Smoked Herring Chiquetaille Haitian Style

A breakfast plate of chiquetaille d’hareng or smoked herring and avocado with cassava bread, artisanal crackers and baguette. I am a firm believer of always having pantry staples on hand. You never know when you need to whip up a little something at a moment’s notice. It’s always a good idea to also have a…

Memories of Guyana: Strength in Community and Pow Making

Have you ever noticed that there are certain powerful triggers which can induce a wave of nostalgia in us? Sometimes it can be seeing images of a place which can take us back in time or even seeing a familiar food which perhaps you have not eaten for many years. It’s amazing how things such…

The Health and Wellness Benefits of Teas and Infusions

Tea for me is a sacred thing. I look forward to starting my day with my big blue teacup of my favorite robust black tea. I must admit that I prefer to make a pot of tea rather than simple one serving mug. I enjoy the ritual of filling the teapot with boiling water from…

The Best Chicken Soup Ever

I have always known about the virtues of chicken soup and the almost magic properties of a clear chicken broth for treating all that ails you. As a child, various types of soups were often on the menu at my home in Guyana. The soups at home were of different types, flavor profiles and consistencies,…

Learning to let go

Last week I made a trip which I had been planning for the one year. It was much like one which I had first made 10 years prior, under the very same circumstances. I felt the same bittersweet wave of emotions that come with the excitement of new beginnings; coupled with the anxiety of having…

The Most Delicious Creamy Leek and Potato Soup

Soup can be an absolutely delicious meal. I grew up eating lots of different types, throughout the course of my life, as my father was particularly partial to them. His signature Creole style crab and Calaloo soup was well known by many who often were invited to partake in the feasting. Another great soup was…

Summer Sangria

This summer feels like it will be a scorcher as it is only mid-June. I like to entertain at my home and I prefer to hosts things in the late afternoon or early evening as the sun shifts to another phase; lifting the oppressive heat so common at this time of year here in Haïti….

The Positives of Growing up in a Culturally Diverse Society

Can you imagine a world where everyone looked as though they were all from the same family, spoke in exactly the same manner and had no differing opinions on any subject? How boring and monotonous would our existence be if we lived in homogeneous societies lacking diversity and individuality. These days it seems like there…

Garden Fresh Mint, Fennel and Green Tea Medley

As a tea drinker, I am automatically drawn to all types of teas. I must admit that I prefer a hearty pot of black tea for starting my day, but I also love herbal teas during the day and especially a warm cup in the evening. The weather is beginning to warm up here in…

Haitian Hot Chocolate “Chokola Peyi”

Chocolate has often been referred to as “The food of the Gods.” The Aztecs and Mayas drank a spicy libation made from the cocoa bean during their religious ceremonies and was considered a drink of the elite. Cocoa was a very important commodity in Mesoamerica and was even used as a currency and payment for…