Long time patrons of Trinidad’s first national airline BWIA, and its more recent incarnation Caribbean Airlines, are familiar with its highly respected inflight publication “Caribbean Beat”. However did you know that before that there was the “Caribbean Beachcomber”? A joint effort between BWIA, LIAT, Air Jamaica, the Jamaica Air Service, the Caribbean Travel Association... 

Last month, Sunrise Bakery a UK-based Caribbean food firm, celebrated their 45th birthday by launching an authentic Caribbean Rum Cake based on their original recipe. Founded in 1966 by Herman Drummond and William Lamont, to service the demands of the growing Caribbean community in Birmingham and the surrounding area, Sunrise Bakery has expanded significantly within recent years. Their full product... 

Last month I was invited to participate in the blogging collective “Kwanzaa Culinarians“. Linking writers throughout the African diaspora it includes such heavyweights as Chef Bryant Terry, as well as known foodies like Sanura of “My Life Runs On Food“, Courtney of “Coco Cooks” and Chrystal & Amir of “The Duo Dishes“. Needless to say, I took it... 

This entry is part 9 of 11 in the series Trini Christmas The following article appeared in the 24th December, 2006 issue of the Trinidad Express. It’s hard to believe that BWIA was still active then! Will you be spending the holidays where you want to be this year? I hope so! If not, hopefully the recipes posted so far (and still to come) will help HOME is best for the holidays, at least... 

This post was originally published on June 21, 2006. It has been updated three times since then. First they were good for you. Then they were bad. Then they were good again. Trying to keep up with the ‘experts’ is a dizzying game sometimes! Still, when my mother expressed concern over my consuming an egg a day I decided to find out what the most recent consensus is. Up until 2006,... 

Gnocchi Pomodoro (recipe linked below) Shavuot is an annual Jewish festival of dual significance. Agriculturally, it commemorates the time when the first fruits were harvested and brought to the Temple, historically, it also celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. To mark Shavuot I always prepare a dairy-based menu that incorporates honey in some form or fashion. This year Shavuot is... 

This entry is part 3 of 4 in the series Your Wedding, Your Way As you can tell from my title, I am a huge fan of soups. Whether clear, creamy, or chunky, there are very few soups that do not meet my favour. Yet, when it comes to weddings, I have rarely seen them on the menu locally. Why is this? In many other cultures a soup course before the actual entrée is standard, and even local buffets for business... 

This entry is part 2 of 4 in the series Your Wedding, Your Way Set the tone of your wedding reception the minute guests start filtering in, with your appetizers. The inspiration for the above menu came from the actual wedding menu of one of my best friends who presented pholourie and other bite sized Trini street foods on platters carried by cocktail waiters! A move that was quite delightful and unexpected... 

This entry is part 1 of 4 in the series Your Wedding, Your Way Image: “On The Wedding Table” by contact7 – sxc.hu How do you all feel about the upcoming Royal nuptials? Bored? Annoyed? Giddy? The range of sentiments in my Twitter feed have definitely skewed towards sophisticatedly cynical, intellectually jaded and openly hostile. Unfortunately, if this describes you, you’re... 

Last year I was delighted to be included in the November/December issue of Caribbean Beat magazine. The article by Franka Phillip called “Gifts for Foodie Friends” included my recommendation of a “butane torch”, along with the suggestions of several other Caribbean foodies across the diaspora. Now, for the first time, I am sharing the complete list of items which I had presented... 

This entry is part 9 of 9 in the series Trinidad and Tobago CarnivalAfter the frenzied crescendo of Carnival Tuesday all merriment and debauchery ends (or is supposed to end) with the ushering in of Ash Wednesday and the start of the Roman Catholic observance of Lent. My father tells me that ‘back in the day’ all sound stopped at midnight and no calypso would play on the radio with the... 

This entry is part 7 of 9 in the series Trinidad and Tobago CarnivalNo Carnival writeup would be complete, especially this year without mention of the ever-popular yet ever-controversial Machel Montano. From an earlier incarnation of his MySpace page: Machel Montano began his career in 1982 at age seven. As early as 1984, he formed his band Panasonic Express now called XTATIK. Machels debut album... 

This entry is part 8 of 9 in the series Trinidad and Tobago Carnival This post was originally published on February 3, 2007. It has been updated twice since then. I was talking to a Brazilian friend a few years ago and she was surprised at some of the differences between our Carnival and theirs. You see it was a few weeks ago when she decided to look and see what costume/band she should play with.... 

This entry is part 6 of 9 in the series Trinidad and Tobago Carnival This post was originally published on February 14, 2007. It has been updated twice since then. J’ouvert (joo-VAY) is the start to the Carnival celebrations. It begins in the pre-dawn hours of Carnival Monday and lasts until daybreak. J’ouvert (which is a Creole corruption of the French Jour Ouvert – day opening)... 

This entry is part 5 of 9 in the series Trinidad and Tobago Carnival This post was originally published on February 6, 2007. It has been updated twice since then. Dimanche Gras takes place on the Sunday night before Ash Wednesday. Here the Calypso Monarch is chosen (after competition) and prize money and a vehicle bestowed. Also the King and Queen of the bands are crowned, where each band to parade... 

This entry is part 4 of 9 in the series Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Image from the Trinidad Guardian If you are getting the sense that Carnival is one big long party you are right! So it only makes sense that one big long party would be made of many many big long parties as well. These parties in Trinidad are called fetes and are attended by hundreds sometimes thousands. Fetes feature the biggest... 

This entry is part 3 of 9 in the series Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Exodus Steelband performing in Trafalgar Square, England – photo by bram_souffreau It seems that every time a North American program wants to denote the ‘tropics’ you will hear the sound of a steelpan. It doesn’t even to seem to matter if the ‘tropics’ are in the Caribbean on a cruise ship or... 

This entry is part 2 of 9 in the series Trinidad and Tobago Carnival This post was originally published on February 14, 2007. It has been updated twice since then. It is hard to imagine Carnival without music. And the definitive music of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is soca. So what is Soca Music? Well, why not let Soca Superstar Machel Montano say it in his own words? From Caribbean Music 101... 

This entry is part 1 of 9 in the series Trinidad and Tobago Carnival This post was originally published on January 24, 2007. It has been updated three times since then. With only a few days it is high time that I shine a spotlight on Trinidad’s largest cultural festival, Carnival. Indeed, I even got a little ‘bouff’ today via email for failing to cover it yet! In my defense this... 

New Year, Same Resolutions! Happy New Year all ! I hope that you are transitioning into the regular work week better than I am! Have you ever felt that you need a vacation to get over your vacation? Yup, that’s me right about now Still, a New Year is a wonderful thing to usher in in my book, and I am excited for all the opportunities which have presented themselves to me over the last...