Features
Articles on food + culture + local happenings
in, from, and around Little Caribbean
Neighborhood Guide: Brooklyn’s Little Caribbean
by Shelley Worrell for Garrett Leight
One of Brooklyn’s original towns, Flatbush is quintessentially Brooklyn. Since the 1960s, Afro-Caribbean immigrants from Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, Trinidad and other island nations have called this neighborhood home. When you visit you’ll find a thriving hub of Caribbean culture, community, shopping and food.
This guide is a list of must visit bars, cafes, pop-ups and public places where you can get lost in NYC. When you visit, don't forget to look for vernacular signs, bodegas, murals and stunning architecture, much of this neighborhood is still what we call “Old Brooklyn.” Are you ready to island hop along Flatbush and Nostrand Avenues?...
The Best Caribbean Food In Brooklyn’s Little Caribbean, Part 2
by Shelley Worrell for The Infatuation
You might remember me from my guide to Island Hopping In Brooklyn’s Little Caribbean. Since the 1960s, Flatbush has been a Caribbean melting pot for Afro-Caribbean immigrants from Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, Trinidad, and other island nations who call this neighborhood home. Which is why, in 2017, I helped spearhead the designation of this neighborhood as Little Caribbean. As a Flatbush native and the Founder and Chief Curator of I AM CARIBBEING, a thriving cultural venture that works at the intersection of culture, community, and commerce, I’m really excited to share even more recommendations from the innanets, friends, and neighbors with a follow-up to my first guide.Here, I’ll take you even deeper into Flatbush and East Flatbush, to Bob Marley Boulevard and the Junction. Along these corridors you will find what we call “Old Brooklyn”…
These Classic Cola Cocktails Are Getting a Fresh Look for Summer
by Erin Alexander for Food52
We’ve teamed up with Fever-Tree to share season-ready drink recipes starring their top-notch cocktail mixers—like the brand-new Distillers Cola. Here, Shelley Worrell, the founder and chief curator of caribBEING, shares her riffs on two classic cola cocktails, perfect for entertaining. Summer isn’t over just yet, and with a few more weeks left to soak up the season, it’s time to break out the fancy cocktails, according to Shelley Worrell—the founder and CEO of caribBEING, a multidisciplinary venture that celebrates and amplifies Caribbean culture, community, and businesses in New York City and beyond. “I think that you want to have your friends over not for a basic cocktail, but for something that’s fun and also unexpected,” Shelley says, whether you’re planning a backyard dinner party…
Celebrate Caribbean-American Heritage Month with Traditional Stews
by Shelley Worrell for Caviar
Growing up, I spent every Saturday at my father’s house, nestled between my uncles and cousins, with aromas of stews; curries; geera-flavored, pea-filled roti dough; and rice and peas filling the air. In Trinidad, Jamaica, Guyana, and other English-speaking islands, these standout dishes are typically known as brown stew or curry; in Guadeloupe and Martinique, viande roussi; in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Panama, guisado; and, in Haiti, poule en sauce. These rich, hearty, one-pot stews are often paired with roti, buss up, macaroni pie, rice and peas (or peas and rice, depending on which island you’re from), and, always, gravy. Throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and South America…
Not-Your-Typical Rum & Cola
by Shelley Worrell for Food52
Just like the name implies, this isn’t your typical Rum and Cola, which is usually just (you guessed it) rum and cola; add lime, and you’d have a Cuba Libre. In this riff, Shelley Worrell—the founder and CEO of caribBEING, a multidisciplinary venture that celebrates and amplifies Caribbean culture, community, and businesses—incorporates a few extra ingredients that elevate the drink to something that feels a bit more special yet still familiar. The amaro brings herbal, lightly bitter notes, while the Champagne gives the drink a crisp acidity and fruity aromas. You’ll want to use a quality cola here, like Fever-Tree’s Distillers Cola, which is rich with distilled botanicals and spices (and free of artificial flavors). For an elegant finishing touch, serve it in a sleek coupe glass and garnish with a lemon twist for citrusy zing.
Fry Bake & Saltfish Salad
by Shelley Worrell for Food52
Fry bake and saltfish is a popular street food in the Caribbean and an Afro-Caribbean staple dating back to slavery. My grandmother was famous for this dish in her hometown of Sangre Grande in Trinidad and Tobago and this is one of my most requested recipes from family & friends. I’ve also enjoyed variations of this dish in Jamaica, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Luca, Barbados, Antigua and Flatbush, aka Little Caribbean N.Y.C. Author’s Note: Measurements and time are best guesstimates.
