Like its namesake, Calabash—restaurant, market and bar in Uptown Oakland—is a place of global innovation; a home for creative local chefs and producers to bring the uniqueness of their culture and flavors to The Town.
Nigel Jones was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica amidst lush fruit trees and abundant community. It was there his grandmother taught him the foundations of traditional Jamaican cooking which seamlessly blends West African, Indigenous Caribbean and South Asian flavors and techniques. With a successful career in fashion, Nigel had the opportunity to travel the world. Wherever he went, he connected with people whose lives mirrored his own humble Jamaican upbringing and ways of being together. He transitioned his career to become a full-time chef and restaurateur in 2013, opening Kingston 11 in Uptown Oakland.
