A new restaurant in Oneonta seeks to fuse the cuisine of several cultures from around the world.
Orrett Weir and his wife, Anna Kay Weir, opened Jammings on March 6, which took over the former Humphrey’s location at 437 Main St. that Don and Ronnie Marikovics operated for 13 years before retiring.
The Weirs struck a rent-to-own deal with the Marikovics to take over operating the restaurant. The couple plans to preserve the German recipes from Humphrey’s while fusing them with Italian, American and Jamaican cuisine.
Orrett Weir worked with the Marikovics for three months to learn their schnitzel recipes and other secrets of success.
“They taught me a lot during those three months,” he said. “They are still guiding and supporting us,” like with referrals to wholesalers, repairmen and accountants.
Orrett Weir counts among his friends a variety of people from different cultures. He said it’s hard to choose a restaurant in Oneonta that would satisfy everyone’s tastes, so he decided to open a restaurant that offers a variety of international dishes. It was an idea he had when he still lived in Jamaica, to appeal to visiting tourists.
Jammings is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The restaurant also offers catering, takeout and a food truck.
Jammings is named after the Bob Marley song, “Jamming,” Anna Kay Weir said. Nevertheless, they play a variety of music during lunch and dinner service.
“We are not branding ourselves as an authentic Jamaican restaurant,” Orrett Weir said.
Instead, he combines the bold spices and flavors of his native Jamaica with favorite pasta and schnitzel recipes that he has acquired by working for American restaurants during his career.
He said he developed a passion for cooking from a young age, watching his relatives prepare meals with love.
“My grandmother started teaching me to cook at age 8,” he said. “My mom taught me to cook, too, at age 10.” He pursued his passion and went to culinary school.
His first restaurant, Yummie Jerk Center, was in St. Ann, Jamaica, where he perfected his own secret blend of jerk seasonings and sauces. In 2017, he visited North Carolina to discuss manufacturing and bottling his special jerk seasoning and jerk sauce in the United States.
“My boys encouraged me to open my own restaurant. They ask for pasta and steak and I prepare it with my special seasonings,” he said.
When another friend invited him to visit Oneonta, the Catskill Mountains and lush, green landscape here reminded him of the Blue Mountains in Jamaica, where temperatures are cooler than in the other parts of his country.
“Jamaica is peaceful and quiet. So is Oneonta,” he said.
Orrett Weir’s culinary career touches on several Oneonta establishments.
He worked at Latte Lounge for a year, preparing a breakfast and lunch menu. After that, he worked for six years as one of the cooks at Bella Michael’s Restaurant, owned by Alessandro Gracias.
“He was like a role model to me, a great inspiration. He taught me a lot,” Orrett Weir said.
Pollo Toscana, lemon chicken and a thin-sliced steak recipe are a few favorite Italian dishes that he brought with him to Jammings.
In 2020, he operated Orretto’s at the Shakedown Street Cafe. He served coffee, waffles, homemade cheesecake and Jamaican dishes.
“I still made all my own desserts,” he said. At Jammings, homemade mango ice cream, rum cake and his cheesecake are available as specials.
In October 2024, he worked with Brew U and staffed its kitchen. In June 2025, he bought a food truck and named it Jammings. The food truck will offer jerk chicken, oxtail, macaroni and cheese and other specialty dishes for the grand opening of Oneonta’s new bus terminal from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 28.
Jammings offers seafood on its lunch and dinner menus.
“I am a pescatarian,” Orrett Weir said. “I was a foodie and ate a lot of meat in the past. In 2006, I decided I would no longer eat meat.”
Fried chicken and curried goat are on the menu for meat lovers. The menu also offers vegan and vegan-friendly dishes, including rice and beans cooked in coconut milk, and pesto pasta.
Find Jammings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Jammings437.