Today we’d like to introduce you to Fabian And Erica Gayle.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
If we are honest, the story begins prior to us ever meeting. Fabian started out being in the kitchen as a kid prepping things his mom told him to. He’d then go on to work in various kitchens, including one with his godmother in New York during the major holiday of Labor Day. Erica started out watching her mom cooking meals from scratch, learning to serve others in the church kitchen in a Baptist church, and then customer service in a fast food restaurant as a teenager. We met in 2018, and on one of our first dates, Fabian cooked Jamaican brown stew chicken, and Erica was smitten from the first bite. In 2019, we bounced the idea around of doing a food trailer, setting up at gas stations or just going out and selling food, but it was just a conversation that did not take off any further. We then moved to the Aubrey area in the fall of 2021, we were both working as property claims adjusters. We worked almost 80+ hour weeks, and really didn’t have time to do much of anything. Fast forward to August of 2023, and the idea to cook came to Erica after some quiet time reading scripture. “Cook some food and sell some plates,” is what was heard very clearly. Erica began researching costs, wrote it all down, and went to Fabian saying that there was no turning back from the idea, that we had to cook some food and sell some plates. The Lord was very clear about it. This was to be done with the jobs we were working, small children under 5 we were raising, a teenager, and managing a growing photography business. It was a very rocky start too. We did not see eye to eye that very first day, even to the point in which Fabian stated he would not do it again. We look back to that day now and here we are, almost 2 years later, still going. The first day we launched, we cooked out of our house, had people come pick up the food, having no idea what we were actually doing. However, it went so well that we had people returning for more food, we completely sold out that first day. From then on, Jamaican Me Full starting becoming the fun, catchy name and duo everyone started to get to know. The demand has only grown. We went from just selling plates to selling out at neighborhood community events, to catering events, small and large, as well as our random pop up lunch/dinner deliveries.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. From miscommunication issues to financial instability at times, it has been a rocky journey. As we stated, the very first day, Fabian was not going to continue after that day. We got into a heated argument and just could not come back from it until we finished the day out, and couldn’t believe what we accomplished. At the start of it all, we were adjusters with a hefty income, so we definitely did not begin this for financial purposes. However, not even a month into the start, Fabian was released from his adjusting job. We thought it was just a sign for him to begin cooking more and that Erica would just continue on working the adjusting job and assisting as possible, but then a couple of weeks after Fabian’s release, Erica was also released. Thankfully we had saved up a bit and had enough funds through those next few months. It’s not cheap to pour into a food business, no matter what people may see with sales. Overhead was a big deal in the beginning. We had bills to pay, mouths to feed, and were trying not to allow the stress of everything come between us in a time we needed to work together the most. We’ve attempted to get loans to grow the business, and that’s a whole other aspect. Dealt with shady merchant services for payment processing. Even with the steady projected growth, things here and there would almost discourage us from moving forward with it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We do catering, deliveries, and meal prepping as requested. The work is most definitely crafted by the hands of Fabian. He specializes in Jamaican food, but it’s the jerk chicken that is the star. There have been so many compliments of not just the flavor and authenticity of the chicken, but how moist it stays even when it’s eaten the next day or so for leftovers. He is most proud of doing something he’s been told he was good at but never wanted to do. Erica is most proud that we found our niche and grew something together that will be long-term. Our girls are so fascinated and always say they want to cook and go out for the deliveries. We are set apart from others because we are a husband and wife duo that not only do the cooking together with this business, but also are photographers. We are able to take our own photos of the food, representing how we want it to be shared. We take the photos, videos, social media content creation, all things in-house. We also deliver the food ourselves and get to meet our customers on a regular basis. They know us not only by name, but personally, face to face. You won’t find another Jamaican food service that is doing that.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
From Fabian’s point of view, the most important lesson he has learned is that God has a way of getting his attention by giving directions to his wife to pass along to him. The most important lesson we have learned together along this journey is that obedience and faith go hand in hand. When an idea comes from a place that may have been discussed at some point in time, and then turns into an urgency to actually do, that is something that needs to be acknowledged. We absolutely were not thinking about starting another business, especially one that involves food handling. We certainly did not want to work together after we concluded how difficult the other could be to work with, so we played it safe. You begin to take notice of the areas in life you become comfortable with, like working a 9-to-5, knowing a paycheck is going to come in. Then completely adhering to the Holy Spirit telling you to do something, only to then lose the 9-to-5 you had gotten so accustomed to doing. We’ve also learned that even when it seems impossible to work together, God will make sure to put us in situations where it is no longer a choice.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/JamaicanMeFull
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Jamaican-Me-Full-LLC/61558585722021/?_rdr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jamaican-me-full/?viewAsMember=true
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jamaicanmefull
- Other: https://Instagram.com/efg_visuals
Image Credits
Fabian and Erica Gayle, EFG Visuals
