Diaspora Cooking
Jerk Smoked Mac and Cheese, Curry Fried Chicken & More
Food is a powerful storytelling tool, and if you were to tell the story of my culture on a plate, you would get something powerful, diverse, resourced and delicious!
My father’s family has deep roots in the small island of Tobago and before that, his ancestors lived in the Congo. My mother’s family has been in America since the transatlantic slave trade and has deep roots in the South, the Midwest, and more recently California. I feel lucky to say that my cultural background touches multiple parts of the African diaspora – and that’s what I’m bringing to life with my latest TikTok series: Diaspora Cooking.
Most of you who have followed me for a while know that my favorite way to cook is fusion cooking. All the best chefs I know are the women in my family, and my all-time favorite cooks are my two grandmas. I grew up eating what I think are the best foods in the world (one of my favorites is even my name) and I’ve made it my mission to share the traditional foods I loved and find innovative ways to push the boundaries of tradition and create dishes that feel simultaneously familiar and completely new.
Growing up within two cultures, I didn’t just get two sides of a food story. It came with something else. A tension within the diaspora I’ve always been aware of. Not all stereotypes are harmful or untrue, and I’ve heard them all thrown out as digs between family members, friends, even strangers on the internet. Caribbeans are this, Africans are that, Afro-Latinos are this. It’s hard to police struggle within our community, when there’s a bigger fight happening outside of it. The African diaspora is a vast, powerful story of strength, resilience, individuality and so much more. I would never minimize that, because I think the differences in where we ended up are part of what make the story so beautiful.
But the more I cook, the more I can easily see the similarities and that’s an important part of the story too. Ingredients, traditions and recipes traveled. They transformed to match the region, the accessibility of the time, or the needs of the people. But the foundation is still there.
With Diaspora Cooking, I hope to draw attention to those similarities. I hope you learn something, I hope you recognize some of the dishes that raised you, and I hope you’ll be inspired to join me in cooking! Every dish is a fusion recipe that touches at least two parts of the diaspora. And almost every recipe will be free here on Substack.
Last week’s recipes already went live. We served curry fried chicken, tamarind BBQ ribs and cornbread pudding. And this week we’re traveling to a special place for inspiration. You’re invited to take a trip with me to Jamaica, where I’m putting a spin on a few classics and serving up dishes you know, but have never seen like this before.
On the menu this week:
Plantain Sweet Potato Swirl Pie
Sorrel Ginger Sweet Tea
Jerk Smoked Mac and Cheese
Salt Fish Hush Puppies
Plantain Pound Cake
I cannot wait to cook with you!
xx
Roti