James Bond resurrects Portland jerk centre

When Eustas 'Piggy' Lindsay lost his popular jerk centre to fire in 2019, little did he know that James Bond would come to the rescue.

Lindsay's Piggy's Jerk Centre, located along the picturesque Foreshore Road along the Port Antonio coastline, was a popular eating spot for British actor Daniel Craig, who plays Bond, and other cast and crew members while they were in the island for the filming of No Time to Die, the 25th film in the popular movie franchise.

Lindsay said that his jerk spot has been a favourite for locals and tourists since it opened in 2012.

Before that, the native of the Rio Grande Valley in Eastern Portland piloted rafts on the famed Rio Grande. Visitors loved his engaging personality and they saw him as "the perfect tour guide", who had a knack for identifying good eating spots. But it was the tasty meals that he would often prepare, including jerked chicken and festival, that earned him rave reviews.

"I realised that I could turn my culinary skills into a tourist attraction," Lindsay says, noting that he walked the streets of Port Antonio selling his jerk chicken and festival while trying to find a location where he could set up a restaurant. Piggy's Jerk Centre was a hit. "We were attracting everybody and anybody," Lindsay said.

"But our crowning moment was when the James Bond crew started coming night after night for our jerked chicken and we were generating publicity both locally and internationally," Lindsay said. Tragedy struck soon afterwards when the jerk centre was destroyed by fire.

"The ruin of the restaurant was also a devastating blow to our staff complement of 15 workers. I was just up the road when I got a phone call to say the place was burning down," Lindsay recalls. "Four freezers, one standing fridge, a fan and a stove also perished in the fire. I mean it was tough going for the workers, all of whom had children to feed," he laments.

Enter Craig and the rest of the James Bond cast and crew, to assist with rebuilding the restaurant, contributing PS35,000 for the effort.

"They were all extremely sad to hear about the fire and wanted to do something to help rebuild. They really wanted Piggy to get back on his feet as quickly as possible. It was a lovely gesture," Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett said.

Lindsay said that he is grateful for the support. "The assistance from the James Bond movie cast was very good ... very, very good," Lindsay said. "We have reopened, and yes... I am back on my feet again."

"I've spoken to Mr Craig on a couple of occasions and I understand that he is the one who caused me to get the help. The business has been picking up and I will be forever grateful," he added.