Meet Local Mom Pauline O’Leary

a personal chef and “Jamerican foodie” creator with a passion to bring friends and neighbors together with food and good conversation

Name Pauline O’Leary

Company name Jamerican Foodie

Family (names/ages) Mike (husband), Michael (13), and Sean (11)

Job Title Private Chef – Jamaican and American Cuisine

Contact Info Instagram @Jamerican_foodie

How long have you lived here and what brought you to town?

We moved to Cranford 10 years ago this upcoming June 27th. It feels like yesterday. My husband grew up in town and in the house we are currently living in. We moved from Manhattan for more space and outdoor life for our boys. We planned on staying in Cranford until we found a town we loved. In less than a month, we fell in love with our neighbors, who my husband’s siblings once would babysit for and now their grandchildren were babysitting our kids. We quickly settled into a circle of family.

What are your favorite family activities?

As older parents, our activities are centered around our boys who keep us very busy. Michael, our oldest, is an avid soccer player and that keeps us very busy with games almost every weekend. We try to get out to see professional games when we can. We are super sports fans and love to entertain while watching games. Sean, my youngest, loves anything outdoors – swimming, parks, trampoline parks, and the beach. We try to share our time by giving each person a shot at doing what they like.

What’s your favorite restaurant and/or place to shop?

I absolutely love this town and love so many places. My absolute one stop for outfits and teacher gifts is Augusta Mae Boutique. I also love Cougar Headquarters for teacher gifts and my sportswear. Mr. J’s, for the absolute best sloppy joes, a tray of these sandwiches also makes a great teacher gift. Ambeli is great for a girls’ night out or a date night. My new find is Dim Sum II, for the best Chinese food. And for some selfcare, Alex at Young Nails gives the best mani-pedi and massage.

What was the best advice on motherhood that you ever received?

The best advice I ever got was “take the help.” Cranford moms have been my family and that is a big part of my love for this town. If you are like me, with no family close by, you are in the perfect town.

Tell us about your job or passion.

Food has always been a big part of my life especially after moving far away from home (Jamaica). It was one of the things that kept me feeling a big connection to home. I never learned to cook until I was pregnant with my first son. Two college friends taught me over the phone. If you have ever had a craving while pregnant, then you know! I learned quickly. I think ultimately I missed home so much and wanting to keep it close made cooking a big part of my life.

What inspired you to follow this career?

I think we will call it a passion. Covid was so hard and scary for all of us with a lot of time on our hands. I was already cooking and taking pictures and one day decided to share them on Instagram. It took off from there! I would always cook and share my dishes with neighbors, for friends’ birthdays or while entertaining and would get so much pleasure from watching people enjoy my food. Then Mr J’s (Angelo) gave me an opportunity to host a POP Up at his location and it turned out to be a big success, for which I will forever be grateful. I hope to do more of that here in town soon.

You can check out some of Pauline’s Jamerican delights on Instagram

@Jamerican_foodie!