‘We always overcome adversity’: Chef says he will overcome after fire burns down his restaurant

ATLANTA — Jay John, owner of a popular Jamaican restaurant Dat Fire Jerk Chicken, says he has always been able to overcome life’s troubles. 

It’s all thanks to his upbringing.

“That comes from my great Jamaican parents. We’re a small island, but we do big things across the world,” said John.

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Chef John attended Clark Atlanta University which is not far from his restaurant.

He has done big things along Northside Drive in Southwest Atlanta at his restaurant Dat Fire Jerk Chicken, and after nine years of hard work, it went up in smoke over the weekend. 

According to John, the accidental fire started in their smoke shack shortly before noon. He said they were in the middle of grilling food for the day when the fire started and got out of hand.

Thankfully, nobody was hurt.  

The building may be gone, but not the chef’s food truck—and certainly not lots of longtime and loyal customers.

“We’re sad about what happened, so we’re out here trying to show support the best way we can,” customer Mariah Durrah said.

The chef says he’ll keep cooking and working out of the truck while he rebuilds.

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“My parents immigrated to this country and we always overcome adversity. We turn small things into successful things,” John said.

The owner said in a statement on Sunday that they are declaring #DatFireWillRiseAgain.

There’s a fundraiser to help, click here.

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