Kingston Grill Pop-up Adds Caribbean Flavor to Islanders Game

Kingston Grill has been a staple in the Elmont community since opening seven years ago, serving up quality jerk chicken and other Jamaican specialties. When the restaurant got a new neighbor in UBS Arena back in 2021, owner Sandy Vasceannie had hopes of bringing a little Caribbean flavor to the concourse.

That materialized on Saturday, as Kingston Grill set up in Market 103 on the UBS Arena concourse during the New York Islanders game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“I’ve been wanting to do this from the day the arena opened,” Vasceannie said. “Getting this shine, there are no words to express my excitement.”

Kingston Grill served up jerk chicken platters, BBQ jerk chicken sandwiches, boneless jerk chicken with BBQ sauce and jerk chicken fried rice.

The pop-up was part of an effort by the Islanders and UBS Arena wanted to spotlight a local, black-owned business as part of Black History Month, and Saturday marked the second collaboration between the Islanders and Kingston Grill. The restaurant was also featured in a small business spotlight by the team in 2022.

“It certainly gave us a wider audience,” Vasceannie said. “Sometimes they come in and they’re like ‘we saw you on the jumbotron, we saw you on the website,’ so it has really helped us.”

The Islanders may have helped amplify, but Vasceannie, her team and her food are at the center of what makes Kingston Grill great. Cooking is deeply ingrained for Vasceannie, whose first exposure to the restaurant business was in Jamaica, as her mom used to cook and sell meals to community cleanup crews. Her job as an 11-year-old was to deliver the food and help keep track of the books, though Kingston Grill is the second business Vasceannie has owned and operated, as she previously ran a publishing business.

Helping people is one of Vasceannie’s core philosophies, as Kingston Grill regularly helps feed the homeless at the Jamaica Armory. In her mind, helping people is just as important as making money.

“We have a lot of leftover food at night and we have a crew that delivers the food,” Vasceannie said. “There are kids in school who are struggling so [a teacher friend] distributes the food to those families. We really do a lot of community service.”

Islanders fans won’t have to go far to get seconds at Kingston Grill, as it’s just a short drive from UBS Arena. Vasceannie and her team will return to UBS Arena on April 14 for Machel Montano. Fans can learn more about the restaurant here.