Junior was born in Kingston 11 in the Waterhouse community of Jamaica and raised in Portmore, where, as one of the eldest siblings, he learned to cook and care for his family—sparking a lifelong passion for the culinary arts. After migrating to the United States in the early 1980s, he began his career as a steward, steadily refining his skills and advancing to lead chef roles in several prestigious five-star hotels throughout the Maryland and Washington, DC area. Known for his guiding principle, “Quality over Quantity,” Junior takes pride in every dish he creates and, with over 50 years of experience, is widely respected as a masterful chef celebrated for his originality and authenticity.

Jermaine Thorpe was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and immigrated to the United States at the age of two, growing up in the East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Inspired by his father, Chef Junior, Jermaine discovered his passion for cooking at a young age and, in the early 2000s, relocated to the Maryland–Washington, DC area to continue honing his craft alongside him. With over two decades of culinary training under his father’s mentorship, Jermaine has emerged as a leader in his own right, bringing a fresh perspective to classic, old-school cooking by blending island spices with comfort food traditions—an approach that defines the vision behind Island House, known for authentically delicious, thoughtfully crafted meals.