Haitian Culinary Innovator Nadege Fleurimond
Photo credit: Nadege Fleurimond
For more than 20 years, caterer, author and restauratuer Nadege Fleurimond has been using the powerful of food to connect others to the rich history of Haiti and Haitian food culture.
The Brooklyn-based entrepreneur learned while attending college at Columbia University that food was a way to create a positive conversation about her native Caribbean island of Haiti that honestly, people really did not know anything about other than the negative attention received through the media.
“Haiti was my anchor,” she says in the episode. “I knew enough of the history to know that we needed to be proud. We did something that no one else had done, which is 1804,” she declares, referring to Haiti being the first Black country to win is freedom and end slavery on January 1, 1804 from the French during the Haitian Revolution.
About her journey into the food, the political science major who thought she was going to go to law school shares, “I didn’t think I would be a caterer. I just thought this is a good side hustle.” While in college, she was asked to cater an event for a librarian of Jamaican descent who was celebrating his mother’s birthday. With the success of that event, she says, “That as the event that made me see the possibilities that exists in terms of food being a career opportunity.”
LISTEN: Haitian Journalist and Culinarian Louise Moise
Becoming an Ambassador of Haitian Food Culture
Fast forward and today, it is most likely hard to be on the food scene in New York and not know about Fleurimond Catering. The seasoned caterer continues to connect people to Haitian food culture through work that also includes her book, “Haiti Uncovered: A Regional Adventure Into the Art of Haitian Cuisine.”
Language is very much a part of Nadege’s connection to Haitian food culture. A visit to her instagram page daily will have you learning Haitian Creole in no time (with a lot of practice). “People are shocked. They say, ‘You came here at seven and you have still maintain this language?’ I was like I don’t know, I’ve always loved speaking Creole, I love connecting to elderly people, so that was another reason why the language was important to me.”
Considered a veteran and Haitian innovator she says, “I don’t think people knew the possibilities of food or ethnic cuisine at the time,” referring to other chefs who are know also carrying the touch for Haitian cuisine (Greg Gourdet and Chris Viaud for example).
Her latest project, BunNan, once again connects people, this time through its menu’s star ingredient, plantains. Located in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood inside Canton Marketplace, BunNan was inspired by a trip to Colombia where plantains were a prominent part of every meal. The eatery offers delicious plantain sandwiches such as the griot (marinated pork shoulder) and snapper. A second location will open later this year or early 2025.
There is so much to unpack in the episode, including a lot of laughs.
After listening, continue to follow Nadege’s work and connect with her daily on Instagram, including learning more about her yearly trip to Haiti each January.
