Food & Drink
Kool Runnings Offers Taste of Jamaica
You won’t have to board a plane for authentic flavors of this island nation.
You may not be able to bring back the beautiful blue waters or sandy white beaches from a trip to the Caribbean, but thanks to a long-established local restaurant, you can enjoy the same food.
In July 1993 Tony “Granville” Reid and his wife Marcia left their home in Jamaica for the U.S. Six months later, Marcia’s brother E. Parry Hinds joined them. They soon found that their credentials from the island nation didn’t carry over in this new country.
“The jobs that we held at home were of an executive nature,” said Tony. “We spent a lot of time canvassing for employment, with the exception of my wife who was pregnant with our last child.”
Encouraged to take a leap of faith
After a year of striking out on the employment front, Hinds’ father-in-law, who was an entrepreneur and mentor to the young couple, suggested they open a restaurant.
“We don’t know anything about running a restaurant!” Tony countered. But the older man persisted. After all, the Reids had run a pharmacy in Jamaica, and yet neither were pharmacists.
“We weren’t chefs, but we did know how to run a business,” said Tony. So in 1994, Kool Runnings was born. It started in DeKalb County on Memorial Drive, but it has been at its Peachtree Parkway location for 14 years.
“It was all trial and error over the years,” said Hinds. “We made a whole lot of mistakes, made a lot of money and lost a lot of money.”
The fact that they weren’t chefs or trained in culinary arts forced them to take chances with people who claimed that there were professional chefs. “That messed this up a whole lot,” said Marcia. “We had to rely on people that weren’t honest.”
But the family could depend on their entrepreneurial skills and business acumen. “We had boots on the ground, literally,” said Hinds. “We were getting in the mix and learning as we went along, but we also relied heavily on the influences and the input of other people with experience.”
It took time, but they gradually gained enough knowledge to be able to identify the pitfalls. “…ad the shenanigans,” added Marcia.
It also took trial and error to get the right blend of spices to replicate the flavor they recalled from home. Once they found it, they regulated it so no matter who was in the kitchen, the food would be basically the same.
“One thing that people want is consistency,” said Tony. “If I come in here today, I want to be able to come in here a week from now, and if I ordered the same thing, I want it to taste the same.”
Customers learn to love it
The restaurant has gained a loyal following. “We’ve had customers who have been coming to us since day one,” said Hinds. “And we have their children coming and their grandchildren coming.”
But convincing Americans that curried goat and whole fish, with the head and eyes still intact, were delicious cuisine was an uphill climb. So in the early days, the food was on a steam table where customers could see the food as it was being dished up. “We’d offer samples,” said Marcia. “Once they tasted the good flavor, they were hooked.”
To date, about 80% of their customers are Americans. In fact, Air Jamaica recognizes Kool Runnings as a top spot for island cuisine. When they were at the Memorial Drive location, patrons and staff from the nearby Hooters restaurant would buy food at Kool Runnings to eat with pitchers of beer while they watched sports at Hooters.
“One evening at about six or seven o’clock, one of the Hooters executives came in through our door… he said, ‘We have 28 tables over there, and 23 of them have your food,” said Tony, laughing.
It’s that kind of proof that assures the family that they’ve done the right thing.
Challenges met and overcome
The family was doing so well that it had operations in the food courts at North Lake Mall in Tucker and Gwinnett Place Mall in Duluth. Then the Great Recession hit, which meant less consumer spending and a sharp decline in patronage at malls.
They closed their mall locations and focused on improvements at the main location, like a Sunday brunch buffet with music. Just as they were getting their groove back, another tragedy struck — COVID-19.
Unlike a lot of restaurants, Kool Runnings was able to stay open through the pandemic. Even with staffing shortages, the family persevered. “We worked hard every day and made sure everything got done,” said Marcia.
Once again, the business model changed. “We were used to most customers coming in to dine and then we became almost all carryout or delivery,” said Hinds.
Recently, of course, the prices have skyrocketed. “Some things we’re just not able to get,” said Tony.
That means it takes more effort for this family-run establishment to keep going. When restaurant suppliers don’t have the right rice for the rice and peas, sometimes they’ll go to a regular grocery store with prices and quantities geared toward consumers and not cost-effective for other retailers.
“Even a simple ingredient like coconut cream — that’s a primary ingredient in many recipes — is sometimes impossible to find,” said Tony.
