Phoenix Kitchen – Rising to meet the expectations of Vincy taste buds

‘Come eat with us.’

It’s an open invitation extended to Vincentians for breakfast, lunch or dinner on any day of the week. The venue: Phoenix Kitchen. The menu: ‘Real Affordable Vincy Food’.

Located at the entrance to the Windward Bus Terminal, there is so much more to Phoenix Kitchen than meets the eye. From the name, to the tag lines, to the food itself, everything is authentic.

“We want persons to know that our food is real food,” declared managing director Leon ‘Bigga Bigs’ Samuel of the slogan.

“Even though we have a limited amount of fast food on our menu here, we think that Vincentians are becoming more health conscious and they need to become more health conscious, because we are what we eat. We want to keep our food real and affordable.”

Phoenix Kitchen first opened on June 28, 2015 as Phoenix Chicken. However, within one week, the proprietors, considering that the menu offered more than fried chicken meals, changed the name. Since then, they have been expanding the menu, guided by their customers’ needs.  Meals are priced between $5 and $15.

“The economy is very slow and people have limited money to spend, so one of the things is to try to keep reasonably priced food on the market. We allow our customers to carry us where they want to go. They are the ones who are spending the money; we should just be there to facilitate,” Samuel said.

Commenting on the significance of the name, Samuel revealed that it was the idea of one of his daughters, which the family thought very fitting, considering the struggles that they had endured in the years prior.

The closure of Bigga Bigs’ aggregate mining business by the authorities, who cited environmental concerns, was followed by a lengthy battle, which they eventually won. However, by the time they were granted permission to re-establish operations, the deterioration and vandalism of the equipment, long left idle, resulted in permanent closure.

Samuel then decided to turn his hobby, cooking, into a profit making venture. Like the legendary phoenix, the business has allowed them to rise from the ashes and soar again, he said. ‘Kitchen’ also brings relevance to the name. “We want persons to know just like in your home, in your kitchen, we leave it to the customer to decide what they want to eat.”

Although there is much to tantalize the taste buds on the ever-growing menu at Phoenix, boul joul (made from saltfish)is the dish that has won the establishment a place among the Best of SVG. It was initially offered with fried bakes and steamed bananas, but, as per customer demand, is now available with roasted breadfruit, ground provisions and even macaroni pie, which is growing in popularity. 

“We try to source the best in terms of the vegetables which we use inside of the boul joul. The vegetables have to be prepared in a particular way. The salt fish can be a little bit tedious, because we have customers who like salt, and some who don’t like salt. So, we have to try to find a balance in order for everybody to enjoy it. We have to be doing something right why the people voted us for boul joul. It’s really, really, heartwarming and I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart,” Samuel said.

To complement the food, Phoenix Kitchen also offers a selection of 21 local natural fruit beverages, available according to season. However, they are working on having seasonal fruits preserved, so that the various flavours could be available all year round.  Patrons will soon be able to enjoy even more tantalizing treats, as there are plans to open at a second location, which will be branded as ‘Phoenix Value Adding’, again suggesting a menu that will be continuously expanding, as the customers desire. 

Phoenix Kitchen is open Monday to Saturdays 5 a.m. until, and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays. They can be contacted at 455-1280.