photo by steed media service

If you’re looking for the best food in Harlem, look no further than the MoBay Uptown Restaurant and Barbeque. Founder and CEO Sheron Chin-Barnes offers up “a little twist on that soul/Carribbean somethin’-somethin,’ ” with an ambience that’s as warm and inviting as the entrees. Chin-Barnes founded the restaurant six years ago in Fort Greene, Brooklyn as an outlet for her mother to bake cakes.

“It started with her famous Rummy Rum Cake; we got this little space and we decided cakes alone [wouldn’t] pay the bills, so we started cooking,” explains Chin-Barnes. “[The menu is] basically all of our family recipes.”

Her multiethnic heritage, (she’s Jamaican-Chinese), contributes to that ‘little twist’ that MoBay is known for, and after exploding at the Brooklyn location, she was compelled to move to larger accommodations Uptown. “We just sold the Brooklyn location, but we were there for almost six years before we outgrew that space,” she shares. “With all of the changes in Harlem, we saw this as a unique opportunity for us to move and also expand.” The expansion included a sister restaurant called Baton Rouge, that specializes in Cajun andCreole fare.

“We cook for family, not because [I’ll] get a few dollars,” says Chin-Barnes. “It’s not just a business, it’s our lives and our customers are treated like extended family. There is no me without you — if you don’t come in, I don’t have a business.”

Understanding that relationship is what keeps Sheron Chin-Barnes ahead of the pack. “I don’t care if you’re the president or the man who sweeps the street,” she continues. “You’re going to be treated the same, knowing that is what’s important.” - todd williams

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