With that in mind, the initial plan was to honour the Tenn legacy and open a franchise of the family business. But the timing didn’t seem to coincide with the goal. Nor did the menu offerings. As a foodie, Ennevor would revel in her visits to the Chipotle Mexican Grill overseas. Bowled over by the fusion, she was inspired to bring this offering to the local market.

“We went through the whole thing, and we thought, what do we really like to eat that would be exciting for the public as well? It was our desire to do something different, something with a twist. Because we know that a lot of people who are getting healthy and they’re into bowl dishes.”

And the proof would be in the delectable details, focusing on a fusion of international technique and local flavour, adding ingredients like pico de gallo, for example, to the mix. “We make sure to focus on the flavour, specifically, so that everything has its own uniqueness to it, while also making sure that everything is seasoned and presented in a cohesive manner,” she added.

Since opening its doors over three months ago, people have loved the menu line-up so far. Even the people who were sceptical at first are pleasantly surprised by the great taste.

“Every day, we try to improve on the portions and the sauces. We’re even planning on incorporating other ingredients like chickpeas, quinoa, fish, Korean barbecue pork belly and vegan or vegetarian options for those who don’t eat chicken,” Tenn shared.

When asked why they chose this particular location, the two explained it’s a question often posed to them by customers, and it is one that is met by another: why not this location? It is more central than many realise. And the restaurant’s menu is available on 7Krave and QuickCart for delivery.

LOVE FOR FOOD

Noting that running a business is no easy feat, the two are grateful for the opportunity to share their love for food with the masses. “The biggest blessing is that we built everything from scratch. We created every single recipe down to the tee. So we are able to train our staff and jump in at a moment’s notice when necessary. And if push comes to shove, we can come in here and we can just do everything ourselves,” Ennevor said.

The hope is to build a solid brand and structure it in such a way that it can spread good food all across the island. “We have a vision for franchising, you know, opening multiple locations. And give locals the chance to taste something different and enjoy a dish or two outside of the culture,” she shared.

The plan is to also explore catering in the future, for those who are interested in bringing this exquisite taste to their events and special occasions. “There’s also a wider variety of dishes that we know how to make, that probably wouldn’t be as easily accepted in the restaurant setting. But as a catering company, you can offer it [to] customers, like truffles. These are things that we’re really big on; expanding taste horizons,” Tenn added.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com