Paradise Jamaican Restaurant and Pizza officially opened Friday at 452 N. Park Ave. 

“I want to have [a] relationship, like a community relationship with people that come in here,” co-owner Alison “Laurie” Williamson said in an interview with The Apopka Chief. “We bond together. We show that there is no — there’s no black, there’s no white.” 

Raised in Saint Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica, Williamson sells jerk chicken, oxtail and other favorites from her homeland. She brings with her eight years of experience managing both locations of Negril Jamaican Restaurant, an Orlando chain owned by her cousin. 

Williamson said she first wanted to buy the property when her husband visited Wingz Wingzz Wingzzz, a former tenant at the location. When she was driving to the post office in June, she noticed that Park Avenue Pizza had replaced it. 

“So I said to him, I said, ‘Babes, Wingz Wingzz Wingzzz is not there anymore,’” she said. “‘Somebody has took over.’ And I said to him, ‘What are they doing in my place?’ Yeah, I said—I actually said that. I said, ‘What are they doing in my place? That’s my shop. They need to hurry up and get out just like that.’” 

Three weeks later, she was helping her friend search for an apartment—and she saw Park Avenue Pizza was up for sale. When she first visited with the owner to discuss the sale, though, he said he was already in an agreement with someone else. 

“I said, ‘God, if it’s Your will for me, then I know most definitely it will be mine,’” Williamson said.  

Williamson then asked the Park Avenue Pizza owner if she and her husband could call him every day to check in on the sale. A few days later, the owner said the offer fell through. The Williamsons then took over the building on July 1. 

Although Park Avenue Pizza is no longer in operation, Williamson appreciated two chefs from the business and wanted them to join Paradise. Their employment led to a few of the restaurant’s most unique offerings. 

“I’ve never heard nobody in Orlando doing jerk chicken pizza or oxtail pizza,” she said. 

Ultimately, Williamson sees her business as a family affair. Her husband and Paradise co-owner, Garfield Williamson, used his background in construction to renovate the building, and her uncle Champie cooks in the kitchen. On opening day, her sister took a day off work to help.  

Laurie Williamson also credits her grandmother for inspiring her to enter the restaurant business. Affectionately known as “Muncie,” she ran Muncie’s Restaurant in Jamaica. According to the Paradise website, many of the restaurant’s meals are inspired by Muncie’s cooking. 

Laurie Williamson has been excited at the community’s reception of her restaurant so far. She hopes to steward her business well as it continues to grow.  

“I don’t think God comes there in a dirty vessel,” she said. “You make yourself clean, appealing, and then you watch your blessing come.” 

Paradise Restaurant is open from 7 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat., and from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Sun.