15 June 2026
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Growing Jamaican Flavors in Queens: The Family Farm Behind Miss Lily’s
When Brittney “Stikxz” Williams became culinary director at Miss Lily’s in early 2025, she set out to create a menu firmly rooted in Jamaican flavors. Helping her accomplish that mission? Her father, Tony, and his farm in Queens, New York, where he grows Caribbean staples like thyme, callaloo (a leafy green from the amaranth plant) and Scotch Bonnet peppers.
She describes the farm as a backyard operation, but then adds, “it's massive because it’s on a lot of land.”
“He's always, always, always farming. It's never left him. Ever since I was little, he has been doing the same thing,” she says. “He taught me from the beginning, where it starts with tilling the soil, getting the soil prepped for what you're trying to harvest or what you're trying to sow, then to harvest.”
The Jamaican Pepper Powering Miss Lily’s Signature Dishes
Both of Stikxz’s parents are from Jamaica and come from farming families. Her father, now 74, doesn’t grow just Caribbean staples. “He grows a slew of things, like zucchini, peppers and all the others, but the Scotch Bonnets and the callaloo are what's most important.”
Those Scotch Bonnet peppers are essential to Jamaican cooking. “This pepper is found in every single dish in Jamaican cuisine except for desserts,” says Stikxz. “It’s so floral and citrusy. It kind of tastes like the terroir of Jamaica.”
One of her favorite ways to use the pepper is in peppa shrimp, a spicy head-on shrimp dish that’s a specialty in Middle Quarters, a village in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica.
“It is a street food that's served out of a bag, right? And you get the true essence of Scotch Bonnet,” she says. “It’s one of my most important ingredients and ties right into my dad's farm.”
The pepper is spicy, but her father grows a hybrid that delivers all the flavor and none of the heat. She uses both varieties at Miss Lily’s. “I didn't want to hold back on the heat because that's diluting Jamaican cuisine, but I also want to show that it can be so much fun and so delicious,” she says.
How a Father’s Garden Shaped a Chef’s Culinary Journey
Stikxz hosted a special dinner in 2025, and says nearly the entire menu featured ingredients from her father's garden. He attended the event and was deeply moved by the experience.
“I tell you, it was like tears. He was just so happy that, as somebody who came from such a small place, his child was so impacted by where he came from and able to do so much with what he thought was so small. It really makes a difference in his life.”
Stikxz says her father’s favorite dish of all time is steamed snapper stuffed with callaloo. “You season it with jerk or whatever you may have on your pantry, wrap it up in parchment and you throw it on the grill, and then it steams through.”
It’s not on the regular menu at Miss Lily’s, but Stikxz served it for Father’s Day last year.
Honoring Jamaica Through Every Dish
While Stikxz wants diners to understand that Jamaican food is more than jerk chicken, she also acknowledges that diners love and want it. To that end, she spent 10 years perfecting her version.
“We had to do it right. From the jerk spice, the jerk seasoning, the marinating process, the curing process, the whole shebang, this is a three-day chicken, where we're pouring in a lot of love, a lot of flavor and not holding back.”
The chicken is finished with a rum barbecue glaze. “People lost their mind over jerk chicken before, but now they're just like, this is next level, you know?”
But for Stikxz, the dish is only one part of a much larger story. “We are more than just jerk chicken, fried plantains and beef patties. Jamaican flavors are bold and our food is nuanced, expressive and creative,” she says. “[Jamaican food] has so much more to offer and it has a story to tell. If you're hiring me, you're hiring Jamaica. And I wear that proudly on my back, and I shout it to the high heavens that we are culinary prowess.”
That mission is rooted in family. Being able to honor her father — and the ingredients he grows — with her cooking means everything. “He is very proud of me and tells me all the time.”
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Hero image: Chef Brittney Williams and her father at Chef Stikxz family farm in Queens.
