BOUNCING BACK
Neighborhood hopes new restaurant, housing will help revitalize area >>
TRENTON » Jacqueline Danvers showcased a commercial piece of Trenton — and a suite of Jamaican cuisine — when she transformed her cooking passion into a full-fledged business this weekend.
“This was an opportunity to fulfill my dream,” Danvers said Saturday during the grand opening of Restaurant 5Oh4, a Caribbean and soul food establishment at 504 N. Clinton Ave. “The space was here.”
The 500 block of North Clinton Avenue used to be the poster child of urban decay, but Danvers’ new restaurant alongside an adjacent strip of seven housing units under construction suggests the East Trenton neighborhood has future promise of growth and prosperity. Danvers is originally from Jamaica and currently resides in Ewing, but the City of Trenton, she said, has provided her with a path to fulfill her dream of becoming a restaurateur.
Previously an abandoned property, the newly renovated commercial building at 504 N. Clinton Ave. was four years in the making, according to husband Everton Danvers. “We feel relieved,” he said Saturday afternoon as the restaurant served up jerk chicken. “The work is complete.” Everton Danvers renovated the building in part with the assistance of a storefront improvement grant from the East Trenton Collaborative, according to ETC consultant Iana Dikidjieva. The collaborative comprises a group of residents and organizations who work together to improve the quality of life in this working-class North Ward neighborhood tucked between Route 1 and Assunpink Creek.
The investment the Danvers couple made in Trenton caught the attention of Algernon Ward, a politician running for North Ward council.
“We gotta support our local business,” Ward said Saturday as he purchased a bite to eat from Restaurant 5Oh4. “It’s good. Spicy, but I like it. Jamaican spicy.”
The restaurant offers seafood, chicken and pork and features plenty of dining space for patrons, including a rear section suitable for group meetings. The establishment had a soft opening earlier this month and is now open seven days a week with a full menu of Jamaican soul food.