Do you like Jamaican food? This Ocala restaurant might be for you

Andy Fillmore
·3 min read

Nigel Simms, a former correctional officer in Jamaica, New York State Justice Center victim protection worker, screen writer, and music and video producer, is a chef at heart.

“I must have ‘chef ‘ in my DNA from my late father, Leroy Simms,” said Nigel Simms, a native of Kingston, Jamaica.

Simms put aside his career and pursuits in New York and came to Ocala in February to help his ailing mother, Christine Smart, and fill in as chef and operator at the Little Bickle restaurant in the Chelsea Square Plaza on East Silver Springs Boulevard.

Customers choose their entrees on July 31 at The Little Bickle, a Jamaican restaurant located at 3331 E. Silver Springs Blvd. in Ocala.
Customers choose their entrees on July 31 at The Little Bickle, a Jamaican restaurant located at 3331 E. Silver Springs Blvd. in Ocala.

Smart, who opened the eatery in December, became ill in January and has been unable to work. She is recuperating at home in Ocala.

Smart said in a phone interview that she “loves” the restaurant trade and is “proud of“ her son for stepping up to operate Little Bickle while she is sidelined.

Regular customer Kimu Amihere of Ocala said when the restaurant opened she ate there every day for a time.

Simms serves Caribbean cuisine with a “twist on the traditional, just a little bit different,” Amihere said. She’s likes the jerk chicken dish and enjoys the sweet potato ice cream and the “surprise” of his ice cream with Scotch Bonnet pepper flavor added.

What's on the menu?

Jamaican cuisine available at Little Bickle includes popular oxtail flavored with thyme, scallions and allspice; jerk chicken; Haitian Djon Djon rice with black mushroom, thyme, garlic, onion and scallions; and Nigel’s own handcrafted specialty ice cream flavors like sweet potato and Damn Diabolical flavor with Scotch Bonnet pepper for a sweet yet tangy taste.

A blueberry-and-banana smoothie at The Little Bickle. Nigel Simms has come down from New York to serve as chef.
A blueberry-and-banana smoothie at The Little Bickle. Nigel Simms has come down from New York to serve as chef.

Root Energy organic drinks with ingredients like turmeric are available, and Sea Moss infused with flavors like ginger and honey also is served.

According to signage in the eatery, Sea Moss “contains 92 minerals” and Sea Moss lemonade drinks are available in several flavors including strawberry, blueberry and pineapple.

A house special is a Sea Moss lemonade in strawberry flavor with jerk chicken and handcrafted ice cream.

About Chef Nigel Simms

Nigel Simms was born in Jamaica in 1974 and was working as a correctional officer before he moved to New York in 2010.

He was working in New York as a “vulnerable persons protection specialist,” taking reports, conducting interviews and more related to abuse complaints. Then he relocated to help his mother.

Simms has three children, ages 9 to 25. His 25-year-old son Ziggy is currently serving in the U.S. Army Airborne.

Simms had been making his specialty ice creams and selling the sweet treat at “pop-up” sales location in New York.

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Simms produced the song “Garrison Cry” with singer Vybz Cartel and, as an award-winning screen writer, has authored works like “The Odd Son,” a drama that involves a rapper becoming guardian of his biracial and autistic brother, according to Coverfly.com

“This was a quick decision,” Simms stated in a text about traveling to Ocala.

“I left my kids back in New York and I miss them dearly. I am trying to take some time off to visit them,” Simms stated.

Little Bickle Jamaican Restaurant, 3351 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala; (914) 320-7631

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: The Little Bickle in Ocala serves authentic Jamaican food