Huntley Septimus opened Reggae Soca Spice on the North Shore in Devonshire with little fanfare, wanting to really get a feel for what people wanted.

As it turned out, what they really wanted was his jerk chicken and oxtail.

“Jerk chicken is one of the biggest things right now,” Mr Septimus said. “If you don’t have jerk chicken and oxtail, you might as well stay closed.”

There are also many other Caribbean options on the menu such as curried goat, brown stew, chicken curry and festival, plus meatless dishes.

Mr Septimus runs Reggae Soca Spice with Trini Spice owner Krishna Singh.

The “reggae” in the eatery’s name is a nod to Mr Septimus’s Jamaican heritage, and the “Soca” to Mr Singh’s Trinidadian homeland.

The atmosphere is light-hearted. Their slogan is: “Welcome to Reggae Soca Spice, everything nice, you don’t have to think twice.”

Reggae Soca Spice inherited equipment and gas lines from former restaurant tenant Flame.

“Getting it all working safely was one of the biggest challenges,” Mr Septimus said.

His Jamaican grandmother inspired him to start cooking.

“Growing up in Jamaica, I used to watch her cook,” he said. “I get my passion from her. Her best dish was rice and peas. Now I cook it with real coconut.”

He explained that Jamaican rice and peas is different from Bermuda’s peas and rice with the type of legume used being one of the key distinctions.

“Peas and rice, Bermuda style is usually made with black-eyed peas,” he said. “Rice and peas, Jamaican style, is usually made with kidney beans or pigeon peas.”

He trained as a chef in hotels in Jamaica. He first came to Bermuda in 1997 to cook for places such as the old Bombay Bicycle Club and Island Spice.

Mr Septimus is also a singer known for a blend of gospel and reggae music.

“I’m the singing chef,” he said proudly. “We always have music bouncing in the background. People buying the food are always nodding their heads to the beat.”

He released his fourth album, Mission, in 2019 through VP Records, following Jesus is Coming Again (1994), War Against the Devil (2000) and Role Model (2004).

“My big song is called Ignite,” he said. “Glenn Blakeney is my manager and we used to go on tours.”

Reggae Soca Spice is open Monday to Thursday from 10am to 10pm and on Friday and Saturday 10am to midnight.

• For more information, call 903-3663