Street chef Bully Cat feeding Ocho Rios - Businessman serving tasty meals to hurricane victims

In a time when Hurricane Melissa has shaken spirits, battered homes, and left pockets empty across St Ann, one stove in the Ocho Rios Craft Market burns brighter than ever, fuelled by love, generosity, and the determination of one man.

Dennis 'Bully Cat' Gordon, a well-known figure in the bustling market, has been cooking every single day since November 1, and giving away the food for free to anyone hungry enough to need it.

"We cook every day and, when we cook, we share," Gordon told THE WEEKEND STAR.

"The first day, mi cook 300 pounds of chicken. We don't want no money -- no money. We don't sell food. We just cook. Somebody pass by and they want a food, we give them. No price, no money."

The Category 5 storm made landfall last Tuesday, smashing western parishes the hardest. According to UN News, it is estimated that more than 36,000 people require food assistance. Director general at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, Commander Alvin Gayle, says that more than 36,000 food packages have been delivered to people who were severely impacted. Non-profit organisation World Central Kitchen has partnered with the St James Municipal Corporation to provide about 5,000 hot meals per day to hurricane victims.

While many charitable kitchens stick to the basics, Gordon insisted on serving restaurant-quality meals that remind people they still deserve the best even in crisis.

"We have chicken, curry goat, oxtail, conch, lobster, rice and peas, and mainly fish," he said proudly.

"Fish a we favourite, steamed down in coconut juice. We love our community so we put out our best for the community, because Jamaica a di best place inna di world." He said that he sometimes cooks up to five times daily.

Gordon's community commitment didn't start with the hurricane.

"I've been doing community service for 40 years and children's treats for 37 years," he explained. "And mainly I have a fatherless foundation in the community around St Ann here, so I am always active working for the communities."

His generosity is powered by another business he runs in the craft market. That makeshift shop, however, was blown down completely by Hurricane Melissa. Still, even as he rebuilds his livelihood, he continues to nourish others.

"I'm always working to build my community," he said. "One person alone cannot build the country, so let us come together and build the country." With so many receiving plates daily, food handling is taken seriously. Gordon said ensuring safety is non-negotiable.

"Let me tell you something -- me myself go wash the pot with bleach, fob, and soap," he said. "The food I buy from the market is washed clean. My food haffi clean and cook properly before me give it to my people. Curry chicken, curry goat, oxtail, lobster, conch -- that is what I give to my people without any money."

Gordon said that the gratitude from beneficiaries alone keeps him energised.

"People have been saying, 'Oh Cat, you let us eat when we couldn't find a plate of food, and you made sure we got a proper meal,'" he said with a smile. "The people feel so good that they can come here and get a proper plate of food during this crisis."

As Ocho Rios and scores of other communities continue to rebuild after the storm, Gordon's work sends a powerful reminder: community love can never be washed away.

"I'm happy that I have a soul for my people," he said, hand on his chest. "And I plan to keep this up for as long as I'm alive."