Sonia Gray – custodian of Kingston’s best kept secret

Sonia Gray is proud of her roots and her country, which shows in the warmth and the down-to-earth attitude that she exudes.

Owner and operator of Ahlambra Inn and Restaurant, the lush green foliage, fish tanks and quaint and historical relics welcomes the visitors.

A thoroughbread country girl, Gray recalled her childhood in Portland, where she used to spend time, at one with nature. “As a little girl growing up in Portland I used to catch Jhaanga (shrimp) and make soup.”

She went abroad to pursue degree in film and television with minor in radio, after a career in public relations, Gray decided to live her dreams.

“Cooking is my passion, all my life I have loved to cook… I decided to go back to my passion of cooking,” she said.

The journey began in 1981, when Gray started her catering business from home. The transition was tough, but it was a learning experience, it gave her a chance to go around the city and explore the shops. “In the first couple of years I knew what was selling in Kingston.”

Gray still continues with this passion, “I could cook from morning to night and I love to treat the people to real and authentic Jamaican food.”

As her catering business was growing, she found that there was a need to be addressed and the seeds of Alhambra Inn were sown.

“Our house was big, and often friends came asking if they could use the place to organise weddings,” she recalled. “The people were moving into townhouses and there came the need to have a place to do weddings and receptions.”

Gray’s husband was upbeat with the idea and they bought a property in the corporate area and moved the catering business there. “We build the public areas and meeting rooms and used the income to build the rooms,” she informed.

She and her husband Trevor Clarke, decided to keep the property as close to nature as possible, and have nurtured encapsulated the beauty of the surrounding hill into the property, “this is the reason we don’t have a big structure or a lot of rooms.”

Alhambra is in 2010 celebrating its 21^st anniversary.

A passionate and proud Jamaican, she and her husband have strived to preserve the country’s rich history. Alhambra Inn can boost of its unique collection of Jamaican artifacts attractively displayed in a lush tropical paradise surrounded by an eclectic mix of Spanish Jars and collectibles. 

“I want to preserve as much of my country as possible,” Gray said. “I wish we can set up a museum.”

As Gray strives to maintain and sustain the character in the hospitality business, she dreams that values that Jamaica was build upon would be passed to the younger generation.

“I grew up in a country that was warm, friendly and caring,” she said. “These are the same values I want to see the youngsters to follow.”

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