A Newark man has gone from being a correction officer to becoming a restaurant owner.

Kashif Jones grew up loving food and everything that went into making it.

While working as a correctional officer right before the COVID pandemic, a friend introduced him to crabbing on a trip to Long Branch.

"It became a sport, it became therapeutic, anything, I'm a fisherman. Thats what I do," he says.

From there, Jones created signature dishes and sold them out of his home, becoming more popular by the day.

"We have food that makes you feel good, we have food that's you know just heavy on your stomach," he says.

During a time when plenty of businesses were struggling, his signature dishes were a must for those staying at home, seeking comfort.

"We have everything from our 'rasta pasta' to our homemade sauces and wings, lambchops. We have ramen bowls; we have seafood boils of course. We do a lot of catering, a lot of... catering, from macaroni and cheese to fried catfish," he says.

Jones is now serving seafood specialties at his restaurant Crabbae.

His first one opened in 2019, and he now has three locations, including Kenilworth, Maplewood and the newest restaurant in West Orange, which opened last year.