At 62, Joel Smith is as genuine as they come. While he currently makes his living at the Greenfield Farmers Market grilling up his specialty jerk chicken and Caribbean cuisine, you probably have no idea that he hides a background as a world-class restauranteur and hospitality consultant.
He brings a taste of the islands to the TOG each week along with his peaceful, good vibes and his own rich-in-flavor history.
Smith owned five successful New York City restaurants throughout his career and has led several boutique resorts from Jamaica to Turks and Caicos. He has earned raving New York Times reviews and accolades from Travel and Leisure Magazine. He even found himself in the line of three hurricanes, perhaps only to validate his true love for all things in the islands.
In St. Louis, Smith was born into a family of a professional jazz singer and an English teacher at Washington University. Smith’s parents owned businesses including a catering company, ice cream shop and the first Jazz Record Store in St. Louis. The middle child of a Jewish mother and Black father blended into a family dynamic that was centered around love, the kitchen and good food, Smith said.
He received his first job at Dannon Frozen Yogurt at the age of 13. By 16, he was employed at a fancy French restaurant and within two years he knew the restaurant business was his future.
“This business has a kind of organized chaos that inspired me,” he said. “There is a kind of rhythm and beauty that comes out of making things work and making people happy with great food.”
Smith eventually dropped out of high school, earning a GED, so he could continue learning all aspects of the business from waiting tables to cooking and operations. Before long, he could recite the mouth-watering detail of a five-course meal without even writing it down.
At 20, he followed his sister to New York City, finding a job and mentor at a seafood restaurant. Until he established himself, he convinced a classmate of hers at Columbia University to allow him to sleep on his dorm-room floor. This marked the beginning of a long, successful future in New York City.
“In New York, I found that what I knew of the business wasn’t even scratching the surface of all I needed to know,” he said.
He continued at restaurants for many years and started a gift basket business featuring fresh truffles, exotic mushrooms and hand-rolled chocolate truffles.
Smith fell in love and moved briefly back to St. Louis for several years. He worked in the hotel business and made a family with his love Maria. Daughter Chelsea was born in 1985. Smith describes her as his biggest accomplishment and source of pride. Chelsea, now 39, lives in New York City and is a program officer at Altman Foundation, a philanthropic organization assisting hundreds of girls who live in the five boroughs of New York City each year.
By the time Chelsea turned three, Smith moved back to New York City so she could begin her schooling, and he could continue in the exciting restaurant world.
At 32, he partnered in his first restaurant, Opaline, that styled itself as a turn-of-the century Absinthe house. He went on to own three more New York City restaurants during that time, including a Portuguese influenced “modern American” restaurant Radio Perfecto, which opened two locations, and later Bayamo, a 300-seat Cuban Chinese restaurant.
The island of Jamaica came into his life at the young age of 17 when a friend’s family took him on a vacation. Throughout his life, Smith visited the island frequently, and it became his “mecca.” He found its gorgeous water and its people made it a place where he could always heal, celebrate and find peace as a man of color.
Early on, he bonded with a man named Tony Patman, who taught him everything he could about the culture from grilling its specialty foods to how to communicate and be culturally sensitive to its people. He learned the secrets of Jamaican food and so much more from Tony, who soon became his “spirit guide,” according to Smith. This is when he learned how to make the specialty marinade he still uses today. Smith said he found the Jamaican food to be quite similar to the history and culture of the kosher food he grew up with.
“Both cultures have commitment to the history and laws surrounding what food we put in our bodies,” he said.
He later found another mentor in Aussie Paul Salmon, the owner of The Rock House Hotel and Spa in Negril, Jamaica. Smith acted as food and beverage director for many years traveling to the island 3-5 times yearly. Smith assisted with the opening of Pushcart, the second restaurant on Rockhouse’s property. His role expanded to include producing the standards and staff materials for the entire property. The resort was soon named the #1 boutique hotel in the Caribbean by Travel & Leisure magazine.
His consulting also took him to Turks and Caicos and St. Croix. Back home in New York City, he opened Blue Owl, a speak-easy that garnered a lot of industry buzz with its fancy, multiple ingredient cocktails and hidden backroom.
In 2011, Smith poured his passion into a Smorgasburg, an oceanside outdoor food village in Brooklyn. The concept grew into multiple markets that now attract some two million visitors a year.
Smith said, “This is where I really started my jerk hut concept, making chicken, specialty Caribbean-inspired grilled corn and slaw. I learned to really love making people happy with my food.”
His food finds inspiration from all the islands he has visited, not just Jamaica. His secret is his out-of-this-world, 40-year-old specialty Jerk marinade, which he refers to as the “mother sauce.” It is comprised of about 12 ingredients used in the perfect ratio from memory. He also uses the marinade to build his Negril slaw and his jerk sauce (a BBQ-type sauce with a little heat). He combines the marinade with vegan mayo and a few other ingredients to coat fresh corn on the cob and then rolls it in coconut before grilling. Even his cornbread is not simple and his dark chocolate brownie with a taste that “does a hot and sweet dance.” Recently, he has begun grilling wings too. The majority of Jerk Hut’s offerings are vegan or vegetarian.
Smith followed his heart to Upstate New York, where he said, “COVID restrictions made him stay.” When restrictions from the pandemic let up, he visited some friends in the Saratoga region and he’s been here ever since. In 2022, he leased a half-acre of land where he set up his tent and served his specialty food, but once he began finding success at the Greenfield Farmers Market at the United Methodist Church in Middle Grove, he decided he had found his people. Charles and Sue Veeder, the volunteers who organized the market, became “like family” to him and he found his happy place in retirement.
“The Veeders are as good as they come,” Smith said. “Not only are they people with extraordinary faith, but they show it in how they treat people. They are truly gracious and two of my biggest advocates.”
Smith is very enthusiastic about all the recent changes in the market, when the TOG got involved in its coordination. He is excited about the increase in foot traffic and fellow vendors. He has found some other gigs at local fairs and shows and catering jobs too.
Recently, he fell ill one night during the TOG market and he was overwhelmed by the love and concern for his well-being.
“The people here in Greenfield are inspiring,” he said. “That is the type of people we have here. We all look out for each other. I am now part of a really special community. This is something I have truly longed for in my life.”
Now Smith has found some young people to mentor himself. The group of helpers Dakota, Devon, Josh and Lorenzo are now giving him the opportunity to share his passion for the business the way that his mentors did throughout his career.
“We aim to make people happy with an experience and a memory,” Smith said. “When we sell out of product at the market, that’s a home run.”
“Joel’s Jerk Hut business is an excellent addition to our market,” said Town Supervisor Kevin Veitch. “He mixes the very best of his culture and values into his food and he seems to live by example. Our market is about bringing the community together and his mission folds perfectly into that.”
Are there any restaurants in his future? Smith said he cannot rule it out. If he had a local investor, he could not help himself but to open yet another restaurant to spread his love for the business and his food that brings smiles. Visit Joel’s Jerk Hut at the TOG Farmers Market on Thursdays from 4 to 7 p.m. at Middle Grove Park at 428 Middle Grove Rd. Smith sets up early every Thursday, and is at the park serving food from noon to 7 p.m. We are so happy this accomplished man blew like a hurricane into our rural town.
Call Joel Smith for catering or to book him at an upcoming event at 314-319-4195.
