Gabriel Boyd was born and raised in Philadelphia. His wife and business partner, PJ DeCordova-Boyd, is from Connecticut and has Jamaican roots.
“We met in college, the first ever HBCU Cheyney University, which the Cheyney sandwich is named after,” PJ De-Cordova-Boyd said.
Now, the couple is serving up colorful dishes that celebrate both of their backgrounds.
“It brings a piece of his home to Connecticut, and it brings nostalgia when I lived back there. So, I love the mixture of the Caribbean and my background and Philadelphia, his background,” DeCordova-Boyd said.
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The Boyd's are the owners of the newly rebranded The 881 Grab & Go located at 881 New Britain Ave. in Hartford. It was formerly The Russell Grab & Go.
“Same location, same cooks, same people, but just adding our own personality to it,” Gabriel Boyd said.
They have expanded their menu to include vegan dishes, popular Jamaican plates like oxtail and jerk chicken, a twist on Philly cheesesteaks, and overall offering creative cuisine.
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“So, all different textures and flavors and colors that pop, textures that you are not used to. Strong texture, crisp texture, flavors that you are not used to. Combining flavors that you are not used to, just opening up your palate more,” Boyd said.
The names of the food items also give a nod to Philly.
“That's why our menu has a lot of Philadelphia language, big jawns, ol' head, young bull, a lot of this Philadelphia which now allows me to be me and allows us to be us in the space,” Boyd said.
Beyond the food, the couple is creating an environment where the community can connect.
On display inside their take-out restaurant is a showcase of several business cards for local Black and brown business owners.
“We found out over time, nobody really knows about you, no one knows about you and when no one knows about you, you have to let people know about somebody,” Boyd said.
For DeCordova-Boyd, her favorite part of owning a business with her husband has been seeing him live out his passion.
“This is the thing that brings him the most joy and it brings me joy seeing him have so much joy and excitement about coming up with new recipes, coming up with new ideas, every day he has a different idea,” DeCordova-Boyd said.
In the future, the couple hopes to open a drive-thru for the community.
