About St. Best Jerk Spot
Shearon Smith was born in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, West Indies. She migrated to St. Albans, New York in 1986 with her husband and their two small children. She began her career, and worked for twenty-five years in the banking industry as a Mortgage Administrator with Amalgamated Bank of New York. Later, Ms. Smith decided to follow her longtime dream to become a business owner and opened St. Best Jerk Spot in Queens Village, New York. St. Best was named after her community, St. Elizabeth, as a way to honor her Jamaican heritage.
Ms. Smith established St. Best Jerk Spot with a mission to become one of the staples among the borough's diverse cuisine and to provide quality meals at a reasonable cost. This African-American owned and operated eatery, best known for it signature dish, jerk chicken, soared in popularity and has been widely supported by the community.
Smith's passion for providing wholesome meals and giving back has led to an annual tradition on Labor Day where St. Best offers free food to customers. Additionally, St. Best partners with local community organizations, catering to parties, meetings and other events. Since it's opening, each Thanksgiving, Smith stays overnight so that customers can pick up their fresh jerk turkeys cooked to perfection on Thanksgiving morning. Smith also hosts an annual cruise for customers in an effort to bring the community together with good music and food.
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St. Best Jerk Spot is a small minority owned business, which currently enjoys a staff of eight. Its mission in becoming one of the staples among the borough's diverse cuisine is to provide quality meals at a reasonable cost. Most recently, St. Best Jerk Spot was recognized by the Queens Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. as a part of their first ever small business crawl, highlighting local businesses.
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Shearon Smith, Entrepreneur, was presented with the Queens Borough President Melinda Katz's Business Award on February 16, 2017 for her outstanding contributions to the community as the owner and operator of St. Best Jerk Spot Restaurant. Ms. Smith is being acknowledged for pursuing her entrepreneurial spirit and celebrated for her exemplary contributions to the Queens Village Community and the Borough of Queens.
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Smith now resides in Rosedale with her husband and is the mother to three, and grandmother to four.
