Vegan Gas Station Café Crowned Best Caribbean Restaurant in Orlando

Vegan café DaJen Eats has been crowned the Best Caribbean Restaurant during this year’s Best of Orlando, Reader’s Choice competition hosted by Orlando Weekly. Jenn Ross opened DaJen Eats inside a Lee Citgo gas station in Orlando, FL last year where she served Jamaican-inspired dishes such as Crispy Chick’n Biscuit Sammiches, Buffalo Po’ Boys, Spicy Jerk Chicken Sandwiches, and her own line of housemade vegan ice cream (called “irie” cream). “I am so proud to represent my granny’s love expressions through food, replicating her down-home flavors in plant-powered ways,” Ross says. “What a powerful nod to the vegan world when our vegan Caribbean food is simply considered ‘food.’” In June, Ross closed the gas station location of DaJen Eats to expand the concept to a full-service restaurant in Eatonville, FL—a historic black neighborhood where Ross continues to serve her award-winning, Jamaican food.