Nordie Bryan, 30 years of hard work behind the pan

The sacrifices and dedication of fathers usually go unnoticed. One hard-working father who has stood by his children through thick and thin is Nordie Bryan. His pan chicken business, which started over 30 years ago, has provided the funding to send his three children through high school.

"I have three children, Javel is 25, Jabari is 23 and Jamelia is 16. All of them attended St Mary High and it is the proceeds from the business that has supported them all these years", said the veteran.

Bryan was the second-place winner for the parish of St Mary at PAN 2018 Regional 1. He has advanced to the Grand Final which will be held on Sunday, October 28 at the National Stadium.

"I heard about the competition from a member of the SDC who passed by and saw me one night. He told me about it and some other customers who were there agreed with him, and they too encouraged me to enter", said Bryan.

Bryan does his pan chicken business in front of the St Mary High School in Highgate.

"I have been at this location for over thirty years. I got into pan chicken because I had nothing else doing at the time. I was young and I got a jerk pan to borrow because I wanted to do something to finance myself because it's a self-reliant thing," said Bryan.

He continued, "The relationship that I have built with my customers over the years has been good. I have people coming from American who find me as they land in Jamaica, just to get a taste of my pan chicken', he shared.

Bryan expressed, "If I don't go out and do jerk chicken my customers are upset. It is a special bond that I have created with them over a period of time."

For Bryan, winning one of the cash prizes at the Grand Final of PAN 2018 is utmost on his mind. He would like to expand his pan chicken business.

He shared his plan to leave a lasting impression with the judges.

"The way how I season my chicken and the time I put into the preparation are what make my chicken stand out. I see several people doing jerk over the years and they are amazed at how my chicken smells different from theirs. Trust me the judges are going to be so impressed."