A Night to Remember at Negril Village: Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Fine Dining, and a Vision for the Diaspora
An intimate evening in Manhattan brings together Jamaican leadership, celebrated artists, accomplished professionals, and a shared vision for Jamaica’s place on the world stage.
Some evenings are memorable because of where they take place. Others are distinguished by the people who gather, the conversations that unfold, and the possibilities they inspire. And then there are those rare occasions when all three converge.
Last night was one such occasion.
I received an exclusive invitation to join Jamaica’s ninth and current Prime Minister, Dr. The Most Honorable Andrew Michael Holness, ON, PC, MP, for a private dinner at Negril Village in Manhattan. What followed was an unforgettable evening of Jamaican hospitality, culinary excellence, familiar faces, and thought-provoking conversations about Jamaica’s future and its expanding global footprint.
An Evening Begins with Jamaican Hospitality
Upon arriving at Negril Village, I was warmly welcomed by its owner, the world-renowned Marva Layne, whose personal touch would prove to be a defining feature of the evening.
The restaurant was already bustling, with a full house on a Thursday evening. The atmosphere was lively, the hospitality unmistakably Jamaican, and the occasion distinguished by the presence of the United States Secret Service, senior Jamaican diplomats, and dignitaries from the Office of the Prime Minister.
Two close friends escorted me to my reserved seat at adjoining tables in a partitioned-off private dining area. The Prime Minister would circulate between the two tables throughout the evening, ensuring that the gathering remained intimate despite the distinguished company.
Even before dinner began, the restaurant offered a charming reminder that life’s most meaningful moments often unfold when least expected. Near the restrooms, where attendants were on duty, I encountered a bride and groom taking photographs on the lower level. A newly married couple celebrating the beginning of their journey together amid the evening’s festivities—a delightful coincidence that added another memorable detail to the occasion.
Conversations Across Continents and Careers
Seated across from me was a Cuban-Jamaican corporate attorney working in the mergers and acquisitions division of a prestigious Manhattan white-shoe law firm. Our conversation was engaging from the outset, and the evening brought together a fascinating cross-section of accomplished individuals, including a high-profile celebrity at our table.
One of the most meaningful moments came when a mutual friend reintroduced me to the Prime Minister.
We spent approximately 10 to 15 minutes reminiscing about our school days, reflecting on the paths our lives have taken, and catching up amid the clicking cameras of media personnel and the discreet, professional presence of the Secret Service.
There is something uniquely grounding about reconnecting with someone who knew you before the titles, public responsibilities, and professional accomplishments. For all the trappings of high office, the conversation returned to a shared past and the familiar experience of having grown up together—of having, as we say, “drunk from the same water trough.”
During our conversation, the Prime Minister mentioned that he still keeps an autographed print copy of my book, Afrika’s Struggle: His Experiential Journey, in his personal library in Jamaica. I had sent it to him through a mutual colleague.
That recollection was particularly gratifying. Books can travel farther than their authors, and one never quite knows where their ideas may eventually find a home.
A Feast of Jamaican Flavors
Eventually, conversation gave way to the main event: a sumptuous, four-course dining experience that showcased the breadth and richness of Jamaican cuisine.
The fixed menu was a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.
The first course opened with cornbread accompanied by guava butter, sea-salt coco bread with jerk butter, and Chop! Salad with hibiscus dressing, and oxtail pumpkin soup.
The second course featured ackee and saltfish tostones alongside oxtail empanadas—an inventive pairing of familiar Jamaican flavors with contemporary culinary presentation.
The family-style main course was an impressive showcase of culinary abundance. Creole salmon, oxtail stew, calabash stew, and jerk chicken were served alongside rice and peas, fried sweet plantains, a garlic vegetable medley, and oxtail ragù pasta.
Dessert brought the meal to a fitting close with bread pudding drizzled with rum sauce and traditional Jamaican black cake.
The menu was an eloquent expression of the island’s culinary heritage: comforting, distinctive, and generous in spirit.
For transparency, however, my ketogenic diet meant that I could not indulge in the entire cornucopia of dishes. From approximately 7 p.m. until 10 p.m., the servers kept the adjoining tables supplied with food, creating an atmosphere of continuous hospitality.
Marva Layne, meanwhile, took a personal interest in ensuring that I was well fed. She made certain that I received choice portions of the oxtails—which practically melted in my mouth—and the salmon.
Her attentiveness brought to mind the familiar archetype of the Jewish, Italian, Igbo, or Chinese mother: the quintessential host who insists that you have not eaten enough, regardless of how much has already been placed before you.
