More than the Jamaican Community had a fondness for Elaine’s Kitchen, located in Sunny South Dallas, and Miss Elaine was widely respected and celebrated when her small restaurant moved to a much larger facility, but still remained on Martin Luther King Blvd.
On Sunday many of Miss Elaine’s patrons and community folk gathered at the restaurant to show their support and share stories about the woman who had fed them for more than three decades.
“When I wanted oxtails, but only had enough money for a vegetable plate, she told the kitchen to ‘throw a few bones on the plate,’” recalled Rev. Henry Brown, president of the Mesquite NAACP.
His was one of many stories told from people who traveled across the metroplex for authentic Caribbean food.
In 2020, Texas Metro News Publisher Cheryl Smith wrote about the restaurant, “Elaine’s Kitchen does great things with curry and jerk seasonings! I celebrated the move to their own building where they offered an expanded menu that includes their wonderful macaroni and cheese that placed second in the 2020 Healthy Living Expo!”
Organizers of the vigil said Miss Elaine had been ill for months and that now her health is considered critical.