Kare11
St. Paul chef cooks with mom again after two years apart
Chef Okkoy Graham said a COVID backlog complicated efforts to bring his mother from Jamaica to America.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Chef Okkoy Graham opened Nanny’s Jamaican Kitchen in St. Paul a few years ago, but since then, he was still missing his source of inspiration — his mom.
He opened up Nanny’s in St Paul a few years ago. The logo of his restaurant was inspired by his mom, Joan Brown, who introduced him to his love for cooking.
Joan raised him as a single parent in Jamaica.
“I remember when she wrote down stuff on a little piece of paper, telling me how to finish stuff, finish cooking when me and my brother got home from school,” Graham said.
Like any loving mom, the lessons she taught him went beyond the kitchen.
“Anything you want out there, you have to go and get it,” Joan said. “Nobody’s gonna come and put it down and say ‘Here, take it up.’ You have to work for it.”
Okkoy took that to heart, growing from a hopeful young chef in Jamaica to a full-fledged business owner here in Minnesota.
But for Okkoy, the person that he calls his missing puzzle piece was still more than 2,000 miles away.
So he and his wife started the work to bring Mom by his side.
“It was a little bit challenging because she started the paperwork, then COVID hits,” Okkoy said.
He says the backlog that ensued delayed their long-awaited reunion.
“It’s going on two years, and then anxiety chips in and all of that, so you’re just sitting, waiting, and waiting. Everything was taking 10 times the time that it will normally take,” he said.
But all that waiting finally paid off in December.
Okkoy flew to Jamaica to bring his mom back to the States. It was the first time Joan had been to the airport and flown on a plane.
“When we reached the airport, I said, ‘My God that escalator thing… Oh my God!” Joan said.
Now that she’s here in Minnesota, escalators aren’t the only thing that she is working to get acclimated to.
“Here, I’ve seen the 4 seasons in one day,” Joan said.
Now mom and son, reunited again, will work side by side. Joan will handle the baking, among other duties. But Okkoy said he knows his place.
“Never try to outshine the master,” he said. “So I’m just trying to humbly stay within my realm.”
Nanny’s has been gaining a reputation for its amazing food in the last few years. But among all the spices and flavors, they were missing that one special ingredient — just a pinch of mom’s love.
“That little touch that was missing from the products that we’re serving here has arrived,” Okkoy said.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11’s newscasts. You’ll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
Audience members can expect to see iconic holiday characters come to life with seasonal music favorites.
MINNEAPOLIS — The magic of the holidays is coming to the Orpheum Theatre this weekend with Cirque Dreams Holidaze.
The production is billed as a combination of a Broadway show and circus arts in a “family-friendly holiday spectacular.”
Audience members can expect to see iconic holiday characters come to life with seasonal music favorites.
Cirque Dreams Holidaze will have four performances at the Orpheum from Friday, Dec. 20 through Sunday, Dec. 22. Ticket prices range from $34 to $130 and can be purchased at the State Theatre Box Office or online at HennepinArts.org.
- Friday, Dec. 20 @ 7 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 21 @ 12 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 21 @ 4 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 22 @ 2 p.m.
Police say 13-year-old Deneja Morse and her 12-year-old brother Alonzo have not been accounted for since getting off their school bus Thursday afternoon.
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis police are asking for help in locating two siblings who haven’t been accounted for since getting off their school bus Thursday afternoon.
A post on the MPD Facebook page says 13-year-old Deneja Leanna Raquel Morse and her 12-year-old brother Alonzo Lee Morse were seen getting off the bus near the intersection of W. 32nd St. and Emerson Ave. S., and there whereabouts are currently unknown.
Police say the siblings live with their father on the 3300 block of Girard Ave. S., but also have family on the 700 block of Penn Ave. N and a grandmother who is currently staying at the Hilton Holiday Inn near downtown. Both Deneja and Alonzo attend the Anderson School in Minneapolis.
Deneja is described as approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall and 120 pounds with black weave hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black jacket and blue jeans.
Alonzo is also 5 feet 7 inches tall and 120 pounds. He was wearing a green and black vest, black hoodie and pants, and white Air Force 1 shoes when last seen.
Anyone who knows where the two might be is asked to call 911, or leave a voicemail with Minneapolis police at 612-673-5845. There is also the option of calling CrimeStoppers Minnesota at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or leaving a tip electronically on the CrimeStoppers website.
The album features classics like “O Holy Night” and “Oh Come All ye Faithful” as well as featuring his children on a rendition of “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.
MINNEAPOLIS — Gospel artist Jovonta Patton is celebrating the season in style with a new Christmas album!
The Minneapolis-born performer is releasing “A Cali Christmas,” named in honor of his daughter, Cali, who was born on Christmas Day.
The EP album features classics like “O Holy Night” and “Oh Come All ye Faithful” as well as featuring his children on a rendition of “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.”
Patton stopped by KARE 11 News at Noon to talk about the new album and also invited people to join him for worship at The Wave Minnesota every Sunday at 1:45 p.m. The Wave Minnesota worships at 1922 25th Avenue North in Minneapolis.