It was a delightful illustration of the nurturing spirit that distinguishes exceptional hospitality. Layne’s personal involvement in the evening was a reminder that successful restaurants are built not merely on food but also on relationships, generosity, and a sense of being welcomed as family.
The Prime Minister himself joked that dining with Marva and enjoying her succulent cuisine had made him fatter that evening.
And when the Prime Minister of Jamaica declares that the oxtail at Negril Village is every bit as good as what he enjoys back home, that is high praise indeed.
He was right.
An Unexpected Reunion with a Celebrated Actor
The Prime Minister was not the only distinguished figure at dinner.
Also present was the illustrious Delroy Lindo, the British-born actor of Jamaican heritage whose commanding performances have earned him widespread acclaim, numerous honors, and an Academy Award nomination. In addition to his celebrated acting career, Lindo has expanded his work into filmmaking.
For me, his presence was especially meaningful because our paths had crossed decades earlier.
I first met Dr. Lindo in the mid-1990s, when we were seated in first class on a red-eye Delta Air Lines flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport. To encounter him again, all these years later, at a private dinner in Manhattan was a reminder of just how small the world can be.
Dr. Lindo’s passion and intensity are evident both on screen and in person. He brings a conviction to conversation reminiscent of the commanding presence audiences recognize in his performances.
At the dinner party, someone remarked that I seemed to be aging backward—that I appeared younger each time they saw me. Naturally, my thoughts turned to Dr. Lindo. Having watched his performances in Malcolm X, Get Shorty, and, more recently, Sinners, I jokingly wondered whether he had discovered the secret to eternal youth. Given his role in Sinners, I even entertained the playful notion that he might be a real-world vampire. All jokes aside, he seemed remarkably unchanged from the actor I remembered on screen decades ago.
His wife, Nashormeh Lindo, was seated with him at my table. During our conversation, she shared that their son, Damiri Lindo, had played basketball for one year at Queens College of the City University of New York.
Another connection. Another reminder that the threads linking Jamaica, New York, the arts, academia, and athletics are often closer than we imagine.
A particularly delightful detail connected the evening’s past and present. Dr. Lindo and his wife, Nashormeh, first met Marva Layne in Negril, Jamaica, in 1990, while on their honeymoon. More than three decades later, their paths converged again at Lane’s Negril Village in Manhattan.
During dinner, Dr. Lindo purchased drinks for the newly married couple I had encountered taking photographs on the restaurant’s lower level. I could not help reflecting on the parallel: a newly married couple beginning their own journey together. In contrast, a couple whose story had begun on a honeymoon in Negril celebrated another unexpected connection with the place and the person who had been part of their history.
Sometimes, the world has a remarkable way of bringing a story full circle.
Jamaica as a Global Filmmaking Hub
Our conversation also turned to a subject close to Lindo’s heart: his vision for Jamaica to become a significant hub for filmmaking, joining the ranks of internationally recognized creative centers such as Hollywood, Bollywood, and Nollywood.
The Prime Minister shares and supports this ambition. So do I.
Jamaica possesses many of the ingredients needed to strengthen its position in the global creative economy: a distinctive cultural identity, internationally recognized talent, a compelling landscape, a rich musical tradition, and a diaspora whose influence reaches across continents.
With the right investment, infrastructure, training opportunities, production incentives, and international partnerships, the island could attract more film and television productions while developing its own talent, studios, and creative enterprises.
The opportunity extends beyond the visibility of having international productions filmed on Jamaican soil. It encompasses job creation, skills development, tourism, intellectual property, and the export of Jamaican stories to audiences worldwide.
The objective should not simply be to have Jamaica serve as a backdrop for other people’s stories. It should also be to ensure that Jamaican filmmakers, writers, actors, technicians, and entrepreneurs have the resources and platforms to tell their own.
That is a vision worth pursuing.
Beyond Music and Athletics: Expanding Jamaica’s Global Footprint
Throughout the evening, the Prime Minister’s discussions repeatedly returned to a broader ambition: expanding Jamaica’s international influence through the talent, expertise, and resources of its diaspora.
Jamaica’s achievements in music and athletics are already recognized worldwide. The names, rhythms, and performances associated with the island have carried its identity far beyond its geographic size.
But the next chapter of Jamaica’s global story must be equally ambitious.
It must include film and media, business and finance, economics, medicine, law, academia, science, and technology.
Consider the caliber of Jamaican and Jamaican-connected talent represented in these fields. Dr. Peter Blair Henry, a Rhodes Scholar and distinguished economist who served as dean of New York University’s Stern School of Business and has held an academic appointment at Stanford University, exemplifies the intellectual contributions Jamaicans can make to global economic thought.
