The M & N Island Kitchen is owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Monty and Nikita Goslin.
"We had to save a lot to open up this business," said Monty, as he cleans off his cooking station. Monty and Nikita disciplined themselves to save for three little investments.
"We're in a good, central, Midtown location," said Nikita, who was born and raised in St. Petersburg.
And their children, Dominique, 10, Elijah, 2, and Trinity, 9 months, are positioned in a "good, central location" to learn some valuable lessons.
The M & N Island Kitchen is more than beef patties and cocoa bread. Monty and Nikita are presenting a legacy based on hard work and self-sufficiency to their three children.
The Goslins spend many days and nights at the Island Kitchen. Usually, Monty arrives at the restaurant at 8 a.m. in preparation for the day. Nikita stays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Monty closes. On this particular day, Elijah is the host. He smiles at customers as they enter and wave as they exit.
The Island Kitchen does not have a large staff, because the Goslins say it is important for them to work hard to maintain their investment. It's an investment that is as precious to them as their children's futures.
"We want to instill these values in our children," said Nikita, who sold women's accessories independently before starting the restaurant with her husband. Nikita still maintains that business.
M & N Island Kitchen is a marriage of spices and of cultures. Monty is from Jamaica, he represents the "M." Nikita is the "N." The duo married four years ago and Monty adopted Dominique. This past February, they joined as business partners to serve up Jamaican cuisine at M & N Island Kitchen.
They hope to expand this restaurant into an enterprise spreading throughout St. Petersburg, Tampa and beyond, setting up a foundation for their children and children's children. Prior to creating this restaurant, Monty worked at the Taste of the Islands restaurant on 34th Street South for five years. The M & N Island Kitchen had its grand opening about a month after Monty left the Taste of the Islands restaurant
Monty came to St. Petersburg five years ago to earn money to send back home to Jamaica. Soon after arriving in Florida, he began working at the Taste of the Islands. The Taste of the Islands is a family owned resteraunt. However, Monty realized he wanted a family business of his own.
"They were mad," said Monty when he told his former employer that he would be leaving to start his own business. Monty says he did not leave the Taste of the Islands to feed a competitive urge; he had another motivation, his family.
"Theirs was a family owned business, it wouldn't have worked out," said Monty, who preferred to secure a legacy for his own family.
"It was a great learning experience for him," said Nikita, who met her husband while he worked at the Taste of the Islands restaurant. He learned the basics that he needed to run his own kitchen.
The menu at M & N Island Kitchen includes hamburgers, fries and wings. However, Caribbean food is Monty's specialty. He creates all the dishes on the menu, while Nikita manages the finances of the operation.
"He has his own way of preparing food," said Nikita.
He learned food preparation from his West Indian grandmother. West Indian (Jamaican) cuisine has African, French and East Indian influences.
Most of M & N's customers are West Indian. African Americans and Caucasians come in equal numbers to enjoy Monty's specialties. M & N also frequently serves Native American customers, as well. Customer favorites are the jerk chicken and ox tails.
M & N Island Kitchen boasts that jerk chicken is its specialty, which is Monty's favorite. The menu also includes plantains, fish (escovich), soup, jerk chicken, cabbage, rice and beans and festival (a fried dumpling). Most of the dishes on the menu are from Monty's grandmother's kitchen. One of her favorite dishes was curry goat.
M & N Island Kitchen is adjacent to EZ Café, another restaurant specializing in Caribbean cuisine. However, M & N bring a little more to the table, for a little longer.
"We're open until 11 p.m. on the weekends," Nikita said, as her greeter, Elijah, continues to smile and play peek-a-boo with the camera. He hasn't a care in the world.
Elijah watches his father in the kitchen and his mother at the register daily. Monty, in an apron sprinkled with curry spices, looks through the eyes of his son, hoping he remembers and passes on the legacy of watching him work hard.