He added that they can’t just pass on the additional costs to the customers because soon they’d have no customers. Still, they all are optimistic that things have leveled off somewhat and will soon get better.
Through it all, they don’t regret a thing. For a group of folks without culinary backgrounds, they’ve made quite an impact in the food world.
Although their children grew up working in the restaurant, they don’t believe the legacy will live on. “When we close, we will be done. But we’ll know that we’ve done well,” said Hinds.
Kool Runnings Jamaican Restaurant
5450 Peachtree Pkwy., Peachtree Corners
KoolRunningsRestaurant.com, 770-652-7104
Politan Row at The Forum is officially open!
Peachtree Corners’ newest hotspot has arrived, and they’re serving up a wide variety of delicious food, drinks and incredible vibes.
The food hall’s chef-driven restaurants include:
- 26 Thai Kitchen & Bar
- Boca Taqueria
- Gekko
- Kimchi Red
- LOL Burger Bar
- Sahirah Kebab & Curry
- Sheesh Mediterranean
Preview event
Peachtree Corners Magazine was invited to see the space and sample the food before the big grand opening. Here are a few photos from that sneak-peek, preview event.
Photos by George Hunter / Rannulf Media (@rannulf.media on Instagram)
The space
The food
The people
About Politan Row
Politan Row is a talent-driven food hall platform. Founded in 2014, they create design-forward destinations for the culinarily curious, offering an elevated food hall experience that encourages the exploration of shareable dishes in beautiful, inviting and communal spaces.
Their mission is to serve people who crave unique flavors, experiences and ideas while creating opportunities for local food and beverage talent to showcase their creativity and advance their careers. For more information, visit politanrow.com.
About The Forum Peachtree Corners
The Forum Peachtree Corners (The Forum) is a 500,000-square-foot outdoor lifestyle center originally opened in 2002.
Today, The Forum is home to 100,000 square feet of office, 10,000 square feet of community gathering space and nearly 70 retailers, restaurants and service providers, with more to come as part of an ongoing redevelopment project designed to transform the property into a mixed-use destination. The Forum is owned by Nuveen Real Estate and Jamestown through a joint venture partnership.
For more information, visit theforumpeachtree.com/politanrow.
Once the travel restrictions mandated by the coronavirus were lifted, it seems the world chose to shake off its cabin fever. Even people who weren’t all that adventurous found themselves headed to foreign lands.
That wanderlust wasn’t just good for the travel industry. It proved to be a boon for restaurants as well. Those specializing in exotic cuisines found new customers who’d either traveled abroad and wanted to relive their vacations through food or who were heading to an overseas destination and wanted to sample local flavors before arriving.
Marcia Reid, co-owner of Jamaican restaurant Kool Runnings said that since opening 30 years ago, they’ve prided themselves in educating diners about Caribbean food — what makes one island different from another and what to look for in authentic cuisine.
“Throughout the Caribbean, we’re known for using spices, coconut milk and fresh ingredients,” she said. “You’ll probably find some form of rice and peas or beans everywhere, but that’s where the similarities end.”
To aid readers who are contemplating a trip to the Caribbean or who are interested in trying the cuisine closer to home, Southwest Gwinnett magazine sought out local restaurateurs and dug into some of the history behind the bold flavors.
Variations on similar ingredients
The Caribbean, a region located between North and South America, is made up of 13 independent countries and several territories:
- Independent countries: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago
- Territories: Anguilla, Aruba, Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Saint Martin/Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands and other dependencies and municipalities
Although local produce plays a big part, Caribbean cuisine as a whole is a vibrant tapestry woven from the rich cultural heritage of the islands, as well as the region’s complex history of colonization and cultural exchange. African, European, Indigenous and Asian culinary traditions are all reflected in foods of the Caribbean.
Common ingredients include rice, beans, cassava, cilantro, bell peppers, chickpeas, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and coconut. The cooking methods, levels of heat, variations of spices and other factors take those staples in many different directions.
More than jerk
When many people consider Caribbean food, the first thing that comes to mind is Jamaica and perhaps its most famous dish — jerk chicken. But according to Reid, there is much more to her island home than spicy barbecue.
One of Kool Runnings most popular dishes is the Rasta pasta. A fusion of Italian and Jamaican flavors, the dish is penne pasta tossed with a jerk-infused cream sauce and colorful bell peppers.
