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The Main Media Inc. 2026

✦ Built By Field Office
    The Main

    Montreal's Cultural Directory

    Help us improve! Share your thoughts on how we can make your experience better.

    Leave feedback

    For partnerships and collaborations:

    partnerships@themain.com

    Content

    • Articles
    • Food & Drink
    • Arts & Culture
    • History Lesson
    • Bulletin
    • Events

    Guides

    • All Guides
    • Best Restaurants
    • Best Cafés
    • Best Bars
    • Best Brunch
    • Best Bakeries

    Explore Montreal

    • Browse Directory
    • Restaurants
    • Bars
    • Cafés
    • Bookstores
    • Leaderboard
    • Editor's Picks
    • New Places

    About

    • About us
    • Subscribe
    • Shop
    • Advertise
    • Pitch us
    • RSS Feed

    Legal

    • Terms of service
    • Membership Terms
    • Privacy Policy
    Follow us
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    The Main Media Inc. 2026

    ✦ Built By Field Office
      --°C|Sunday, April 19, 2026|
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      Subscribe today to get 3 free articles per month.ROYALMOUNT Wants to Be Your Dining Destination for a Whole MonthGet 50% off your first 5 rides with Lyft
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      • Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
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      How Boom J's Went From a Home Kitchen to a Jamaican Institution
      At the original Pointe-Saint-Charles location where it all started. | Photography by Eva Blue / @evablue

      Discover the places mentioned in this story

      Boom J's

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      Jermaine Wallace puts the 'J' in Boom J's.
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      Food & Drink

      How Boom J's Went From a Home Kitchen to a Jamaican Institution

      Owner Jermaine learned to cook from his grandmother in Jamaica at six years old. Everything at Boom J's still carries those teachings.

      ByAnick Jasmin

      March 4, 2026 · 5 min read

      How Boom J's Went From a Home Kitchen to a Jamaican Institution
      At the original Pointe-Saint-Charles location where it all started. | Photography by Eva Blue / @evablue

      Discover the places mentioned in this story

      Boom J's

      Boom J's owner Jermaine Wallace was six years old when he first learned to understand spice, flavour, and a love of cooking from the women who raised him in Jamaica. His grandmother taught him how food brought people together, and how taste carried memory.

      “In Jamaica, cooking is important,” he says. “Our grandparents put that flavour in you. We don’t want to lose that.”

      After moving to Montreal at the age of 10 and growing up in Little Burgundy, Jermaine eventually found himself working seasonal jobs in the summer, so winters became difficult. Unemployment meant uncertainty, and Jermaine wanted to make a path out of something he had always known: cooking.

      Jermaine Wallace puts the 'J' in Boom J's.
      Free account required

      For readers who care about Montreal

      Create a free account to read this story and access 3 articles per month, plus our weekly Bulletin.

      Independent. Local. Reader-supported.

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