In medicine, Dr. Answorth Allen, known for his work in orthopedic surgery and professional sports medicine, exemplifies the expertise that Jamaican professionals bring to leading institutions and elite athletic organizations.
These individuals represent more than personal achievement. They illustrate the potential of a diaspora that can contribute knowledge, investment, mentorship, institutional relationships, and international access to Jamaica’s development.
The challenge is to build effective bridges between talent abroad and opportunities at home.
How can Jamaican professionals in global financial centers help mobilize capital for productive investment on the island? How can accomplished physicians strengthen medical training and healthcare partnerships? How can lawyers, economists, academics, and technology leaders help develop institutions, enterprises, and policies that advance national prosperity?
And how can filmmakers and other creative professionals help Jamaica shape the stories the world tells about the country?
These are not merely rhetorical questions. They are the foundations of a development strategy that recognizes the diaspora as a long-term partner in Jamaica’s future.
I share the Prime Minister’s vision. As a proud Jamaica Firster, I believe that the country’s global influence should reflect the full range of its people’s accomplishments—not simply the fields in which Jamaica has already achieved extraordinary recognition.
For the record, I am not a member of either of Jamaica’s two major political parties. My relationship with the Prime Minister dates to our school days, and my support for Jamaica’s advancement is rooted in a broader conviction that national progress transcends partisan affiliation.
We may encounter external obstacles and competing interests along the way. Nevertheless, our determination to advance Jamaica’s interests must remain unwavering.
A Night That Brought It All Together
What made the evening special was not simply the presence of a prime minister, an acclaimed actor, accomplished professionals, or distinguished guests.
It was the convergence of these elements in a setting that felt distinctly Jamaican.
There was the warmth of Marva Layne’s hospitality, the pleasure of reconnecting with old acquaintances, the discovery of unexpected connections, and the exchange of ideas about what Jamaica might become.
There was also the food—a magnificent expression of the island’s culinary identity, prepared and served with a generosity that made everyone feel welcome.
Most importantly, there was the sense that Jamaica’s future need not be constrained by the size of the island or the limits of its domestic market. Its people, wherever they reside, represent an extraordinary reservoir of knowledge, creativity, capital, and influence.
The task is to harness that potential with purpose.
And so, as I reflect on the evening, I am reminded that the most memorable dinners nourish more than the body. They feed relationships, strengthen bonds, and sometimes reinforce a shared sense of mission.
This was certainly one of those evenings.
The Celebrations Continue
The private dinner was only one part of a particularly eventful weekend celebrating Jamaica and its people.
Tonight, the Prime Minister is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ) dinner. This event reflects the enduring relationship between Jamaica and its supporters in the United States. Tickets were listed at US$850 per person, and the event was sold out.
Tomorrow evening, the St. Catherine High School Northeast Association is scheduled to honor the Prime Minister’s sister, Sydjea Anderson, with a Distinguished Alumni Award. The evening will also recognize fellow alumna Grace “Spice” Hamilton, the internationally acclaimed Queen of Dancehall, among others. Tickets were listed at US$250, and that event was also sold out.
These gatherings underscore the many ways Jamaicans continue to celebrate achievement, preserve connections, and recognize the contributions of those who carry the island’s name into the world.
A Final Word of Thanks
To Marva Layne, thank you for your gracious hospitality at Negril Village.
Your personal attention, your commitment to exceptional food, and your insistence that every guest be properly nourished made the evening all the more memorable. You demonstrated that the finest hospitality is not merely about serving a meal; it is about creating an experience that people carry with them long after the plates have been cleared.
To the Prime Minister, fellow guests, and everyone who contributed to such a memorable gathering, thank you for an evening of conversation, camaraderie, and shared aspirations.
And to Jamaica: may we continue to expand our horizons, deepen our global partnerships, celebrate our accomplishments, and build a future worthy of the extraordinary talent of our people.
One island. A worldwide diaspora. Limitless possibilities.
Jamaica First. Always.
Dr. Delroy Lindo, Dr. Karren Dunkley, OD, Karl A. Mitchell, Marva Layne, Lorna Dawkins, Sydjea Anderson, and Lorraine Muir
Nashormeh N. R. Lindo and Dr. Delroy Lindo
Nashormeh N. R. Lindo, Dr. Delroy Lindo, Marva Layne, Sydjea Anderson, Mr. Prime Minister, Lorna Dawkins, CG Oliver Mair
Dr. The Most Honorable Andrew Michael Holness, ON, PC, MP