“That’s a good introduction to Jamaican food,” said Reid. “It’s a little bit of the familiar with that extra little bit of Jamaican flair. It’s colorful, it’s very healthy tasting and it’s not as spicy as traditional jerk.”
The pepper of choice in Jamaican cuisine is the Scotch bonnet, which measures 100,000–350,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) — making it 40 times hotter than the jalapeño, which typically measures 2,500–8,000 SHU. There’s a fruitiness to the pepper though, and the heat comes at the back end.
Still, Reid suggests washing down the meal with the famous Red Stripe beer or any other cold beverage to help with the heat.
Curries and more
For those who may be a little sensitive to spicier foods, curries are another Jamaican staple.
“There were so many different cultures that [helped] make up Jamaica,” she said. “It was like a trading post, and all kinds of spices were introduced.”
Indian influences brought about curries — from chicken to goat to chickpeas.
“We took the basic curry and made it our own,” Reid added.
With many people forgoing meat, Kool Runnings sells a lot of curried chickpeas. While naturally low in saturated fat, chickpeas are nutrient dense. They provide nearly 20 grams of protein in a half-cup serving, along with five grams of dietary fiber. That’s more protein than a boiled egg.
But Reid said many vegetarians enter the restaurant and revert to what she calls “flexitarians.”
“They’ll order rice and peas and ask for oxtail gravy,” she chuckled. “They don’t want to eat the actual meat, but the gravy is so good they can’t resist.”
Two countries, one island
Cristino Hiraldo had been studying medicine in his home county of Dominican Republic while working at a restaurant at the airport to support himself and his family. A car accident caused him to lose sight in one eye, and that derailed his medical career. Looking to change directions, he moved to the U.S. in November 2002. His wife and children came later in February 2003.
Having a passion for food and the skills obtained in the restaurant, Hiraldo found work at different Dominican restaurants in the area. When a place he was working at closed down, he decided to sell meals out of his house.
“A lot of people got used to his flavors and the way that he cooked, so it was pretty successful,” said his son, Cristian Hiraldo Garcia.
Although his dishes were based mainly on the cuisine he grew up on, he added a few touches from his training in international dining. Word of mouth kept the family busy, and soon they had saved enough to purchase a stand-alone restaurant that was going out of business.
Café Dominican
Since Café Dominican is open for breakfast, Milagros Garcia, Cristino Hiraldo’s wife and the restaurant’s co-owner, suggested serving traditional mangú tres golpes. Tres golpes means “three hits,” and the dish is considered the breakfast of kings.
It consists of mangú, or mashed plantains, queso de freir (a white cheese that gets crispy when fried because of its high melting point), fried salami and eggs. The dish is often topped off with tangy, pickled red onions to balance the richness.
Those familiar with Puerto Rican food may mistake mangú for mofongo. Although they both start with raw plantain, they end up very different. Mangú consists of boiled mashed plantains (green or ripe) mixed with butter, garlic and salt.
Shared roots, different flavors
The Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, so much of the food has similar roots but tastes decidedly different. A typical Haitian lunch is rice and beans, also known as riz et pois. Traditionally, it was meant to provide crucial carbohydrates to field workers. It is often preceded by a plate of viv — boiled plantains, boiled roots and tubers and meat.
Another must-have Dominican dish is la bandera, a traditional Dominican lunch. This dish’s name translates to “the flag” because its elements are meant to depict the colors of the Dominican flag (red, white and blue). Traditionally, the main ingredients are white rice, red kidney beans (although they can be substituted with black beans or pigeon peas) and either chicken or beef. This dish is paired with some type of salad and, quite often, tostones (fried green plantain).
Contact information
Kool Runnings
5450 Peachtree Pkwy., Norcross
(770) 441-0207 • For orders: (770) 441-0206
Café Dominican
4650 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Norcross
(770) 758-3374
Popular local eateries round out seven-vendor lineup at Politan Row at The Forum, slated to debut early 2025
Food hall veteran and hospitality operator Politan Group is gearing up to open its third Atlanta-area Politan Row in Peachtree Corners in early 2025.
The company recently announced four more concepts joining Politan Row at The Forum, including Chef Helio Bernal’s Boca Taqueria, Alice and Joey Lee’s Kimchi Red, Cassidy Jones’ LOL Burger Bar and Abdul and Rabia Siddiqui’s Sahirah Kebab & Curry.
