A picture tells a thousand tales; well it does with Bounty Hunta’. The owner of Jamaican Pizza Jerk, “the iriest jerk pizza restaurant in Vancouver,” has two sides to his identity.

On one side you have the down-to-earth warm chef who is a qualified Red Seal in Culinary Arts from Vancouver Community College; and on the other is a boisterous larger-than-life reggae artist with the killer-smile and an intellectual mind who is a deep thinker yet not afraid to speak his thoughts. “I don’t see the annual Caribbean festivals as a way to bring Caribbean’s and Africans together, if anything it creates more separation,” he says. I would rather see one event which represents everybody, which is what Rastafarianism is all about; the unity, the consciousness, the acceptance of who you are.”

Becoming a successful restaurateur and well-respected musician wasn’t easy for Bounty; he moved over to Canada with his family at a young age for a better life but struggled to fit-in with the largely French-speaking people while living in Montreal; and then after moving to Vancouver was dismayed by the city’s lack of knowledge of black people. “I was the very first black person making reggae music in Vancouver,” he points out. “Even when I became more aware to people they were intimidated by my lyrics, but the way I see it musicians should make music based on social issues the world needs to be tackling.”

But with Bounty’s no regret’s attitude he soon found his calling; one night while looking up at the sky after the death of his uncle he heard the voice of his grandmother telling him to just “do what you love and that will make you happy.” The message from above brought back childhood memories of helping his grandmother cook his favourite dish, fritters, and inspired Bounty to delve into the food industry, gaining experience at the Coast Plaza Hotel in downtown Stanley Park, before opening a rarity in Vancouver, a jerk pizza restaurant. “I wanted to make food that Vancouverites haven’t experienced yet; “I use Soya cheese in my pizza’s because I’m lactose intolerant,” he says. “But right now I’m currently renovating the restaurant and plan to cater more Vancouver-friendly food.”