Culture and food can never be separated.  The authentic, spellbinding, inextricable mixture with love and care comes together in an unforgettable, mouth-watering combination beautifully prepared and presented at Jumbo Grill Restaurant.  Their love for their country and its culture is reflected in the food served at their restaurant. When it comes to Dominican cuisine in Passaic, they are one of the best. The owners are a married couple whose love for their culture and each other inspired them to open the restaurant. When asked what encouraged them to open Jumbo Grill Restaurant, they replied with “I want to share my culture.” They wanted to participate in the distribution and mix of the cultures in Passaic by sharing traditions of the Dominican Republic, the main one being food, with the public. For other animals in the animal kingdom, food is simply a way to nourish the body and give it what it needs to survive -it is instinct. For humans, however, food can be everything. It is history, identity, and connection, it is creation. Food brings joy and is connected to diverse cultures with histories going back hundreds of years. The Jumbo Grill Restaurant is a great embodiment of Dominican culture and history, and the food: a portal that goes back generations.

      When it comes to COVID -19, the Jumbo Grill Restaurant, thankfully, didn’t suffer any financial problems. They simply had to adapt to the changes that came with the pandemic -enforcing changes such as the wearing of masks when coming into the restaurant. With the existence of their two other businesses in Passaic -A bodega and an Ice cream shop- they were able to keep a steady income during the Pandemic despite COVID-19 shutting down the economy. These married owners have been in the community for years, their first business being their bodega, La Mia, which has been around for 22 years, then their Ice cream shop, Helados Bone, that they opened up 12 years ago, and lastly their restaurant, Jumbo Grill Restaurant, that has 2 years in the community. With all of their years of experience in the business  industry comes knowledge of managing business and clients. When asked how important maintaining a relationship with your customers was, they responded with “Very!  Although we don’t always know our customers personally, we always treat them like family.” An important custom in the Dominican culture is treating everyone like family and the owners of Jumbo Grill Restaurant practice their art through serving the community and extending their family daily. Newcomers, as well as returning customers, love the familial ambiance that the restaurant achieves, making sure all their customers are always comfortable and satisfied. In Jumbo Grill Restaurant as well as their other businesses, expect to be treated like family, always with kindness and respect -all while being immersed in a beautiful culture and amazing food.