About Nanny's Eatery
JP has been the master of the spice since he was a little boy and always shared the love of being around people and making them happy with his food and retelling the best stories that he’d heard that day.
He left Kingston, Jamaica with a song in his heart and fire in his soul to find his purpose, love, and a home where he could express his talents as a master chef.
JP showcased his talents in some of Auckland’s finest restaurants and was soon being head-hunted to add a “little spice” to restaurants that were struggling, rework their menus and get them humming again…almost like a Jamaican Gordon Ramsey.
This is where the story begins.
It was an early hot summers evening at one of JP’s favourite Auckland pubs when he met Angela (Ange as you’ll get to know her around the restaurant). They hit it off immediately and he managed to sweet-talk her number as they took their first walk down their now, favourite beach.
JP was intrigued with Ange because she reminded him of the stories that his GramMa used to tell about one of Jamaica’s seven national heroes, Nanny or Queen Nanny.
A strong woman, a warrior queen, a female leader of the Jamaican Maroons, slaves that had escaped the plantations and formed their own communities. She was one of the earliest leaders of the slave resistance and freed more than 800 slaves.
Nanny is a symbol of rebelliousness, equality, and freedom.
Ange was JP’s fire and they both lit each other’s path which led them to the idea of opening their own business. Nanny’s is proudly woman owned; JP’s talent for the food and culture and Ange’s extensive experience of running operations and years of being a creative made them the dream team, who covered all aspects of the business and completed each other perfectly.
After much searching Nanny’s Eatery was set to launch on 17 August 2021. That afternoon the Prime Minister’s chilling words of another COVID lockdown froze their plans for three long, expensive months.
The fire that burnt inside their hearts to see their dreams come true burnt so hot that they managed to keep the engines running and held out until mid-November when New Zealand was allowed to get takeaways. On 25 November 2021, Nanny’s had its grand opening and Kingsland was filled with that deep beautiful BBQ haze mixed with enticing Caribbean spices.
Queen Nanny managed to survive against all odds, adapt to new conditions, and victoriously fight for dignity and respect.
An inspiring spirit that lives on in Jamaican society today and one that runs through our veins.
Naming the business after Nanny is our way of honouring her, the spirit she represents, and our shared passion for empowering females. We want to let the world know about the great mother of Jamaica.
Like Jamaican culture and history, Nanny represents something “creole” a mixture of different cultures, which is what we see in our style of cooking.
We serve food inspired by this cultural “creole-ness” that has been crafted to suit the Kiwi taste and promote Jamaica’s national motto “Out of Many, One People” as a tribute to the unity of the different cultural minorities inhabiting the nation.
Taste the story
“Every one of my dishes has a story, but we’ll save that for another time.”
For now, why not see what we have to offer by going to our menu