Camden’s high streets draw on culinary traditions from every corner of the globe, almost every high street will have a unique specialist dining experience. None more so than the stretch on Camden Road, below the iconic railway bridge. Here one of the borough’s proudest chefs has made his mark on Camden’s rich culinary scene by opening Rogers Kitchen, a modern and elegant Caribbean eatery, which brings home-cooked Jamaican recipes to an eclectic range of clients.
“I started work for me cousin, like washing up plates in Mango Room,” Roger Shakes, owner and head chef tells us. “Until I end up the head chef”. The now-defunct Mango Room was one of London’s most celebrated Caribbean restaurants, known for its array of celebrity customers. “I got some experience combining some European with Caribbean food and that’s what we been doing for years.” Rogers journey as a chef started back in his native Jamaica. “I been cooking since I was 12, I got most of this from my grandparents. Just family cooking, we come from a poor background, grew up on the farm, in de hills, maybe 15 people live in one house, there was always cooking going on”. Roger recalls for the family, food was a time to connect “You always have them special days, like on a Sunday morning everybody come together”.
Today, Roger’s Kitchen prepares a more high-end menu than back home, which has brought the celebrity clientele following from the Mango Room days to Rogers Kitchen, but the original influences are still there. “My food ain’t cheap, I’ll say that… but most of the flavours are from my grandparents, that’s what you can’t take away from me. “It’s not just about make it pretty on the plate, it’s about the taste. Sometimes it’s not even about money, it’s about making people happy”.
“It’s not just about make it pretty on the plate, it’s about the taste. Sometimes it’s not even about money, it’s about making people happy”
Roger Shakes, founder of Roger’s Kitchen
