At Belltown Jerk Shack, Seattle Chef Trey Lamont Is Making Caribbean Food His Way
The chef is looking to the islands for inspiration
By Chelsea Lin August 8, 2018
This article originally appeared in the August 2018 issue of Seattle magazine.
This article appears in print in the August 2018 issue. Click here to subscribe.
Trey Lamont’s name is scrawled above the Jerk Shack’s name on his Belltown signage—as in Trey Lamont’s Jerk Shack, as in this isn’t just any restaurant, but his restaurant. In conversation, he’s very clear that this is his food: Caribbean-influenced, intensely flavorful, all made from scratch down to grinding the spices for the jerk rub and churning the ice cream for dessert.
“I love cooking everything,” Lamont says. “I think cooking is one of the most natural things for me—tasting things, smelling things. Some people can hear a song and play it without taking a lesson in their lives. I think I have the ability to taste something and go and make it.”
The chef, born and raised in Seattle, has been working in kitchens since he was just 14. Yet he didn’t start cooking Caribbean food until he realized how much he missed Caribbean flavors after returning from vacations visiting family on the islands.
First came Papa Bois, a food truck he launched in 2012. Then, the owners of three restaurants/bars (The Innkeeper, Black Bottle and Bar Vacilando) came calling, asking if he’d take over The Innkeeper and infuse the menu with the Caribbean fusion diners love from his food truck. (He’s quick to point out his food is a fusion of the different islands’ cuisines and not Asian fusion, which he often reads in reviews.)
Crispy fried whitefish is a crowd favorite. Photograph by Alex Crook
He didn’t so much take over The Innkeeper as completely revamp it into the Jerk Shack. The vibe inside is as chill as you’d expect—vibrant with mustard and turquoise to offset the omnipresent Seattle gray—and bigger than the name implies. Cocktails are fruity but pack a powerful punch. Frequently, Lamont himself brings plates to the table. Just don’t ask him what his favorite dishes are: “It’s like choosing between your children!” Diners lean toward the unbattered, spice-rubbed jerk fried chicken ($20), but I loved the fried fillets of whitefish ($17) with plantains most. Don’t miss the dipping sauces—they’re all excellent.
Follow Us
Hometown Harvest
Canlis finds inspiration—and a new chef—in its own backyard.
For most of its history, Canlis has looked for inspiration both far and wide. The iconic fine-dining restaurant, perched on the edge of Queen Anne with sweeping views of Lake Union, helped define Pacific Northwest cuisine by marrying global influences with a reverence for craft and service. Now, however, as it marks a milestone 75th…
Industry Entrees
Seattle’s newest spots to eat, drink, and gather with friends.
De La Soil Kenmore Inside copperworks distilling Co.’s spacious Kenmore location along the Burke-Gilman Trail, De La Soil is a relaxed, community-driven, farm‑to‑table kitchen run by chef duo Cody and Andrea Westerfield (Lecosho, Serafina Osteria). Their focus is on seasonal, hyper‑local produce—almost entirely sourced from Tuk Muk Farm in nearby Woodinville—styled into approachable counter‑service dishes….
Sound Bites
New restaurants, a music venue and a nod to Ballard’s history
Just a few blocks from Lumen Field, Four Diamonds quietly took over the former Local Bigger Burger space at Second Avenue South and South Washington Street this spring. Serving pho, banh mi, vermicelli bowls and other Vietnamese standards in a streamlined space, the shop’s got a few unusual menu items too, like a saucy shrimp…
Restaurant Roundup: Panda Fest, Canlis Chooses a Chef, and Good Voyage
One of Seattle’s most resilient restaurants is open and hitting its stride
The best salads are a bit like summer: filled with bright and flavorful produce and definitely not soggy. If you’re looking to toss that questionably healthy hodgepodge you made at home, lettuce point you in the right direction. And while we’re at it, here are some other fresh Seattle food finds to stick your fork…