Pimento Nyam Opens in Boxville

Patrick Tyler, also known as Chef Prep, is the owner of Pimento Nyam an Island Fusion Restaurant located at Boxville. PHOTO PROVIDED BY PATRICK TYLER
Patrick Tyler, also known as Chef Prep, is the owner of Pimento Nyam an Island Fusion Restaurant located at Boxville. PHOTO PROVIDED BY PATRICK TYLER

Pimento Nyam Opens in Boxville


By Tia Carol Jones

Patrick Tyler’s earliest food memories are going to his grandfather’s house on the weekends and his grandfather making him and his brother food from what he had in the pantry. It was his first lesson in how, in the culinary arts, you could make something delicious out of very little. That experience also made him curious about what ingredients were used in dishes.

Tyler, who goes by Chef Prep, recently opened Pimento Nyam at Boxville, which is located at 330 E. 51st St. The name Pimento Nyam comes from pimento, a spice from the pimento tree, which is also called allspice, and Nyam, which means “eat” in Caribbean. The goal of Pimento Nyam is not just to provide a dining experience, but to create joy in eating the food that is offered.

Chef Prep began cooking for his family when he was a teenager, watching cooking shows on the Food Network to learn different skills and techniques. Tyler graduated from Washburne Culinary and Hospitality Institute. He made the decision to go to culinary school after working as a prep cook at a bar and grill and being encouraged to go by a chef there.

“When that chef saw something in me, I knew I wanted to go to culinary school,” Chef Prep said.

Working in different restaurants enabled him to further his education in culinary while he was being paid. He went on to become a line cook and from there, he kept moving through the ranks in his culinary journey. During that journey he received a key piece of advice: “It’s OK to mess up, we can always start over.”

He said while in the food and drink industry, there is a perfectionist mindset that goes along with the craft, a person beating themselves up when they make mistakes can discourage them from continuing in the industry. He said that in messing up, he has learned valuable lessons. That advice, took a lot of pressure and anxiety from him. He said that the chef seeing that he wanted to get it right gave him the encouragement he needed to keep going.

Chef Prep grew up eating Caribbean, Jamaican and Haitian food. He was asked by a friend to cater a birthday party for her father with a jerk menu. Tyler said he doesn’t like some jerk marinades, because the emphasis is on spice first and flavor second. In doing his research, he found a flavor profile that combines Haitian spices and Jamaican spices together in a marinade.

“This is just me trying to pay homage to that. It’s my way of connecting myself to it. I’m just an African American young man, but when I cook pimento nyam, I’m surprised at how many people ask me ‘did you grow up in Jamaica, are you from the islands? Because your flavor profile of your food is reflective of somebody that had to have grown up in that culture,’” he said.

Pimento Nyam’s signature dish is the rice bowl. Chef Prep’s favorite dish is the nachos. He said while the dish is simple, it is packed with flavor, using kale, black beans and a mango pico de gallo. Both the rice bowl and the nachos are available with different proteins. He wants to provide options that are healthy and flavorful. He wants to introduce the concept of nutritional intelligence, where people can identify the nutritional value of the ingredients of the food.

“That’s why I’m bringing Pimento Nyam to Bronzeville, not only do I want to make money, but I want to make sure when you eat this I’m giving something to your body that’s beyond just having a flavor aspect to it,” he said.

Chef Prep said it feels great to have his own spot in Boxville. He didn’t want a brick and mortar or a food truck, but he did want to share his food with the public. He said the concept of Boxville, the shipping container that is in a permanent location where people can walk up to and order food. He said Boxville, which is part of Urban Juncture’s Build Bronzeville Initiative, also helps start-up businesses by providing resources that help entrepreneurs and promote the partners at the location.

“Not only do I have a place where I cook food, I have a place where I can learn business, I have a place where resources for startups and new business owners is available to me, so I can ensure my success and longevity,” Chef Prep said.

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