The Jamaican Pencil Chef, Onecia Gayle, pens debut novel ‘Cream of the Crop’

For years, Onecia Gayle has been introducing audiences to Jamaican history and culture through storytelling online as The Jamaican Pencil Chef. Now, the 29-year-old Manchester native has taken that passion and released her debut novel, Cream of the Crop: The Boy, A Dream and A Jamaican Legend.

The novel was officially launched on June 20 at the National Gallery of Jamaica with support from Worthy Park Estate before becoming available worldwide on Amazon on July 1. For Gayle, who spent years researching, writing, and independently publishing the project, it began with the intention of stewarding her digital platform. “I wanted to utilise the platform that I have to do something different, something cultural, something educational,” Gayle said. She explained that the growing audience she built through her online storytelling gave her the confidence to finally publish the book.

A graduate of Manchester High School and Northern Caribbean University, Gayle said literature and history have long been her favourite subjects, eventually inspiring both her online content and her writing. “Literature happens to be my favourite subject; that and history. So I coupled the two and decided to use it for both content creation and for writing. Hence the name Jamaican Pencil Chef, it means that I cook up good stories,” she shared.

At the heart of Cream of the Crop is Shudane, a mischievous student from Albion Primary School who unexpectedly travels back to 1881 during a school trip to Devon House after skipping the educational tour in favour of ice cream. Through his encounter with Jamaica’s first black millionaire, George Stiebel, readers will discover the history of Devon House, 19th-century Jamaica, and the country’s rich cultural legacy. The novel also features Jamaican Patois throughout, accompanied by a glossary designed to help international readers understand the language while preserving its authenticity.

Gayle selected Stiebel as the centrepiece of her first novel to showcase relevant black success stories rooted in Jamaican culture and history. “When we learn about our history, we’re talking about our past. It sounds bad, but there is this glorification of suffering or the slavery that we endured, and not much emphasis is placed on the success stories coming out of black history. So Stiebel is Jamaica’s first black millionaire... I wanted to do a black success story,” she said.

Beyond introducing readers to one of Jamaica’s most influential historical figures, Gayle hopes the novel encourages greater appreciation for local stories and the people who tell them. Gayle told Living, “I want our stories to be told by us,” she said. “I wanted additionally for this to be a movie... so when Netflix or whoever else is ready, they can hear it from us and not twist it to glorify someone else that is not Jamaican or tell it in a way that [is] not true.”

She believes authentic Jamaican storytelling also presents opportunities beyond literature, including strengthening cultural identity as well as creating new economic opportunities through film and tourism. “We focus so much on tourism in a sense of hospitality, but there is no emphasis placed on what the entertainment sector can bring in,” she said, pointing to the global success of book-to-screen adaptations and their impact on tourism.

Gayle also believes young Jamaicans deserve stories that feel familiar and reflective of their own lives. While she credits literature with shaping her own imagination, she stated that many of the novels taught in schools have remained unchanged for decades.

“The same books that we have been reading back then... they’re still using them now,” Gayle said. “I think it’s only fair we give them modernised versions of novels, something that [students] can relate to as well.”

That thinking shaped the creation of Shudane, whose language, personality and behaviour are elements she wants her readers to connect with in some way. “I don’t want him to seem like a perfect character, but I want him to seem like a relatable character. Through every page, somebody must be able to say... I want them to see themselves through the book so that representation matters,” she explained.

While readers may find the novel adventurous, considering the time travel element, bringing it to life was anything but simple. Gayle started with “zero Jamaican dollars” and relied heavily on faith while overcoming financial and legal hurdles, saying the easiest part was the writing process. “I do nothing that I don’t pray about,” she said. “When I was having trouble with publishing, I had to pray about it... I never underestimate the power of God.”

She credited Devon House’s extensive online archives and historical references for helping her ensure the novel remained historically accurate despite its fictional time travel premise. “The information about the legacy of the property... was not hard to find,” she said, adding that the references used throughout the novel are documented at the back of the book to encourage readers to explore Jamaica’s history further.

Asked why this story needed to be told now, Gayle pointed to a mission much bigger than publishing a first book. Of the novel, illustrated by Tyreece McLean, Gayle said, “I am of the view that if children are interested in learning, then we would get better [academic] results.”

Now available on Amazon, Cream of the Crop: The Boy, A Dream and A Jamaican Legend is also available as a signed copy directly from Gayle.

ruth-ann.briscoe@gleanerjm.com