Rosedale's Pa-Nash Has Heart and Eurosoul
In markets all over Morocco—from Fez to Marrakesh to Essaouira—pyramid-shaped towers of spices stand in the open air for shoppers to purchase by weight. It’s a marvel how the finely ground spices maintain the shape. Meanwhile, chicken and fish lie on grills in Jamaica, absorbing smoke and a melange of spices in a sauce known as jerk. They will cook in the smoke, being periodically turned until the notes of the spices fall just so on each piece. Separated by an ocean and seemingly unrelated cultures, it’s not immediately apparent what the spices of Morocco have to do with Caribbean food. But Annette Runcie, owner of Pa-Nash Restaurant in Rosedale, sees a connection, rounded out by the heartiness of soul food from the American South. It’s a fusion she calls Eurosoul.
Unlikely connections like these aren’t unfamiliar to Runcie.
“I’m from Waterhouse. That’s Kingston 11! That’s considered the ghetto!” she said through laughter late one night last fall. Standing by the bar in her restaurant, she described the area where she grew up in Jamaica. But then Runcie’s laughter—soft bursts punctuated by knowing looks—abruptly stopped. She wanted to make sure that the marvel of her path from there to here wasn’t understated: She has come far, both geographically and in the food world, and Pa-Nash’s cuisine bears the distinction of her journey.
On a stretch within walking distance of the Rosedale stop on the Long Island Rail Road, in a neighborhood of split-level homes with manicured lawns, it seems an unlikely location for a sit-down restaurant
run by an experienced chef, far away from the bustle of Manhattan or Brooklyn, serving food as delicious as any of the tiny immigrant-run eateries that Queens is known for. Though the borough is already home to countless cuisines from across the globe, for Annette Runcie and Executive Chef Henry Lopez, Pa-Nash has brought an opportunity to talk about food and culture in a new way.
Opening a restaurant was a family dream, born of kitchen table conversations between Runcie, her father and six siblings, but Runcie was the one to bring those old conversations—full of laughter, her father’s delicious food and unconditional love—to life. Her family immigrated to New York City from Jamaica when she was 13 years old. After finishing school and getting an MBA, she landed a six-figure job as a Procter & Gamble executive, a position she kept until the company began downsizing under recession strains. They offered Runcie a payout, and the door to revisit the old family dream swung open.
“It’s about legacy. I could work, but unless I had my own business what would I leave to my family?” she said.
Before opening Pa-Nash in 2013, she owned a Golden Krust Bakery location, which created a bridge into the restaurant world. Being a corporate executive and running a restaurant are two different ball games, but the maneuvers are basically the same, because “business is business,” she said, contemplating the shift. Still, when Runcie faces the challenges of running a restaurant, she sometimes thinks of her old life and misses the security of a steady paycheck and a hefty benefits package. It’s the kind of wistfulness that occasionally hits people who’ve made big leaps—they momentarily look back with longing only to quickly turn forward and bask in their current success, struggles and all.
Because of her business background, she’s meticulous about accounting, but she tries not to camp out in her office too much. She and her husband, Titus Runcie, are familiar faces on the restaurant floor.
Pa-Nash is also a gallery and event space. A corridor adjacent to the dining room is lined with paintings by featured artists. Opposite the paintings are black-and-white photos of Runcie, Titus and their two sons that make you feel like you’ve stepped into their living room.
Runcie wanted to challenge the notion that the best Caribbean food comes from takeout joints. She wanted a sit-down restaurant with food she could “relate to.” But she doesn’t disparage small Caribbean eateries. Part of her mission was to not compete with them; she wanted food that was completely original. And Runcie was tired of going to catered events that served the same type of American foods. She wanted to make it possible for people to have events with food that had flavors that tasted like home. But she is careful to not romanticize Caribbean cuisine.
“We have a lot of health problems in our community and that has to do with the way we eat, so it’s important that the food is healthy,” said Runcie.
The menu, developed by Alex Askew, is full of lean meat and fish options and is light on beef. The Eurosoul kebab is a hearty dish of grilled chicken glazed with a guava barbecue sauce, classic jerk pork and lamb chunks grilled with a rosemary sauce, served on crisp spiced cabbage. For pescatarians, the pistachio-crusted salmon is a go-to. Even the vegetarian Ital pasta has as much soul as the meat dishes. The chickpea pasta is cooked in a coconut ginger broth and served with fresh vegetables and crunchy deep-fried chickpeas.
Chef Lopez has enhanced the original offerings to continue evolving the Eurosoul repertoire. He deconstructed a Jamaican red snapper dish, which is traditionally served whole, by filleting it, then stuffing it with seasonal vegetables and roasting it in foil as it is typically prepared. The result is more visually appealing and easier to eat, says Lopez.
Despite 17 years of experience, Lopez still finds a particular joy in Pa-Nash. He and Runcie connect easily over their love of experimentation and playing with food.
“The creativity excites me. Because it’s a fusion, no one knows what it is. I was excited about exploring those flavors,” he said.
Pa-Nash however, is not without growing pains. The original clientele were diners in their late 40s or early 50s with disposable income, but millennials showcasing their food on Instagram have helped reshape Pa-Nash’s image. Director of Operations Tezra Bryant has been busy proposing touches that signal a more low-key vibe.
“People used to think that they had to dress a certain way to come in here. So we’re bringing it down a notch so that people feel that they can come after work for happy hour, listen to music, or they can come in for dinner just in general,” she said.
Runcie doesn’t seem too worried. Her mission seems larger than typical restaurant concerns. She keeps Pa-Nash steeped in the community with regular food donations to City Harvest, and a mentorship program named for her father, Alexander Youth Etiquette Success (YES). “My intent is to go to another level. I always look at how I can be uplifting. Providing this uplifting cuisine is a part of uplifting the community,” she said.
When I next saw Runcie, it was almost closing time and she was tired. But it didn’t matter. At the mention of food, her eyes lit up and I knew she had much more to say.
