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After emigrating to Syracuse from Jamaica when she was 20 years old, Latoya Ricks landed her first job as a fry cook at a McDonald’s on Erie Boulevard. While working long hours at McDonald’s, Ricks said she struggled to find food that reminded her of home.

“It was around that time that I realized I had to do something different,” Ricks said. “I wanted to introduce my food to people here and also get something that I enjoyed eating rather than, ‘Oh I just have to eat this because it is available.’”

Years later, in 2021, she opened Erma’s Island, a vendor in Salt City Market. In December, that small, six-dish stall expanded into a sit-down Jamaican restaurant. Ricks opened Erma’s Bistro, a fine dining restaurant, in the heart of Armory Square on Dec. 19, hoping to expand customers’ familiarity with Jamaican cuisine.

“Twenty years ago it was the dream to have a sit-down,” Ricks said.

Around seven years ago, Ricks and her mother applied for a stall at the Salt City Market in downtown Syracuse. Out of nearly 200 applicants, they were one of the seven original vendors at the market.

Toward the end of the process for officiating their spot in the market, Ricks’ mother decided she did not want to continue assisting with the restaurant. But, Ricks knew they hadn’t “come this far for nothing,” she said. She opened the stand by herself. Erma’s Island still operates in the market today; Ricks now runs both the stall and bistro.

Growing up, Ricks’ grandfather was the go-to chef for events in her community in Jamaica, from church gatherings to graduation parties. As the oldest grandchild, Ricks would often follow her grandfather to these events and watch him cook traditional Jamaican food, some of the same dishes she would someday feature in her own restaurant.

Both the bistro and vendor are named after Ricks’ grandmother, who she wanted to honor because of the way she always cared about and loved people, Ricks said.

Kennedy Morey, a bartender at Erma’s Bistro, has been helping Ricks with the process of opening her restaurant. At the soft opening on Dec. 19, the entire room gave Ricks a standing ovation, Morey said.

Originated from a Salt City Market stall, Latoya Ricks expanded it into a full-service restaurant. Ricks opened her restaurant, Erma’s Bistro, this past December. Eli Schwartz | Asst. Photo Editor

“There was so much love in one room, and you could really feel the support that her friends and family were giving her,” Morey said.

The restaurant’s goal is to change the narratives around Jamaican dining, Ricks said. The menu features traditional Jamaican dishes with modern spins, such as their jerk chicken burrito and rasta pasta.

People often assume Jamaican food won’t be sold in sit-down, elevated restaurants, Ricks said. She said her ultimate goal is to be an example of a fine dining Jamaican restaurant that changes people’s assumptions.

“I’m hoping to bring awareness to the culture and to show it’s not just something we pack in a box to go or a styrofoam plate,” Ricks said.

The menu features fusion of other cuisines with Jamaican staples, which Ricks said she hopes will expand customers’ understanding of Jamaican food. She has been working to curate a good balance of variety on the menu. Ultimately, she has noticed people enjoy her breaking the food down to the customer’s level.

“I try to blend all the spices, blend all the things that people may know or not know. So you will find a lot of fusion and a lot of creativity on the menu,” Ricks said.

Morey has past experience in the restaurant industry but never with a brand-new location. Getting to help curate the menu has given her a lot of creative direction, an opportunity she’s never been given before, she said. Morey said she and Ricks have been learning from and supporting each other throughout the process.

“Women in the industry that is male-dominated, especially in the kitchen, it’s a learning curve, but it’s been a great experience for everybody that works here,” Morey said.

Fantasia Reid, Ricks’ niece and an Erma’s Bistro hostess, said she has seen the outward support for her aunt’s restaurants. She often recognizes Erma’s Bistro customers as the regulars from their stall in the Salt City Market.

Ricks said she hopes to continue working on growing her restaurant’s community and establishing it further.

“I want this place to feel like a home,” Ricks said. “I want it to feel warm and welcoming.”

Published on January 20, 2026 at 11:17 pm
Contact Alex: arice19@syr.edu