Owen Benhail Crownie was born in the Eastern part of Jamaica at  a parish called St.Thomas. Raised on a small family farm, there his Grandmother was the matriarch of the family. On the farm every member of the family had a responsibility. Being one of the youngest his responsibilities varied from picking coffee to searching the farm for eggs. However at that early age he was curious as to how his Granny could create so many different delicious meals with the products from the farm. For instance, why was the coconut so instrumental in almost  all the Meals? Before migrating to the united states at the youthful age of 14 he was blessed with the secret of the coconut. 

In Brooklyn at the age of 15 he made the decision to abstain from all meat, with the exception of fish and no salt. It was this decision which propel him into utilizing "The Secret of the Coconut" in his food adventure, given the fact that no one was able to cook for him he had no choice to prepare his own meals everyday. The challenge for him was to do so in a style that would produce taste, nutrition, and applause. At the age of 16 he started his first job in the food service industry at Kentucky Fried Chicken as a cook. Bens' keen interest in food caught the attention of his manager who rewarded him by sending him to the KFC training program that was available. During his time there he was awarded number one cook for 6 consecutive months. Ben decided to expand his knowledge beyond the center of his family. At this point he began experimenting with spices and herbs from all over the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. His mother was the first person to recognize the unique flavor he brought to Caribbean food, followed by other family members and friends.  

In 1977 Ben migrated to Pittsburgh. Here he married his high school sweetheart. During his years in Pittsburgh it was impossible to find authentic Caribbean herbs, spices and food products. Raising a family and attending school made it more difficult for him to travel to New York periodically for food supplies. After 6 long years he made the decision to resign from the no meat diet. In 1982 he acquired his BS in business from Point Park University. He then opened the first Caribbean grocery store in Pittsburgh, the store was the first to provide Caribbean products such as Jamaican Beef Patties, D and G sodas, hard dough bread, Ackee and much more to the Pittsburgh market . Being as though Ben was always at the Grocery store he would prepare his lunch in the back, customers began to inquire about the pleasant aromas  that his food would create. Ben than began to sell his prepared lunches to his colleagues who would offer to pay and sometimes would bid against one another for his meals. This led to the need for Ben to open a commercial kitchen and thus began the creation of the Royal Caribbean cuisine. Being the type of individual who constantly pushed himself in order to achieve great things. Ben felt having good Caribbean food was not good enough. He wanted to create a "Royal"  standard of dining and service that would expose any persons who tasted his food to a unique combination of spices that they had never experienced before.    

His kitchen is now moving forward and will continue to excite your palate and please your senses so that you will know that you are in an authentic Jamaican restaurant.  His kitchen crew and his servers will now strive to bring A plus service to our fair city.  His goal is to expand the menu and to be aware of his customers.  His love of cooking will shine through as he continues to grow and flourish to bring delightful quality food to our city.  Ben has a favorite saying as he is taking it to the next level and as he always says, The Best is Not Good Enough"!   The Royal Caribbean standard is set high and he will only provide a top notch product and top notch service.  These are the visions of the future that Ben is working on.  It is a wonderful process to try to grow a business and take it to the next level.  Ben is feeling this is his moment and we will only benefit with all the fresh and tasty and exotic cuisine that will be coming out of his kitchen on the way to our plates. We thank him for his dedication and we look forward to many great dining experiences at his restaurant.   It is a joy and a blessing to see the Royal Caribbean set the standard for the best, only the best!