Pan finalist Andre Lawson taking life one leg and thigh at a time

In November 2012, Pan 2018 finalist Andre Lawson decided to go into business for himself. In his youth, he'd worked in many odd jobs here and there, but what he really wanted was to own a bar. He found an open-air spot on the main road in Tucker, Montego Bay, just above the gas station and opened Michael's Sports Bar.

It quickly dawned on Lawson that the bar business left customers feeling hungry. He decided to offer some soup and jerked chicken to meet the demand. Initially, his venture into the Pan chicken world was less than successful.

"At first, I made a lot of mistakes. I burned up the chicken! I had to learn on the go from my mistakes. I had to try new things and do some research. I had never cooked jerked chicken before. Nobody taught me how to do it, I had to teach myself," says Lawson of his early days at the Pan. Lawson - a one-man show - was simply trying to make ends meet. He had a dream of being his own boss and took a lot of pride in that dream. He was determined to succeed.

"I would go places and eat jerked chicken. I noticed that plenty people blend out their seasonings. I don't like that. When people get my chicken, they can see a piece of pepper or some ginger or pimento. I don't blend out my seasonings. It's what makes my chicken different," says Lawson of his signature Pan chicken that has patrons standing in line every Friday and Saturday night at what is now Michael's Sports Bar & Grill. Yes, Lawson has come a far way in a short time!

"My technique is also different. I don't put my chicken on the fire. I use the heat inside the Pan to jerk chicken and give it the right colour without setting the chicken to actual fire," declares Lawson proudly.

Although he did not start out intending to become a Pan chicken chef, Lawson now gains tremendous satisfaction from his Pan. Once he got his seasonings and technique down, customers began to give him praise. Buoyed by these complements, Lawson developed a sense of pride in his chicken. His growing confidence led him to enter the CB Pan 2018 competition, where he now hopes to be crowned grand champion on October 28, 2018.

"I would like to big up my customers and thank them for their support over the years," says Lawson appreciatively. "If it wasn't for them encouraging me, I never would've found my special formula for Pan chicken."