Jerkies is back in the building. Chef Najeary Bennett’s Jamaican pop-up is returning to Empress Tavern this Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, bringing smoky jerk and slow-braised comfort food to downtown Sacramento for a second Alchemist Kitchen takeover. The one-night-only service runs from 5 to 8 p.m. and is set to feature jerk chicken, braised homestyle oxtail and Miss Birdy’s sweet potato pudding, a family recipe Bennett says he learned at his grandmother’s market stall.
According to Abridged / PBS KVIE, Jerkies’ April 3 debut at Empress sold out every menu item, and this second round ups the stakes with fried festivals, curry goat and a set by DJ K Facil. With limited quantities and only a three-hour window, organizers are blunt about the game plan: if there is something you are determined to try, show up early.
Alchemist Kitchen incubator
Jerkies operates under the Alchemist Kitchen incubator program, which offers food entrepreneurs coaching, training and access to commercial kitchen space as they grow. Empress Tavern has become a rotating stage for these incubator alumni pop-ups, giving the vaulted basement dining room a different personality every few weeks, per reporting by The Sacramento Bee.
A name and a lineage
Bennett, who left Jamaica about 12 years ago and first landed in the foothills near Grass Valley before settling in Sacramento, says Jerkies is both a playful riff on Jamaica’s signature jerk technique and a way to keep his heritage front and center. "When people say the word ‘Jerkies,’ they always have a little smile," Bennett told Abridged / PBS KVIE, adding that his cooking is a direct line back to family, memory and ancestry.
Local reaction
Diners and fellow Alchemist Kitchen alumni who packed the April takeover raved about the food, calling out the fall-off-the-bone oxtails and deeply charred, spicy jerk on the chicken. Program leaders say that is exactly the point of these one-night runs: they give small operators a chance to stress-test menus, staffing and supply chains in real time before they take on the financial weight of a permanent storefront.
How to catch it
The Jerkies takeover is set for this Sunday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Empress Tavern, the basement restaurant tucked beneath the Crest Theatre on K Street. Expect a tight service window and limited quantities. If the April pop-up is any indication, the kitchen could be cleared out well before closing time.
