Jamecia Bennett and Tomme Beevas Build Community Through Pimento

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When Jamecia Bennett and her business partner, Tomme Beevas, sat down with The Hype Magazine at their St. Paul, Minnesota, location, the conversation quickly became bigger than a restaurant story. It became a discussion about legacy, food as ministry, music as healing, and what it means to create a real safe space in a world that often talks about community more than it builds it. From Bennett’s GRAMMY-winning journey with Sounds of Blackness to Beevas’ mission to take “Brand Jamaica” global through Pimento Jamaican Kitchen, this interview opened a window into a partnership rooted in purpose. Watch the full video interview following this recap for the complete conversation.

A Partnership Built on Purpose

Jamecia Bennett is a three-time GRAMMY winner, singer, songwriter, director, and lead singer of the GRAMMY-winning group Sounds of Blackness (oops, that makes four GRAMMYs), following in the footsteps of her celebrated mother Ann Nesby. Her career began at 15, when producer Terry Lewis recognized her talent and gave her a structure that would shape her professional discipline. Bennett recalled being told she would have two hours after school for homework before heading into studio work. That early foundation led to collaborations with Janet Jackson, Rod Stewart, Shaggy, Usher, Johnny Gill, and Jonathan Butler, as well as more than 25 albums.

But Bennett’s creative path has never been limited to music. She previously operated Favorite Cafe in 2005, which gave her firsthand knowledge of the restaurant business. That experience helped prepare her for a later partnership with Beevas, founder of Pimento Jamaican Kitchen, although their first meeting was far more casual.

The two originally met years earlier at an event at Pinstripe, where bow ties were part of the theme. A mutual friend introduced them. Later, Bennett visited Beevas’ first Pimento location, a small kiosk inside a mall. She admitted she was skeptical of Jamaican food coming from a mall, but ordered the oxtails as a test. The food won her over immediately.

I followed her choice when we visited the restaurant…10/10!

Years later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the two reconnected through a colleague. Bennett was not looking for a new venture. In fact, she remembered saying she was done. But Beevas invited her to come see the restaurant, and what she witnessed changed everything.

Pimento Jamaican Kitchen Menu with website address and location information

Dr. Jameelah Wilkerson / The Hype Magazine

When a Restaurant Became a Refuge

During the George Floyd uprising, Bennett walked into Pimento’s urban Minneapolis location expecting to see a restaurant. Instead, she found a resource hub. The space was stacked with diapers, milk, water, meat, groceries, and supplies for people in need. It looked less like a business and more like a community lifeline.

That moment convinced Bennett that Pimento was not simply about food. It was about healing. She described the work as “God-led” and entered the partnership through sweat equity, calling it “the best investment I’ve made.”

Beevas’ own story explains why Pimento carries that kind of spiritual weight. At 8 years old, during a hurricane in Jamaica, he taught himself to cook corn beef and white rice out of necessity. His grandmother discovered him in the kitchen, initially banned him from cooking, then eventually took him under her wing. By his teens, he was preparing Sunday dinner for the family, cooking fish, lobster, oxtail, goat, and other staples.

His grandmother built a food empire in West Kingston and became one of the first Black female millionaires there. More importantly, she used food to heal a community touched by violence and hardship. Beevas carried that lesson with him from Jamaica to Minnesota, eventually leaving corporate philanthropy to build Pimento full-time.

A Safe Haven for Rebels

Pimento Jamaican Kitchen has elevated into more than a dining destination. Beevas described it as a place of refuge, a safe space where mayors, activists, protesters, organizers, and everyday people can sit under the same roof. During the uprising, while other businesses boarded up, Beevas refused.

“This is our people’s space,” he said. “If they burning down, it’s theirs.”

When threats emerged and police support was unavailable, roughly 150 volunteers arrived to protect Pimento and nearby businesses. Some took positions on rooftops. Others kept watch around the clock. Beevas also cooked and gave away food at George Floyd Square, extending the restaurant’s mission into the heart of the movement.

That mission continues through weekly community programming. On Thursdays, Pimento hosts small business events. On Wednesdays, students from the High School of Recording Arts perform for free, book their own shows, and keep all the door money. Pimento takes nothing. The partnership gives young people real-world experience in entrepreneurship, performance, and audience-building.

The restaurant also serves as a meeting space for groups such as White Men for Racial Justice. Beevas acknowledged that advocacy can carry risk, especially in divisive times, but Pimento creates room for people willing to organize across lines of identity and politics.

The Future of Flavor

Bennett described the guiding philosophy as the “future of flavor.” That phrase applies to food, music, design, and community energy. At Pimento, flavor is not just seasoning. It is spirit, culture, memory, and healing.

The restaurant’s design reflects that intention. Bennett insisted on a Bob Marley piece in every location because Marley remains a universal symbol of Jamaica’s global cultural reach. The spaces feature Jamaican flags, calming colors, murals, and graffiti from local young artists, including one artist who had never visited Jamaica but felt connected to the island through Pimento.

The goal is simple: Guests should feel as if they have traveled to Jamaica. The message waiting for them is even simpler: “Welcome home.”

Bennett also emphasized the importance of authenticity in the kitchen, shouting out Chef Rohan, a real Jamaican chef who leads the food experience. The point is not only to serve Jamaican recipes, but to protect the spirit behind them.

Cannabis Equity and Global Expansion

Beevas is also looking ahead. His ambition is to take “Brand Jamaica” global, making Jamaican food and culture accessible worldwide, just as Bob Marley carried Jamaican music across borders.

Part of that future includes cannabis retail. Pimento received a license to operate a separate, carded-off dispensary within the restaurant. Beevas’ model is designed to direct proceeds into a foundation that reinvests in communities historically harmed by cannabis prohibition.

When Minnesota legalized cannabis, Beevas formed a coalition to help ensure Black communities were not left behind. He brought together diverse groups, including unlikely allies, to lobby for equitable access to licenses. His long-term plan includes sublicensing to others in the coalition, creating what he framed as a hub-and-spoke model for economic liberation.

Answering Jamaica’s Call

The conversation also turned toward Hurricane Melissa and the devastation it left behind in Jamaica. Beevas shared that his family compound in West Kingston was destroyed, with every building gone and only tombstones remaining. The storm’s damage also threatens Jamaica’s tourism-dependent economy, especially with the winter travel season approaching.

Pimento has begun collecting physical donations, including materials such as zinc and plywood, and has also established a foundation for monetary contributions. A benefit concert featuring Bennett and local artists is being planned to raise awareness and support rebuilding efforts.

For Bennett and Beevas, that response is consistent with everything Pimento represents. Whether through food, music, cannabis equity, youth programming, or disaster relief, the mission remains centered on healing.

The full conversation offers much more, including Bennett’s reflections on The Hype Magazine, her loyalty to the platform, and the shared history between community media and cultural access. Watch the full video interview below to experience the complete conversation with Jamecia Bennett and Tomme Beevas.