While he doesn't have any biological children, Deacon said he "earned six kids" from his wife. All of them are adults who are married and living in Madison, but none of them are interested in taking over the business.

"They have jobs," he said. "I guess they see how hard I work. I don't think they could take the punishment."

People keep telling Deacon it's too early for him to retire because a lot of them don't know his age. "They see it on the outside. They don't know what it is on the inside," he said, adding that he needs to get out of the business "before I fall down on it."

Deacon said he'd like to write a book about his restaurant journey. When he first opened almost a quarter century ago, it was "a spunky little Willy Street with a lot of locals happy to see Jamerica spring up. It was special cuisine to everybody."

It's certainly been special for Mike Duesing, 65, who came from Stoughton to enjoy a plate of authentic jerk pork last Friday. When he lived in Madison, he and his wife ate at Jamerica at least twice a week, he said. "And we still make the trek."

Duesing said Deacon's jerk pork and jerk chicken are the best in town. His wife has mastered jerk chicken, but can't begin to touch the pork, he said. "And you can see by my physique that she's a great cook."