Meet Dwayne Allen | Chief Bubblemaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dwayne Allen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dwayne, risk taking: how do you think about risk, what role has taking risks played in your life/career?
One man’s risk is another man’s adventure! I’m not a risk-taker. I don’t gamble or give much thought to a competitive nature. I like to say that I move when inspired. Sometimes, this inspiration may be a wacky idea to some, running deep down a cavernous rabbit hole and taking three times as long to complete. Take the idea of starting a carbonated beverage company, for example. It didn’t begin with any desire for a company, which would certainly be risky, but rather as an idea to make a better ginger beer. I’ve been obsessed with this spicy, bubbly beverage since my early days as a boy in Jamaica.

In 2013, the work to build Big Marble began. At the time, ginger beer options available around here were not, in my opinion, doing any justice to this tasty beverage. Was it risky to want to make a better one? I guess that depends on who you’re speaking to. In my view, risk is inextricably associated with loss. I have found that, for creatives, focusing on such factors inhibits the intelligent flow of originative thought, a critical component for new ideas and discovery.

Being creative requires hubris, and that could be considered risky enough. So, I don’t take risks. I do what I’m inspired to do, and perhaps by some measure of luck, things work out to be successful.

How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges?

I routinely make it a point to remind myself and my team that we’re in the business of food, not rocket science, not brain surgery. It’s just food! I count myself as being very fortunate to spend my days concerned about food. Not just with what I’m going to eat but more so with how to contribute to the flavor of our community. I’m an artist whose canvas is the palette where my work is to make the world taste just a little bit better each day. My gallery was my restaurant. It’s an understatement to say that the restaurant business is economically challenging. Add a foreign accent, and it’s a recipe to make a small fortune, so long as you start with an even larger one. I read this somewhere.

Being of Jamaican heritage, my story of food is naturally different than the conventional narrative. I realized early on that virtually no one in this city wakes up in the morning and says, “Mmmm, I’m hungry for some jerk chicken.” A successful Jamaican restaurant such an observation does not imply. So, as if the restaurant business was not sufficiently hard-won, we had our work cut out for us and then some! We started with the big question of “how to entice people to eat food they never think about?”. From there, we set out to bring folks along on a journey of discovery. This meant that The Breadfruit was not simply a place to grab a bite but a portal that transported guests to distant traditions, as close as the onions, beets, and scallions from Maya’s Farm in South Phoenix would permit. We all eat the same things (beets, onions, and scallions), and we each dress them differently according to where we are from, but it’s still the same thing. This is what we had figured out. Understanding how to express that on a plate was our superpower, our secret weapon, and how we found success.

As for overcoming challenges, we’re not short on that. Most significant of all was walking away from my restaurant. The decision to permanently close The Breadfruit & Rum Bar after the pandemic was gut-wrenching. It marked the end of an era, not just for me, but for downtown Phoenix as well. But as difficult as it was, I was ready to start a new creative journey and had already taken the first steps. As one chapter closed, another opened in the form of Big Marble Organics. Now we make top-notch non-alcoholic drinks and mixers. We’re still telling stories of food, albeit with beverages rather than meals, with brite tanks instead of stock pots, but this time, we can satiate people all over the globe.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Pa’La on 24th Street. This is hands down my favorite little place to waste a delicious couple of hours. They have a particular way with bread that is unparalleled in this town. Seafood is on point. It’s an uncommon expression of Italian food that speaks to my core. Plus, they serve Big Marble drinks, which obviously has nothing to do with why I dig the place.

Mosey over to Highball for a nightcap. If you’ve not been to this sexy little gem of a space, you’re missing out big time. As convenient as can be, a mere 3 neighborhood blocks walk from my home, Highball is a favorite and a crowd pleaser. Its decor is dark and slightly bohemian, with comfortable seating and a very intimate vibe. I enjoy that the music is always groovy and can nearly guarantee the crew will fix you a tasty libation.

In the morning, we rise with the sunshine and head down to South Mountain for a lovely stroll along the ridge overlooking Laveen on the one side and Old San Juan Road on the other. I’m particularly fond of hiking in this area for a few reasons. First, I discovered this trail during the COVID lockdown, as it was one of the least utilized, with almost no one else around, relishing the peacefulness and solitude. I enjoy that meander up, over, and down both sides of the ridge with spectacular views of the south and southwestern parts of the Valley. Plus, it’s 12 miles full circle, so you can walk to your heart’s desire.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” are some of the most prolific words I’ve ever read. Written by Michael Pollan in his 2008 book In Defense of Food, these seven simple words contained a wealth of genius so plainly laid out that it’s easy to miss. Thankfully for myself and downtown Phoenix’s restaurant-going community, they penetrated into my soul and found root in the ethos of my then-soon-to-open restaurant, The Breadfruit & Rum Bar. Between those pages, I found nearly an instruction manual setting the stage for how the restaurant would approach the food we served. It’s important to note that I had long recognized a misalignment between my attitude towards food as a child growing up in Jamaica and that of an adult living in Phoenix, Arizona. In Defense of Food was on time and very relevant.

On my island, fruits and fresh veggies abounded. Fast or junk food, however, was near non-existent, save for the rarity of an occasional Friday night treat. It’s fair to say what I knew of eating changed, and not for the better, forever on that hot July day in 1992 when I landed at Sky Harbor airport. It would take me almost 2 decades and the opening of my own restaurant to realign my approach to food with the roots of how I grew up. These seven simple words cleared a path through the swampy field of “what to, and not eat” by effectively re-clarifying the notion of good food. It was so effective, that I could picture my grandma nodding in absolute corroboration. She did so some years later when she finally dined at The Breadfruit & Rum Bar.

So, who else deserves credit? Well, that’s easy, Grandma Campbell! To this day, at 97 years old, she remains the stalwart of my family and my number-one go-to person for all things delicious.

Website: www.BigMarble.com

Instagram: @BigMarbleOrganics

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/dwayne-allen-3562b2229

Image Credits
Dwayne Allen