Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Jamaican Cuisine Missed By Students, Evanston Community

By Katie EuphratThe Daily Northwestern

Even a month after the downtown Evanston restaurant Jamaica Gates closed, passers-by still are doing double-takes as they look through the eatery’s windows at the dark, cleared- out interior.

Neighboring businesses and local customers said the locked door, “closed” sign, and over-night move-out from 618 Church St. was unannounced and unexpected.

The owner of Jamaica Gates, Daisy Clarke, fell significantly behind in rent and was released from her lease on Jan. 31, said Alan Didesch, legal counsel for Wilmette Real Estate and Management Company, which worked with Clarke in closing the restaurant. He said Jamaica Gates might have been closed for at least two weeks prior to the release.

Didesch said Clarke had come into his office to ask whether she could get out of her lease legally. He said she could, and about a week later Clark packed up and left overnight.

“As soon as she opened, she was having problems with rent, and at some point she fell behind in excess of $20,000 of debt,” said Didesch. “She was given a grace period to start paying rent anew, but my guess is that she probably was paying off all the restaurant equipment, which is rather expensive.”

The Daily could not locate Clarke for comment. She opened the restaurant in August 2005.

Wilmette Real Estate is buying equipment such as fryers and freezers and will keep it in the kitchen to increase the value of the property for the next potential restaurant tenant.

Wilmette Real Estate has offered Clarke $10,000 for the equipment, but she has not yet contacted them to claim her money or to sign the final contracts, Didesch said.

The window, decorated with the colors of the Jamaican flag, still proclaims Jamaica Gates as “The Real Taste of Jamaica.” But as of Feb. 2, a notice posted on the door says, “It is unlawful to operate a food-handling establishment on these premises without prior approval of the Evanston Health and Human Services Department.”

Carla Bush, chief of community health services for Evanston, said the sign is simply a warning for potential new tenants and is unrelated to the closing of Jamaica Gates.

“They closed under their own power,” Bush said. “Nothing was wrong with the sanitation. They just closed up and locked up, and we didn’t get a notice they were closed until after they were gone.”

Managers of neighboring restaurants such as The Celtic Knot Public House and La Petite Amelia reported good relations with the owner and good personal dining experiences. Sunny Sharma, manager of the neighboring restaurant Mt. Everest, said Jamaica Gates was too casual and unprofessional for the Evanston clientele.

“There were no waitresses and only five or six tables,” Sharma said. “It was family-run. Clarke’s daughter was the main worker every day, after she got back from her nursing job..”

Some customers said they enjoyed the casual setting. Weinberg sophomore Kyle Jacobson said he was sad to see the unique Jamaican taste leave Evanston. Jacobson often stopped by in the summer to chat with the owner’s son about the World Cup.

“The service was nice and relaxed,” Jacobson said. “I liked that they didn’t put on a fancy facade. That area is so full of heavily branded restaurants like Cosi and Flat Top, so it was a shame to see a more independent place like this one get shut down.”

Cameel Halim, owner of the Carlson Building, where Jamaican Gates was located, said he was surprised when Jamaica Gates vacated the space.

Halim is finalizing plans for a future restaurant at the site and predicted a fast-food business will move into the space within two to three months.

“Clarke was a wonderful person, and she put everything she had into her restaurant,” said Halim. “But the restaurant business is tough, so some make it and some just don’t.”

Reach Katie Euphrat at [email protected].

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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881
Jamaican Cuisine Missed By Students, Evanston Community