“Following the success of Politan Row at Colony Square, it was a no-brainer to partner with Politan Group on bringing this experience to Peachtree Corners,” said Adam Schwegman, director and head of retail leasing at Jamestown. “This destination is much more than your average food hall, and we can’t wait for the community to get a taste of what these local chefs will be serving up in downtown PTC.”
Boca Taqueria and Kimchi Red
Boca Taqueria —Peachtree Corners resident, Chef Helio Bernal, launched his career in 2017 with The Real Mexican Vittles, a pop-up cart and food truck business focused primarily on serving bites around the Atlanta brewery scene.
On the heels of its success, Bernal opened Summerhill’s Boca Cocina de Barrio in 2022, his first brick and mortar location with a full menu and craft bar offering Mexican cuisine like birria tacos, queso fundido and enmoladas. An offshoot of his Summerhill location, Boca Taqueria will be Bernal’s first counter-service restaurant in his own neighborhood.
Kimchi Red —With two existing Georgia suburb locations, local owners Alice and Joey Lee will debut their third installment of Kimchi Red in Peachtree Corners.Ranked number one of 25 on Yelp’s “Top Spots for Fried Chicken in the United States,” Kimchi Red is best known for its Korean fried chicken.
The menu features family-style portions of fried chicken paired with unique flavors such as a honey butter balsamic glaze, kimchi, onion stir-fry sauce and more. Additional offerings include kimchi fried rice, signature plates with proteins like bulgogi or skirt steak and specialty noodle dishes.
LOL Burger Bar and Sahirah Kebab & Curry
LOL Burger Bar — Newnan, Georgia native, Cassidy Jones, always felt the pull of entrepreneurship, so in 2022,she dove in headfirst with the opening of LOL Burger Bar in West Midtown. Jones’ LOL stands for “live out loud,” and at her restaurant, the staff strives to follow that motto by creating memorable guest experiences with every visit.
On the menu, customers can choose from a selection of signature griddled burgers loaded with interesting toppings like macaroni and cheese and pulled pork or try something more classic like a traditional cheeseburger. Chicken wings, fries and milkshakes are also available. This expansion marks the second location for the brand and first foray into a suburban market.
Sahirah Kebab & Curry —Sahirah Kebab & Curry is a fast-casual Indian restaurant led by husband-wife team Abdul and Rabia Siddiqui. The duo has been cooking for many years in notable Atlanta restaurants, with the former most recently holding chef positions at Tabla and Blue India.
Guests can expect prominent Indian cuisine favorites such as curries, samosas and biryani. This restaurant will be the Siddiqui’s second location, marking their first expansion out of Politan Row at Colony Square.
Full lineup of restaurants
These businesses join previously announced 26 Thai Kitchen & Bar, Gekko Kitchen and Sheesh Mediterranean to round out the seven-vendor lineup at Politan Row at The Forum, in addition to Italian-American family restaurant and wine bar, Millie’s Pizzeria, which will be housed in a standalone building adjacent to the food hall.
Redevelopment at The Forum
Politan Row at The Forum’s opening will mark another significant milestone in the property’s ongoing redevelopment, started by North American Properties’ Atlanta subsidiary (NAP Atlanta) last spring.
NAP Atlanta was acquired by global, design-focused real estate investment and management firm Jamestown in October 2024. Jamestown is now an investor in The Forum, through an affiliate, and oversees management along with retail leasing.
About The Forum Peachtree Corners
The Forum Peachtree Corners (The Forum) is a 500,000-square-foot outdoor lifestyle center originally opened in 2002.
Today, The Forum is home to 100,000 square feet of office, 10,000 square feet of community gathering space and nearly 70 retailers, restaurants and service providers, with more to come as part of an ongoing redevelopment project designed to transform the property into a mixed-use destination. The Forum is owned by Nuveen Real Estate and Jamestown through a joint venture partnership.
For more information and to stay updated on the latest property news and happenings, follow The Forum on Facebook, Instagram and X or visit theforumpeachtree.com.
About Politan Row
Politan Row is a talent-driven food hall platform. Founded in 2014, they create design-forward destinations for the culinarily curious, offering an elevated food hall experience that encourages the exploration of shareable dishes in beautiful, inviting and communal spaces.
Their mission is to serve people who crave unique flavors, experiences and ideas while creating opportunities for local food and beverage talent to showcase their creativity and advance their careers. For more information, visit politanrow.com.
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