27 Jan Fiya Spice Caribbean Bridges Jamaican, Soul Food in Pittsburg

Married couple Porsche, left, and Everick Wilkins run Fiya Spice Caribbean restaurant in Pittsburg where they sell Jamaican food, drinks and spices.

Story and photos by Denis Perez-Bravo

A food-loving family has built a Jamaican and soul food menu rooted in family recipes and shared experiences at Fiya Spice Caribbean in Pittsburg.

Porsche and Everick Wilkins met while enrolled in the culinary arts program at Diablo Valley College, where they made a lasting impression on each other, then went their separate ways before ultimately reuniting.

Everick returned to his native Jamaica to complete his culinary education in a French cuisine program, while Porsche launched her dessert catering company, KR Kakes.

Their shared passion for food brought them back together during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Everick invited Porsche to sell her pastries from his food truck. That partnership grew into a romantic relationship, and the couple married Feb. 26, 2023.

In April of the same year, they opened Fiya Spice Caribbean’s brick-and-mortar location.

Located at 1343 Buchanan Road, the restaurant serves a range of Caribbean dishes alongside ready-to-go items such as patties, sea moss drinks and pastries.

“We offer the main dishes that they would experience when they go to Jamaica, you know, like the oxtail, the escovitch (red snapper), the curry goat, the jerk chicken, of course, which is a staple,” said Everick, who is also the head chef. “We make everything in-house. Even the seasoning we use, it’s made fresh.”

That approach reflects how he was raised in the countryside of St. James Parish, Jamaica, where his mother cooked exclusively from scratch. Everick said she harvested vegetables she grew herself, prepared meat from animals they raised, and relied on fresh ingredients. 

He continues that practice at Fiya Spice Caribbean alongside his wife, Porsche, a trained pastry chef. 

One of her most popular offerings is a red velvet cake made from her great-great-grandmother’s recipe. 

“I went all the way to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to get that from her,” Porsche said. “She lived to about 104, so she’s got a rich history.” 

Other staples include sweet potato pudding, banana bread, Oreo cake and chocolate cake. 

“And then I also do a fusion,” Porsche said. “It’s called a pear red velvet.” 

The pear red velvet is offered only on weekends and regularly sells out once it’s available. The dessert begins with in house made cocoa bread. It’s seasoned with a mixed spice blend, then layered with sautéed pears and golden raisins, and finished with a butter toffee sauce.

The collaboration between the couple extends beyond recipes and into shared traditions. Porsche’s family introduced Everick to American soul food dishes.

“(Everick) wanted to know how to make candied yams, you know,” Porsche said. “And so my mom pretty much came down here and taught him that process.”

Those experiences led to the creation of Soul Food Sunday at Fiya Spice, held every third Sunday of the month.

“We started that — I want to say that was in 2024,” Porsche said. The event has since become one of the restaurant’s most popular days.

“Ever since I’ve encountered their food, I’ve been coming here all the time,” Pittsburg resident Chimere Surratt said.

Surratt said she has introduced the restaurant to her boss and co-workers.

“And she sneaks up here just to get an oxtail plate and eats it in the car at work,” Surratt said. “So I’m telling you they got the best food in town, the best Jamaican food in town.”

Surratt has been a loyal customer since Fiya Spice Caribbean operated as a food truck parked outside Everick’s home in Oakley.

Before that, Everick said, the business began as a delivery-only ghost kitchen. One of his first regular clients was a group of women at a salon in Oakland, where he would deliver Jamaican plates on Fridays.

As word of mouth spread, Everick purchased a food truck and continued operating during the pandemic from outside his home. The reach of the business surprised him.

He recalled a customer who flew into Los Angeles and heard about Fiya Spice in Southern California, then stopped to eat there on their way to Sacramento.

“If I could reach people like that, and we had just started out, what’s the possibility?” Everick asked.”Why stop here?”

Fiya Spice Caribbean

fiyaspice.com
1343 Buchanan Road, Pittsburg, CA 94565
(510) 686-3325
Open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. daily
Menu / Order takeout
Shop sauces and seasonings
Order catering