our story
Rooted in Family, Guided by Heritage
Jerk Centre is a proudly Black-owned and woman-owned British food business, founded by Elka Paquette and rooted in Jamaican heritage, family tradition and bold, authentic flavour.
Elka has always been spiritually aware and deeply connected to her intuition. The earliest inspiration for the Jerk Centre recipe emerged during a period of reflection, through ideas and impressions that returned with unusual clarity. Although this remains a deeply personal part of her journey, it continues to shape the care, purpose and heart she brings to every Jerk Centre product.
More Than a Takeaway
During the uncertainty of the pandemic, Jerk Centre began as a Caribbean takeaway and home-delivery service in Kirton in Lindsey. What started as a way to help keep our family financially secure quickly became something far greater than we had imagined.
Customers returned week after week, while others travelled from beyond our local area to collect their meals. Their enthusiasm for the food confirmed that we were creating something genuinely special, and the support we received from the community gave us the confidence to keep going during an incredibly challenging time.
Running the takeaway was deeply rewarding, but it also demanded almost everything from us. For more than three years, I was the only cook, working seven days a week and often spending each day in the kitchen from 10am until 11pm. My two boys were still at school, while my husband delivered the meals and helped to keep the business moving behind the scenes.
It was a true family effort, built through determination, long days and a shared belief in what Jerk Centre could become. However, it was also an enormous responsibility for one family to carry.
By 2023, life was beginning to find its rhythm again. The restrictions had ended, the economy was changing, and our original family business was starting to recover. As its wheels began turning once more, we faced a difficult decision about the future of the takeaway.
Although we knew it was the right choice for our family, we closed the Caribbean takeaway side of Jerk Centre with very heavy hearts. We were especially conscious of the customers who had supported us so faithfully. Even today, people still telephone to ask whether we offer takeaway meals or whether we might consider bringing the service back.
That continued affection showed us that Jerk Centre was still wanted—and that the flavours we had created deserved to travel far beyond our takeaway kitchen.
Bottling our recipes allowed us to preserve the heart of Jerk Centre while sharing it with more people. Customers could now bring those same rich, unmistakable flavours into their own homes and use them to create memorable meals around their own family tables.
Today, the range includes the deeply seasoned warmth of Taste From the Ancestors, the beautifully balanced heat of Duppy Conqueror, the fearless fire of Badman Sauce, and the bright honey, lemon and chilli flavour of Yardie Drizzle.
Each product has its own distinctive character, but every bottle is built upon the same foundation: bold flavour, careful preparation, Jamaican heritage and a genuine love of bringing people together through food.
Jerk Centre continues to carry Mavis’s dream, Oswald’s heritage and Elka’s determination forward. What began as a takeaway during one of the most uncertain periods of our lives has grown into a lasting tribute to family, ancestry, resilience and the belief that something created with heart can reach far beyond the place where it began.
Big Flava. Bold Heart. Maroon Soul.
Handmade in
small batches
100% Natural
ingredients
no artificial
preservatives
Gluten free
Woman Owed
Award
Winning
Since 2023, we have been bottling the much-loved sauces that began in our takeaway kitchen, carrying the same carefully balanced flavours into every bottle.
Jerk Centre has continued to grow from strength to strength, but its purpose remains the same: to bring people together through food filled with flavour, heritage and love.
A Story That Continues
Our journey began with dreams, ancestral guidance and a family determined to survive a difficult time. It grew through the kindness of our local community, the loyalty of our customers and a shared love of authentic Caribbean flavour.
The founder
Elka
Every bottle carries a part of that journey.
It holds the memory of long days in the kitchen, evenings spent delivering meals, customers travelling from miles away, and the encouragement of everyone who told us that what we had created was worth continuing.
Although the takeaway chapter came to an end, the spirit of Jerk Centre never left.
It simply found a new home—in the bottle, in your kitchen and in every meal you create with it.
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