Restaurateur Jasmine Gerald brings the vibrant flavors of the Caribbean to New York City’s busiest hub—Times Square. On this week’s episode of Mompreneurs, the mother of two reflects on opening her first restaurant in the midst of the pandemic, and how one successful restaurant became two—Jasmine’s and S’Aimer—both located on Manhattan’s iconic Restaurant Row. Gerald sat down with Mompreneurs host Nancy Redd to share her insights and practical advice for aspiring restaurateurs.

Gerald brought Caribbean fare to Times Square.

“Everything I do is with love,” said Gerald. With careful planning and plenty of research, she designed each restaurant to be “a place where people could come in and feel the love, enjoy the ambience, and enjoy the food and drinks.”

Since 2020, Gerald has opened two Caribbean restaurants in Times Square: Jasmine’s Caribbean Cuisine, a “colorful, family-friendly, and fun” experience, and S’Aimer NYC, which gives a “sexy, smooth, speakeasy vibe” where diners can keep the party going just across the street from Jasmine’s.

Both establishments serve irresistible Caribbean fare, with S’Aimer leaning toward Caribbean-French fusion. From jerk wings to escovitch red snapper, curry chicken to oxtails—the menu offerings between the two eateries are a hit with both island natives and tourists trying the cuisine for the first time.

Gerald’s restaurants are a family affair.

Gerald grew up in the restaurant business, watching her mother run a French restaurant in the Virgin Islands. Today, the family has come full circle. Now with two thriving restaurants of her own, Gerald’s family plays a big part in the success of the business. “My son manages, my mom helps prep the food, my daughter hosts—so it’s a family business,” said Gerald.

“This is the fulfillment that I get from it—the joy of seeing what I’m building and my children are involved. And how my mother, who’s 72, comes in and she’s preparing the food and she’s so proud. It keeps her energetic, it keeps her lively.”

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Before becoming a restaurateur, Gerald owned hair salons.

Prior to entering the restaurant business, Gerald was a hair and beauty entrepreneur who owned multiple salons—at one point, she had salons in Sweden and Nigeria. Gerald has a passion for cosmetology and plans to return to the beauty business in the future, but for now she is fully invested in the success of her restaurants. “I just need to focus on one thing at a time,” said Gerald.

She opened her first restaurant at the height of the pandemic.

Gerald opened the doors to Jasmine’s during the COVID-19 pandemic in November 2020. Despite the uncertainty of the time, the timing worked out in their favor, as Gerald and her team were able to refine the business through trial and error at a slower pace than usual.

Mompreneurs: Restaurateur Jasmine Gerald Serves Vibrant Caribbean Flavors In The Heart Of Times Square

Source: Restaurateur Jasmine Gerald 

 

Gerald had to learn every part of the business from scratch. “I didn’t know anything about the restaurant business other than growing up in the restaurant business,” she said. “I didn’t know how to run a restaurant—I didn’t know how to do payroll, I didn’t know how to do the POS system, I did not know anything. I always tell my children, ‘If you don’t know something, just ask,’ and that’s what I did. I studied, I Googled, and I got help from people who were in the restaurant business.”

Now with two thriving Caribbean restaurants, Gerald navigates the fast-paced restaurant business with style and grace.

Owning one restaurant, let alone two, in a high-intensity environment like Times Square is anything but simple. Gerald shared how she stays grounded amidst the demanding lifestyle of a restaurateur. “I persevere. I stay balanced, I stay positive. I have an amazing team of people that help me, that believe in the vision, and I’m super grateful for that,” she said. “Regardless of the difficulties at times, the love and the joy overrides everything else.”

Also in this episode of the Mompreneurs podcast, Gerald offers practical advice for aspiring restaurateurs and what she is manifesting for her future.

Get the full conversation. Watch this episode of Mompreneurs featuring Jasmine Gerald above.

Catch new episodes of ‘Mompreneurs’ every week.

Every week, we celebrate beautiful Black entrepreneurs who are simultaneously amazing business moguls and awesome moms. Join host and New York Times bestselling author Nancy Redd as these mompreneurs share their life stories and inspiring advice. Catch new episodes of Mompreneurs every Monday on MadameNoire’s YouTube channel. Or listen to the podcast online on the Urban One Podcast Network.

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