Local restaurant owner told to remove patio grill

Until two weeks ago, smells of jerk chicken wafted along King Street East in Cambridge.

Orville Edwards grilled the food in front of his authentic Caribbean restaurant, Silver Spoon.

“People would say, ‘Oh my God, I really want to taste the chicken,” he told CityNews.

Edwards had been making jerk chicken since 1995 in Jamaica, before opening his Cambridge restaurant in 2018. The grilled jerk chicken out front attracted customers and helped the business through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This brings the business,” he said. “People love it … They love the smell.”

He added the chicken also brings back a lot of memories for people from the Caribbean.

But two weeks ago, the city bylaw acted on neighbours’ complaints of Silver Spoon’s smoke and loud music. Upon investigating the smoke, bylaw officers saw the barbeque and informed Edwards it needed to be removed due to the bylaw that barbeques and outdoor cooking appliances are not permitted.

So, Edwards has been barbequing from behind his restaurant, worrying that customers won’t feel the same draw to Silver Spoon that they used to.

“They think I’m closed or they think I’m not [cooking],” he said.

Councilor Corey Kimpson has been working with Edwards regarding the bylaw. She said the Region of Waterloo needs to be contacted to provide an amendment or change to Silver Spoon’s patio permit.

“Everyone’s aware that they do have large numbers of supporters who love their food, they love the culture and the diversity that they bring to our community,” said Kimpson. “We simply want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to support them and help them to thrive.”