Atlanta hooked on Jamaican jerk chicken Cornelious Moore serving pieces of ‘yaad’ in Atlanta

On weekends, a local gas station in Atlanta, Georgia transforms into a mini-Jamaican jerk centre, with music blaring and lines of hungry customers often stretching around the corner.

Behind the sizzling operation is 33-year-old Jamaican Cornelious Moore, who has been serving up authentic island flavours for the past two years. Moore said the business has grown far beyond what he initially expected, with customers regularly forming long lines that wrap around the gas station and, at times, spill onto the roadway.

“We operate from a gas station that we got permit for,” he said, adding that “sometimes the traffic is out on the road”.

He recalled occasions when patrons remained in line despite rainy conditions, underscoring the popularity of Moore Town Jerk.

In describing the atmosphere on operating days, he said, “smoke flying in the air like Half-Way Tree. You smell the jerk chicken from a mile and people are talking. Jamaicans are linking up. It starting to get cold and the lines are getting longer.”

According to Moore, the venture, which launched about two years ago, gained momentum largely through word-of-mouth recommendations before attracting significant attention online and going viral, generating overwhelming customer interest and support.

“The reaction is always crazy,” he said.

Still, Moore, who studied information technology and works as a contractor manager for a telecommunications provider, never imagined that owning a food business would be in his future.

“I am always the one jumping around the jerk pan, never thinking about opening a restaurant because I don’t have any background in that. But, living in America, there is just a scarcity of authentic food,” he said.

Moore grew up in Hill Top, Belfield, St Mary where farming was a way of life for his family. His parents cultivated and sold crops including yam, banana, plantain, watermelon and callaloo, and many of his fondest childhood memories are rooted in farm life, enjoying fresh produce and spending time at nearby rivers and beaches. He said those early experiences helped shape his strong work ethic and instilled in him a deep sense of pride in his Jamaican heritage.

He told THE STAR that his journey into the food business began at birthday celebrations and barbeques.

“I did jerk chicken and people just went crazy and tell a friend and then people started requesting me to do a pan, and it just started.”

But, while opening a food business was never part of his original plan, Moore, who is a father of three, shared that his passion for jerk cooking was rooted in his childhood. Growing up in St Mary, he was surrounded by the rich culinary traditions of his Maroon heritage.

“My grandfather was a Maroon, he would dig a hole and put a pig inside of it with pimento and everything like that. We grew up on that and, while none of family owned a jerk centre, I grew up literally across from that,” Moore said.

Now living in the United States, Moore said he remains committed to bringing authentic Jamaican jerk to his customers, carefully preserving the flavours and techniques he grew up around.

Although he is keeping some of his family’s secrets close to his chest, he said the key to getting the taste right lies in the seasoning and marination process.

“The part I can share is that our marination process, we don’t marinate for less than six days, and we make all the seasons from scratch, “ he said.