BY ALYSSA MAHADEO
When an opportunity willingly presents itself, first instinct should be to capitalize and get a plan in action, commit first and figure it out later. In May of 2015 Daniel Gunter and his family were presented with the prospect of opening their very own restaurant, something that they had in the plans for quite sometime. While living in Jamaica they had a small restaurant that they had hoped to continue when they immigrated here to Canada.
Familiar with the inner workings of the hospitality industry, Daniel and his family were lucky to find the accommodations to make their dream a reality. While making preparations, organizing a business plan and putting together the basics of their menu, planning was short lived as the space for the restaurant became available and everything came together sooner than expected. Daniel emigrated from Kingston, Jamaica two years ago where he attended culinary school at Jamaica Boys Town HEART Trust/NTA Academy. Reggae Fusion is a family run business with Daniel as executive chef. Management and accounting is handled by his sister and sister-in-law.
Like most business ventures there are always challenges to face. Ensuring the quality of food is good and accounts are kept up to date is important to maintain. Consistency is key, keeping it interesting and promoting relationships with the customers to find out what they like. The more people that know will build your reputation spreading the word and keeping them coming back for more.
Bringing the well-known recipes and flavors of back home, Daniel decided to try a new twist on the conventional recipes that they were used to. Living in Canada and opening the restaurant in a city as diverse and multicultural as Mississauga, it was important that they be able to incorporate a little something for everyone. In their first few months of business they were surprised to discover that other restaurants in the area weren’t receiving the best reviews. Other locations in the area needed some re-vamping and so they were gaining a reputation for themselves as the place to visit in Mississauga.
Reggae Fusion is the idea of diverse culture infused with reggae style cooking to create something spectacular. It is their belief that if all different cultures can come together it can become something beautiful. Our food is not just food, it is art made with absolute love and patience and; our guests are not just guests but a beautiful family of diverse culture.
Located at 1107 Britannia Road East, Mississauga, their aim is to satisfy their customers every desire with excellent food, great drinks and awesome service. Think of us as a home away from home. Our motto is “Together We Can”. When they decided to take on the new challenging opportunity of running the restaurant they knew it was somewhere they could thrive, offering their customers friendly staff and great customer service with every visit.
Pleasantly surprised by the diversity and culture in the great city of Mississauga, the idea for a fusion style of cooking came about. They decided to try and implement a mix of all the different cultures and incorporate it with well-known favorites in Jamaican Cuisine. People from all different walks of life come to enjoy the infusion of flavors at Reggae Fusion with their refreshing take and unique twists to modern day cuisine. They are lovers of food and some of the chef’s specials include Rasta Pasta, Reggae Chicken, Jerk Chicken Wrap, Jerk Chicken Pasta and a Vegetable Run Down. These restaurant favorites draw from international flavors inspired by European and Caribbean style cooking. Their flavorful Jerk pasta is infused with authentic Jamaican flavor and the Reggae Chicken breast is stuffed with cordon bleu.
Down at Reggae Fusion they do breakfast, lunch and dinner! They have tasty and flavorful breakfast and lunch specials from $4.99, porridge of the day and chef specials to satisfy your cravings. Rated as the #1 Jamaican restaurant by insauga.com, their twist fusion goes above and beyond with great customer service and a homey atmosphere. Their prices are very reasonable, all of their food is made with the customers in mind, made with love for you to enjoy.
This year, now that they have gotten themselves up and running, they hope to keep their momentum going strong always looking for new ways to implement creative infusions into their Jamaican style cuisines. They are looking into hosting more events and live entertainment inside the restaurant. This summer, every Friday evening they will have Reggae Jamming Fridays with music dominoes and a variety of finger foods, like wings, shrimp, festivals, fish and french fries to choose from.
Reggae Fusion offers flavorful fresh, hot and made to order dishes that include Jamaican comfort food favorites such as classic Jerk Chicken, Oxtail, Curry Goat, Brown Stew Chicken, Curried Chicken, Fried Chicken, BBQ Chicken, Cow Foot, Stewed Peas, Stewed Beef, Brown Stew Fish and Curry Chicken Roti. If you are looking for some more yummy goodness to fill you up you can choose from a variety of side orders that includes macaroni pie, potatoes salad, coleslaw (plain or mayo), fried plantains, friend dumplings and festivals. There’s a chance you might want to try everything on the menu when you come out for the first time.
On those casual evenings or weekends when you are headed out for a lime, remember they are fully liquor licensed and they have an assortment of cocktails to choose from with names as unique as the restaurant itself! Choose from delicious lip smacking drinks like Banana Daiquiri, Chocolate Martini, Mud Slides, Pina Colada, Purple Rain, Blue Hawaii, Margaritas and much, much more!
100% authentic Jamaican cuisine and mouthwatering food that is sure to have your taste buds jumping! Down at Reggae Fusion you are bound to have a great time, with their friendly and accommodating staff and spacious dining area, there’s good vibes there for everyone to enjoy! Bring your friends and family out to Reggae Fusion today and introduce yourself to the future of Caribbean style cuisine!
