#HipNJ‘s Cara Di Falco sat down for lunch at Montclair‘s Vital with Chef Kwame Williams to hear about his family’s journey through the restaurant world!

Kwame’s sister Nataki sparked the roots of this restaurant in Montclair. Having years of finance experience and his prior experience in the kitchen, she was sure they would have a hit on their hands.

Kwame got his culinary start and received a degree from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, then continued on to receive much of his experience from 4 star restaurant The Ryland Inn.  Kwame works endlessly to perfect and master his recipes and is always daring to try something new.

With a fresh juice bar and many meat and dairy free options, Vital has specially crafted their menu to cater to a larger audience through all meals of the day!

In the interview Kwame tells us “the health aspect is in the Jamaican culture very heavily with the roots and the juicing and the fresh fruits.” All dishes are hand prepped from scratch in the kitchen, never artificial and never frozen.

The Williams sibling trio prides themselves in being one of the very few sit down Jamaican restaurants unlike many takeout franchises. Their goal is to bring healthy and fresh traditional food to the table with a resort ambiance.

Alongside the restaurant business, Kwame donates much of his free time introducing healthy foods to children through Edible Schoolyard and speaking at schools.

For more on Vital, visit their website.  And for more on Cara’s visit to Vital, visit CaraDiFalco.com to view Vital’s curried cauliflower recipe!