Relax, you’re on island time!” The sentiment expressed on the board above the counter is a grounding suggestion in Park City where a restless sensibility often permeates the mountain community. 11Hauz is the antidote, a family-run restaurant where authentic Jamaican cuisine and a Caribbean vibe encourage you to let go of your responsibilities for a few minutes over a plate of jerk chicken.
Under One Roof:
The 11Hauz Family
The extended family at 11Hauz. Back Row, Left to Right: Tanisha Hamil Workman (partner); Nyesha Hamil (partner); Anita Hamil Reid (chef); Ricardo Reid (dishwasher); Yanique Bland (sous chef); Sheron Grant (partner); Vercelli (dishwasher); Henerieta Bay Davis (sous chef) Middle Row: Errol Grant (partner) Front Row: Aiden Reid (grandson)
“We wanted the restaurant to be a foundation to show how a family can build and be successful as a team,” Hamil says. “The people who know you best are family, so who better to partner with?”
11Hauz started out as a stand at the Park Silly Sunday Market where Sheron Grant and her husband Errol would set up the kitchen from scratch on Main Street each Sunday. Its origins, however, go much further back. Sheron grew up in Mount Salem Jamaica, where she learned to cook by watching her grandmother Florence Harding, a chef and the sole provider, make meals for the family of 11. Grant brought her grandmother’s recipes and techniques along when she moved her own family from Montego Bay to the U.S.
“My mom was a traveling nurse, and she spent some time working in Utah while we were living in Brooklyn, New York,” says Tanisha Hamil, Grant’s daughter and partner at 11Hauz. “She told us though it wasn’t tropical, the mountains reminded her of Jamaica. We flew out to see it and got a place here in Jeremy Ranch 12 years ago, all because of my mom.”
Though the recipes are each imbued with Harding’s fingerprints and Grant’s creativity, every family member contributes to the menu, the entirety of which is made from scratch. The Jamaican flatbread that comes with the roti curry is sweet, stretchy and outrageously tasty when soaked in the stew. The jerk chicken is a delectable mainstay with a side of rice and plantain, and the weekly specials—particularly Monday’s traditional ackee and saltfish and Thursday’s oxtail—are a great conduit to explore Jamaican cuisine. Of course you can wash it all down with a Red Stripe.
“We live in a five-star world, but for us it’s not about getting a five-star rating. All we care about is sharing good, authentic food and giving back to the community,” Hamil explains. Still, at the time of this writing, every single one of the 42 Yelp reviews for 11Hauz is a five-star endorsement.
Tony Gill is the outdoor and Park City editor for Salt Lake Magazine and previously toiled as editor-in-chief of Telemark Skier Magazine. Most of his time ignoring emails is spent aboard an under-geared single-speed on the trails above his home.
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