The Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Oak Bluffs conjures up images of tradition, from service members swapping stories at the bar to post-Veterans Day parade celebrations. But for over a decade, Islanders have also associated the post with another more unique tradition: Jamaican food.

The legacy started 14 years ago with Chef Deon’s Kitchen, where Chef Deon Thomas served nightly dinners featuring Jamaican standards such as jerk chicken, conch fritters, ox tail and goat curry.

Mr. Thomas announced in September he would be leaving the VFW, and many worried the tradition they had come to love would be a thing of the past.

Chef Abraham has been cooking on the Vineyard since 2004.

Ray Ewing

Chef Abraham has been cooking on the Vineyard since 2004.

Ray Ewing

But in early December, Island chef Shamel Abraham opened Honorary Tavern at the VFW, serving a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu that blends Jamaican culinary influences with New England tavern fare.

“I wanted to offer something back to the Island that’s offered so much to me,” Mr. Abraham told the Gazette in a recent interview.

Mr. Abraham has lived on the Vineyard since 2004, when he eased into the Island’s food scene working at Murdick’s Fudge and the Seafood Shanty. Before long, he found a home at Coop de Ville, where he was a chef for 20 years. During that time, Mr. Abraham also started a food truck called Irie Bites, which cruised around the Island offering Jamaican food.

All the while, Mr. Abraham’s dreamed of owning and operating his own brick-and-mortar eatery.

“I was always looking for the perfect opportunity to start something on my own,” he said. “[I] was just waiting for the right time and the right place.”

After Chef Deon departed this fall, the VFW tapped Mr. Abraham as his successor.

“We wanted a full-time, full-service restaurant,” said VFW’s John McCauley. “We’re proud of Shamel.”

Mr. Abraham’s menu is replete with traditional Jamaican cuisine, such as tender oxtail stew and jerk chicken. He said some of his signature dishes are curry coconut salmon and barbecue ribs, smoked and slow-cooked for three hours on an open flame.

All day, every day.

Ray Ewing

All day, every day.

Ray Ewing

In addition to honoring Jamaican culinary traditions, Mr. Abraham said he wanted to pay homage to other Vineyard restaurants he’s worked at that serve classic New England tavern fare, including fried fish sandwiches with coleslaw and tartar sauce.

“I took a little bit of experience from some of the restaurants that I’ve been working in for years,” he said.

For breakfast, Mr. Abraham offers made-to-order omelettes, breakfast bowls and buttermilk pancakes. With names like “Phantom,” “Infantry” and “Maverick,” Honorary’s breakfast dishes are a nod to the VFW’s legacy and Mr. Abraham’s son’s time in the Air Force.

In preparation for Mr. Abraham’s arrival, the VFW has made significant changes to its space. The dining room has been brightened up with a fresh coat of paint. There are new tables and chairs, and much of the kitchen equipment is new, too.

Mr. Abraham said initial reactions from customers — some of whom have followed him for decades — have been heartening.

Keeping the tradition going.

Ray Ewing

Keeping the tradition going.

Ray Ewing

“I wanted to build a restaurant to serve the community,” he said. “It’s a motivation for me [to see] the local Islanders, who I’ve known for over 15 years, coming in, having a meal and enjoying it.”

Honorary Tavern is open at the VFW in Oak Bluffs from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.