Stuffed Fish with Pineapple Chow
by Shelley Worrell for Food52
This recipe was grilled on a charcoal grill over coals and fresh sugarcane skins giving the fish a rich and delicious bouquet, accented by a note of a crop so closely tied to the region’s colonial past.
Habichuelas Con Dulce Stand
by Shelley Worrell for The Infatuation
Habichuelas con dulce is a staple in Dominican culture—especially during the Lenten and Easter seasons—and each version has its own unique flavor. At her stand at 182nd and St. Nick, Doña Nena serves habichuelas con dulce made with sugar, coconut milk, and evaporated milk, along with the trifecta of Caribbean spices: cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. According to Angie Baez (VP DEI at The Infatuation), this dessert will "transport any Dominican from the corner of 182nd St to their abuela’s kitchen with just one sip.”
Where To Eat In Uptown Manhattan's Little Dominican Republic
by Shelley Worrell for The Infatuation
Let Shelley Worrell of I AM CARIBBEING take you on a food tour through the neighborhood officially known as the Little Dominican Republic. Uptown Manhattan is home to the largest Dominican community in the US, and Dominicans are one of the largest immigrant groups in New York City. In fact, the first known immigrant to New York City, Juan Rodiguez (who came here in 1613), was Afro-Dominican. Centuries after his arrival, immigrants from Quisqueya have built a tight-knit community extending from around 145th Street to the northern tip of Manhattan. In 2018, following the success of Little Caribbean, I AM CARIBBEING was invited to lead the development of Little Dominican Republic…
Mamajuana Cafe
by Shelley Worrell for The Infatuation
Owned by Dominican serial entrepreneur Susana Osorio—co-founder of a mini empire of Dominican fusion restaurants with outposts in Harlem, The Bronx, Queens, New Jersey, and Little DR’s Dyckman—MamaJuana is across the street from Inwood Hill Park, and it's a great spot for people watching, brunch, or happy hour. Dine on the sidewalk here and enjoy some yucca crab cakes, empanadas, camarones en coco, and cocktails that will transport you directly to Playa Rincon.
El Fuerto Fritura Y Chimichurri Truck
by Shelley Worrell for The Infatuation
On a #MiLittleDR tour led by textile artist Devin Osorio and running coach Wil Tejada, I sampled Dominican street food for the first time—and it didn’t disappoint. Here, I had chimichurri and a well-seasoned Dominican burger served on pan de agua, as well as a more-buttery version of Italian bread topped with a mayo-ketchup sauce, crunchy cabbage, onion, sliced tomato, and quipe (a spicy ground beef delicacy that made its way to DR by way of the Middle East). This truck also offers some other late-night comfort food like deep-fried meats, Dominican-style hot dogs, and tostones…
Kenny's Bakery
by Shelley Worrell for The Infatuation
This iconic neighborhood bakery is a must-visit for Dominican-style café con leche, chicken, pastelitos, or (if you’re here around midday) a tostado con queso with ham. If you have a celebration coming up, you can never go wrong with Bizcocho Dominicano, a traditional Dominican cake with meringue icing.
Where To Eat Caribbean Food In Little Guyana
by Shelley Worrell for The Infatuation
In this installment of Island Hopping for the best Caribbean food in NYC, we head to Queens, the roti capital of the city. Home to a huge concentration of NYC’s Indo-Caribbean community, Little Guyana has seen a steady influx of immigrants from Guyana, Trinidad and Suriname since the 1970s. This Queens community is made up of descendants of East Indian indentured laborers that migrated in large numbers to the West Indies mainly Trinidad and Guyana post-Emancipation of Afro-Caribbean slaves in the British colonies in 1834. Much like Brooklyn’s Little Caribbean, Little Guyana boasts jewelry stores, temples, mosques and Caribbean food. So much…
The Best Caribbean Food In Brooklyn’s Little Caribbean
by Shelley Worrell for The Infatuation
One of Brooklyn’s original towns, Flatbush is also home to one of the largest and most diverse Caribbean populations in the world. Which is why, in 2017, I helped spearhead the designation of this neighborhood as Little Caribbean. On a jaunt down Flatbush, Nostrand, or Church Avenues, you’ll be greeted by dollar vans and the pulsing, rhythmic sounds of soca, reggae, dancehall, konpa, zouk, and salsa—and find some of the best Caribbean food in the Americas. From succulent jerk and oxtails…