Perched some 2,000 feet above sea level on Freehill in St Ann, Jamaica, Stush in the Bush is a landmark in more ways than one. From intimate dining experiences in a studio apartment, it has expanded and evolved into one of Jamaica’s most sought-after culinary adventures — and, last September, it ranked 49th on the prestigious North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
“To be recognised on a global scale like this, we are our ancestors’ wildest dreams,” said co-owner Christopher Binns at the inaugural awards ceremony in Las Vegas. “To be here right now amongst all this greatness is an honour. I’m inspired to go back home and feed our guests even more love. They’re the ones that got us here.”
Chris is both dapper and breezily “rootsy” — the soles of his feet touching the ground below his bespoke suit. His Rasta locs hang loose and his megawatt smile and charisma radiate Caribbean warmth. Close by, a stylish lady with a distinctive honey-blonde Afro engages a group of chefs in animated conversation. This is Chris’ wife, business partner, “soulmate in past lives and future”, Lisa.
The love between them is unmistakable as they gaze at each other with undeniable, unapologetic adoration. She is the “stush” and he is the “bush”. Together, they are Stush in the Bush.
The restaurant is renowned for its ital or plant-based cuisine, including a full farm-to-table culinary voyage that incorporates an earth walk with Chris across the verdant 17-acre Zionites farm that houses the restaurant. Chris and Lisa’s approach to fine dining is meticulous, stylish, luxurious, and sustainable. They practise zero-waste cooking, use solar power, harvest rainwater, and employ composting systems.
Their menus are inspired by what’s on the farm and what’s in season. Lisa cooks the food that Chris attentively grows; she’s particular about the seeds they grow too. From conceptualisation and preparation to plating, Lisa is intentional and uses love — care and connection — as her guide. “There is a way that food can move you. This moves me,” she says.
“Lisa is always reinventing what we do,” says Chris. During avocado or pear season last September, they served a beautiful avocado salad — with fresh greens, arugula, and lemon balm, topped off with some of their favourite dressings — in half of an avocado. “When guests see that, they’re blown away with the presentation and we’re happy to bring that luxury to Caribbean food,” he says. And dessert? Avocado chocolate mousse with chocolate from Jamaican supplier One One Cacao.
People can tend to think that plant-based food is dull or unappetising. But Lisa — a former school principal in the concrete jungle of New York City — proves them wrong. “I have developed a healthy respect for what plants can do and can be. I continue to be amazed at our foray in this landscape. Giving it over to sustainability and what’s good for the planet without compromising taste or excitement? You miss nothing.”
As if any further proof was needed, Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley visited the restaurant and reportedly could scarcely believe everything she ate was plant-based. “She even asked her personal chef to get one of my recipes!” says Lisa.
The relationship to Barbados runs deep as Lisa was born there on the rugged east coast of St Andrew, before moving to New York as a child. Her late mother, Noel, encouraged her dreams, helped developed her willpower, and remains with her in spirit — inspiring Lisa’s vegan versions of her mum’s shepherd’s pie, pepper sauce, and Bajan coconut bread. Lisa also has a spin on traditional Bajan fish cakes by using eggplants.
My focus is sharing, and honouring the people who came before us, and those who journey to us
“There’s a call I heed when preparing food. My focus is sharing, and honouring the people who came before us, and those who journey to us. It’s my approach to all food. Prepared with thoughtful intention from the generosity of Mama, the soil, our earth. I feel particularly blessed to be in a place that’s lush and green; where the soil is nurtured the way it should be; the way they nurtured it,” she says.
There are so many plants and trees on the farm: guavas, passionfruit, mulberry bush, jackfruit, peppers, you name it — and Lisa deeply enjoys recreating the spicy with a touch of sweet Bajan pepper sauce. “Contemplating who I am has brought me to preserving a little piece of Bim [Barbados] in a bottle,” she says.
In typical Stush in the Bush style, the line of condiments uses love and affection as key ingredients: there’s a Rasta tribute in the colours of their pepper sauce trio, and a strong connection to their Jamaican, Bajan, and African heritage. The gold-coloured Six for Nine pepper sauce is a nod to that popular Bajan (and Caribbean) idiom; Blow Fyah is green and undeniably Jamaican; and the African Piri-Piri is red from the chili peppers.
“All the sauces that we make here have meaning, and a story behind them that makes them special for us. It’s not because we think certain flavours are great. It’s because there is ancestry living in the bottle, and we’ve decided we want the spirit to live on,” Lisa says.
They are both excellent storytellers — who so often start and finish each other’s sentences. We could easily talk for hours, as they do with their guests.
Food brings people together, and growing more produce than they could eat was how Stush in the Bush officially got started. Their love story is akin to a kind of Caribbean Hallmark movie: a big city lady falls in love with a farmer and trades that life for no running water, no electricity, and no stove on a farm with the Rasta man she discovers is her soulmate.
“Cooking on an open fire was magical. We’ve come a long way. Now we’re feeding people and sharing in conversations. It’s incredible,” she reflects.
Creativity comes from these moments and memories. But change came without warning as Hurricane Melissa brought days of punishing rain and relentless 175mph winds. The gazebo roof which had 14 solar panels was blown off completely. There’s been significant water damage, plus roof damage in key areas including the kitchen, office, bathrooms, and guest cabins. And some trees were badly ravaged.
“The clean-up and the rebuild is going to be slow and really arduous. Finding people to address it and help clear the trees is going to be a challenge,” the couple told Caribbean Beat in a WhatsApp update after the hurricane. “We are really giving thanks and ever grateful to the trees that sacrificed their limbs to keep us safe.”
They feel the devastation and the heartbreak, but their perspective remains positive and forward-looking. “It’s an opportunity to reimagine, revise, and improve beyond our wildest dreams … We aren’t 50 Best for nothing. We’re made of solid stuff!”