Restaurant owners stay ‘close to their roots’
Welcome to the Avenue menu features authentic Caribbean food
POTTSTOWN » Kwane Haywood had a dream. He wanted to acquire his own restaurant. He had grown up watching his mom cook, and after working in the industry for more than 30 years, thought now it was his time.
Haywood and his wife, Akiai Worthington, have opened Welcome to the Avenue at 170 E. High Street in Pottstown.
“Even when we first met, I was like, you know, ‘What do you want to do in five years from now?’” Worthington said, speaking about her husband. “And that was his thing. He wanted to open a restaurant. So here we are, living the dream.”
The two started their culinary career in the Pottstown area about two years ago when they moved to the area. Under the name The Avenue, they had a pop-up mobile kitchen, catering and participated in special events, according to Haywood, who has worked at several highly renowned restaurants in New York during his career.
One such event was The Carousel of Flavor in Pottstown. The Avenue won the award for Best Main Dish in 2017 for its curry chicken.
And the curry chicken, along with other authentic Caribbean food, is what this BYOB restaurant serves. Haywood, who was born in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Worthington, who is from Barbados, are staying true to their roots. The menu also includes items such a curry goat, oxtail stew and coconut caramel rice pudding.
“The menu is me thinking out of the box… I didn’t want to do the same thing that everyone else was doing,” Haywood said, but he added that it also stays close to his roots. “Just keeping it the way I grew up eating it, and the way my mom made it.”
Haywood’s favorite dish is the braised turkey legs.
“I always remember, my mom, she used to always cook turkey,” Haywood said. “She used to braise it, tender. So, what I’m doing is a braised turkey leg, and I’m doing a yucca… and I’m doing a gratin out of that and
spinach. So that’s probably my favorite dish.”
“Honestly, the chef, everything he cooks is good,” Worthington said. “Even something that I never really liked — I don’t like quinoa a lot — he’s just really, really good at that. I’m like ‘Mmm, I want more.’”
While operations of The Avenue are fairly recent, the logo for The Avenue, is something that came into existence about 12 years ago.
“A friend of mine, actually a co-worker, drew a rose one day, and I asked ‘Can you draw something for me? I have an idea,’” Haywood said, adding that he was given 10 different sketches from which to choose the logo.
Haywood chose the current logo because he had always envisioned owning a food truck. He spoke of how food trucks are becoming popular, and they “get the first preference” of people at events that they have gone to in the past. Restaurants also get to show how they cook with a food truck, he said.
Haywood’s new dream? He wants to go on the Food Network TV show “Chopped” and wants to own a food truck.
“It’s something that I want to do and something I’ve always wanted to do,” Haywood said. “But I’m happy with the work that’s beginning.”
In the meantime, the couple hopes to give back to Pottstown with their new restaurant. Haywood spoke of how the Carousel of Flavor was a “warming” event and how they wanted to be a part of that type of community.
“We walked in here and we were completely blessed. It was a complete turn-key for us. We didn’t have much to do,” Haywood said. “So we were like, ‘Let’s make it home.’”
And they have already started giving back to the community. Teachers from the Pottstown Area School District were given vouchers Friday, May 18 to attend restaurants, including Welcome to the Avenue, in Pottstown for lunch. The restaurant has also helped hold a mixer with another local business for charity, where they made all the food from scratch to help raise money.
Welcome to the Avenue is open Tuesday and Wednesday 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. For more information visit www.facebook. com/lovetheavenue/