On Tecumseth Street in Toronto, where the chill of winter keeps most indoors, a bright neon glow lights up the night sky. Beneath it, a small pop-up stall stands tall, serving up hot, flaky Jamaican patties that have gone viral on social media.
Run by a passionate couple with big dreams, Jrew Creations is a late-night hub that has transformed a humble sidewalk into a spot for food lovers craving warmth, flavour, and a little magic after dark.
Jrew Creations is the brainchild of partners in business and life, Jaime Aludos and Andrew Foster.
One is a creative with her eyes on crochet and the other, a master in the kitchen with a taste for Caribbean eats. Together, they’ve turned a love for artistry, and a corner on a sidewalk.
I only found out about Jrew Creations after my Uber driver took Tecumseth Street to Liberty Village. Its bright neon lights caught my eye and though we zoomed past the stall, it was enough to spark my curiosity.
After a few failed searches on Google, I eventually found their Instagram and was immediately intrigued. Jamaican patties and crochet? I had to find out more. After talking to a colleague, I found out that the mystery stall was viral on TikTok – probably due to their business approach.
I returned to the pop-up one night to get the story behind it, and to try the viral patty myself.
Woven with Passion, Filled with Flavour
I found out through Aludos and Foster that this story began back in 2022 when their passions for crocheting and cooking flourished. Though different avenues, there was a mutual love for the art they were creating, something that they “never actually considered” to be a job.
So at the start, it was more the crocheting.
“For the crochet, we saw many people take interest in what we were wearing, specifically the crochet durag and bucket hat,” said Aludos.
They then decided to take their products to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the Durag Fest.
“After seeing even more interest, we wanted to continue this venture by doing pop-ups in the city. We started in Parkdale in August of 2022 and continued popping up every weekend until the end of the same year,” shared Aludos.
The duo even caught the eye of Conde Nast and was featured in British Vogue.
But they wanted more. Having already built a community and following in downtown Toronto, specifically in the Queen/Spadina and Bathurst/Front area, the next step was clear: finding a long-term pop-up space – which they did at Stackt Market in January 2023.
“Our first pop-up at Stackt was in the smallest unit, and we only had crochet items at the time,” added Aludos, and that’s when things changed, and the food entered the picture.
“We saw so much growth that we explored a larger unit for an extended term. After much back and forth, we eventually settled on a double unit on Bathurst, where we started to incorporate food through Jamaican patties and freshly made beverages.”
Flood wipes out new space
However, their Stackt experience didn’t last. They realized their potential for growth, and felt like they outgrew the space.
By February 2024, they had closed their doors at Stackt. With no immediate alternatives, they returned to their contract jobs while continuing to search for a new home in the Bathurst and King area.
It wasn’t long until they found their next spot on Tecumseth Street. “The space was a bit unconventional being in the basement of a commercial house building, but we knew we could make it work,” added Aludos.
Unfortunately, a flood quite literally wiped out their plans. “We had talks of an outdoor setup that eventually came to life four days before we flooded in July,” she shared. “We had been going through issues with water problems before and had no idea the unit would flood after the consistent rainfalls.”
That meant they had to close their doors and come up with a strategy to get the ball rolling again. And just like that, the outdoor stall was born.
If You Build It, They Will Come… for Patties
“After long Uber hours and longer hours on Facebook Marketplace, we slowly gathered the pieces for our bodega. We were going cheque to cheque on every transaction, so it was carefully thought out in terms of pick up location, cost, use,” said Aludos.
With less than $700 and a dream, the duo successfully built the outdoor structure and has served their tasty treats since October.
Their pop-up offers options such as Beef, Stew Chicken, Oxtail, Curry Goat and Pepper Shrimp. These are also their best-sellers and do tend to sell out. Patties range from $4.25 to $7.85 depending on the one you choose.
Their menu is posted on their Instagram stories daily, which is the best way to check what’s in stock.
Their outdoor setup only added to the attention, drawing influencers too. “Our main goal has always been to serve others, so whatever buzz we’ve received online has always felt organic because it was never forced,” she added.
The journey was long but fruitful. Despite the adversity they faced, the duo didn’t give up. After facing financial losses, leaving Stackt Market and flooding, what truly kept them going was knowing they had built a community.
“We had great products and great people that supported us. The love behind our passions never faltered and continues to be the reason we persevere,” said Aludos.
“Our values and goals have stayed the same since the beginning of this journey, and we’ve always felt that our authenticity allows us to remain consistent while things are changing around us. While we’ve seen personal growth, it hasn’t altered who we are as people.”
While you will find patties at their stand, you won’t see their crochets.
For their crochet creations, Aludos continues to work behind the scenes. While crochet sales have taken a backseat to their patty pop-up’s growing success, the buzz around Jrew Creations continues to build online.
“Our biggest barrier was not being active on our own social media,” Aludos admitted. “When we started to take ourselves seriously online and create more content for our online community, we gained even more attention.”
A Look into the Future
As for what’s next, Jrew Creations doesn’t see this pop-up as temporary – they’re making it a permanent part of their business, filling a gap that Toronto’s street food scene is missing.
Although they have been operating outdoors due to the flooding situation inside 44 Tecumseth, this business approach will stick around even after repairs.
Aludos shared that they will be temporarily moving to 165 Niagara Street and will open on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, where they will stay until June 2025.
They hope to return to their home at 44 Tecumseth by summer – with a possible reemergence of their crochet, indoors.
Whether it’s through a flavourful Jamaican patty or a thoughtfully crafted crochet piece, Aludos and Foster have proven that magic can be made even in the most unconventional places. Even in the cold.
Which is why I went back to get a couple of their popular patty choices: beef and oxtail. As I walked away, I pulled one out and it was gone in seconds.
For now, the neon glow at 44 Tecumseth Street is a symbol of one Toronto couple’s determination, and an open invitation to anyone craving some warmth, and flavour.
