Ramon Green, a U.S. Army veteran who long dreamed of owning a restaurant, opened Good Vibes, a Jamaican eatery in Kaiserslautern, Germany, in January. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
U.S. Army veteran Ramon Green, the owner of a new Jamaican eatery in Kaiserslautern, Germany, used to daydream with his fellow soldiers about opening a restaurant one day.
After leaving the military, Green opened a food truck and for the past three years has served spicy jerk chicken to soldiers at Kleber Kaserne. The smoky aromas from his barbecues each morning attracted long lines of Americans, who became regular customers.
Ramon Green, owner of Good Vibes Jamaican restaurant in Kaiserslautern, Germany, has served U.S. soldiers at Kleber Kaserne for four years from his food truck. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
But Green’s ultimate culinary dream was delayed until January, when he opened Good Vibes, an eatery in downtown Kaiserslautern next to Stiftsplatz.
The restaurant’s atmosphere lives up to its name, with soft, yellow lighting and reggae music playing in the background.
Americans account for 90% of the clientele at Good Vibes, a Jamaican restaurant in Kaiserslautern, Germany, according to owner Ramon Green. Many of the Americans are regulars at the food truck he operates at Kleber Kaserne, a U.S. Army base. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
Green said about 90% of his customers so far are Americans who know him from his food truck, whose specialty is jerk chicken. And that is the most popular dish at Good Vibes.
Jerk refers to a method of seasoning, smoking and grilling meat, and it has deep ties to Jamaican history.
Slaves who escaped from plantations on the island learned how to smoke meats using local spices from the indigenous Taino people, according to a 2020 article in Smithsonian magazine.
Smoking was important, as an open fire to cook it could reveal an escaped slave’s location, the article said.
The signature dish of Good Vibes, a Jamaican restaurant in Kaiserslautern, Germany, is jerk chicken, which is marinated in spices before being cooked on a barbecue. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
Green cooked jerk chicken while working at Jamaican eateries in New York. He said Good Vibes draws on that experience as well as his upbringing in a family of people who love to cook.
The family moved from Spanish Town, Jamaica, when he was 17, in search of economic opportunities in the U.S.
Green joined the Army when he was 22, swayed by “cool commercials.” He said he picked a job that could teach him logistics, as even then he dreamed of his restaurant.
Good Vibes, a Jamaican restaurant in Kaiserslautern, Germany, has a few non-meat options, including salads and ackee, a savory fruit dish. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
Proper jerk chicken takes time to make, Green said. His recipe involves covering chicken quarters in an overnight marinade of thyme, scallions, garlic, ginger, allspice, Scotch bonnet peppers and a bit of soy sauce and vinegar.
The result is leg and thigh pieces that are smoky yet sweet, with a hint of heat. Jamaican food can be very spicy, but Green said he tones it down to ensure that everyone can enjoy it.
Of course, some like it hot, so there are hot sauces available to add a dash of fire.
The beef oxtail at Good Vibes in Kaiserslautern, Germany, is recommended for customers who think that the jerk chicken might be too spicy for their liking. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
Green said one benefit of having a brick-and-mortar location is that his food truck regulars can sample other dishes that he can’t make out of a trailer.
These include braised beef oxtail, a dish that proved to be tender and savory, with the stewed meat falling off the bone.
The restaurant also has seafood, such as red snapper, which was well-cooked and covered in a sweet brown sauce, and jerk prawn pasta, in which shrimp is doused in spicy jerk sauce.
Prawns on pasta with jerk sauce is one of the spicier options on the menu at Good Vibes, a Jamaican restaurant in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
Good Vibes' menu includes red snapper, which is served in a sweet brown sauce and sourced from London. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
The restaurant also features ackee and saltfish, the national dish of Jamaica. Ackee is a fruit that’s cooked to be savory. It tastes somewhat like scrambled eggs and has a texture resembling that of canned mushrooms.
The saltfish adds a contrasting flavor to the ackee, which notably is poisonous if eaten while unripe.
A few vegan and vegetarian options are available, too. The ackee can be ordered without saltfish. In addition, the restaurant offers callaloo, a stewed leafy green vegetable, and salads.
Good Vibes features a bar with Jamaican beers such as Red Stripe and Dragon Stout, as well as imported rums. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
During my visit, the fried plantains surprised a few American customers, who didn’t expect to like them. Good Vibes also features a bar with Jamaican beers such as Red Stripe and Dragon Stout as well as imported rums.
The restaurant still is experimenting with what works on the menu, Green said. He said he’s taking a lot of lessons from his time as a unit supply specialist in the Army.
“I just felt like this was the right opportunity, the right time, and this is where preparation met opportunity,” Green said.
lawrence.jp@stripes.com Twitter: @jplawrence3
Good Vibes opened in January next to Stiftsplatz in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
Good Vibes Jamaican Restaurant
Address: Muenchstrasse 12, Kaiserslautern, Germany
Hours: Wednesday and Thursday, 5-10 p.m.; Friday, 5 p.m.-midnight; Saturday, 2 p.m.-midnight; Sunday, 2 p.m.-10 p.m.; closed Monday and Tuesday.
Prices: Jerk, curry and stewed chicken main dishes are 14-15 euros and come with two sides. Beef oxtail and seafood dishes are 20 euros or more. Salads are 6-7 euros.
Information: Phone: +49 631 31181937, Online: facebook.com/goodvibeskaiserautern
