Sometimes you just want to have a meal that is delicious and different and made with specialty foods from another culture. How about Jamaican food because now there is a very accomplished Jamaican chef working in Barryville who can show diners why Jamaican cuisine is so wonderful. The most interesting aspect of Jamaican food culture is that the cuisine is prepared using styles and spices and flavors from around the world. Because of the cultural history of the Caribbean, the food is this marvelous mix of fresh food and cooking influences from the Middle East, Africa, China, and all locations in between. It is a literal melting pot of culinary history in every dish. Many dishes use ingredients instantly recognizable to foodies as being Caribbean: rice, jerk spices, a variety of beans, cilantro, peppers and coconut. 

Tamara Olliviere is the new chef at the four-star Barryville Oasis Restaurant. Growing up in Kingston the capital of Jamaica on the southeastern coastline, she learned to cook in her mother Charmaine’s kitchen and was taught about cooking methods, spices, sauces and food. “Jamaicans cook using fresh local ingredients and cook with beef, pork, chicken, and a variety of seafoods and make meals not only for our family but also something extra for someone who may just stop by she told me. For us meals are an easy relaxing social time with great food and conversation.” Tamara told me that where her family lived in Kingston is very similar to this region in Sullivan County where we are surrounded by bountiful farmland having a great supply of fresh foods. Tamara’s Jamaican touch is now evident in the new menu items at the Oasis. You can order jerk chicken, rasta pasta, grits and shrimp, chicken and waffles, Tamara’s steak and eggs in a delicious spicy sauce, jerk mushroom fried rice, a fried chicken sandwich in a Caribbean mustard sauce, and Tamara is hoping to have weekend Jamaican seafood specials soon. The Oasis owner John Pizzolato told me that he is “so happy that Chef Tamara loves it here in Highland as much as we do and has brought her delicious Jamaican food to Barryville. Her innovative cuisine reflects her cherished Caribbean roots and pairs so well with our local New York State ciders.” Just imagine tucking into a delicious dinner of jerk chicken with a cold blackberry cider on the side! The restaurant is located in the former D+R garage that has been renovated into a very comfortable bar, lounge and restaurant with an extensive menu and specialty drinks and curated cocktails. The Oasis is also still a gas station (open 24 hours), a convenience store featuring premade fresh sandwiches on the weekends and household essentials, a travel shop with auto supplies as well as the restaurant and take outs are available. It is located at 3392 Route 97 in Barryville and is very easy to spot because of the giant camel on the roof which is not something you see every day here in the Catskills. The hours are Mondays-12-10pm, Thursdays 5-10pm Fridays 12-12am, Saturdays 11-12am and Sundays 11-10pm- closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. For more information go to the Barryville Oasis on Facebook or to schedule a special event email barryvilleoasis@gmail.com.