Growing up my father used to boast about how all of his daughters love Jamaican food. I never understood why this was such a big deal, after all it was just food, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it just like eating Italian or Chinese food? As I got older, I began to realize the importance of my heritage and the food that comes along with it. I am a first generation Jamaican and first generation South African which means I had a lot of ethnic food growing up, not knowing that it was “ethnic food”.

Only when I got married, I realized that even though I enjoyed these foods, I did not know how to cook them. I had been all around it, helped with prep in the kitchen but never did a start to finish meal.

When we returned from our honeymoon, I made my two signature dishes, baked salmon with an apricot glaze and baked ziti. That third night… I don’t even remember what I tried but my charming husband ate everything with a smile. It was then that I realized – I’m going to be cooking for a long time so I might as well get into it! And yes, I am of the traditional type where the wife does most of the cooking. It goes along with what I observed growing up with a South African mom. Not only do the women cook, but the men traditionally eat first when the meal is ready. My husband, who is also a first generation Jamaican, has no objections with this tradition.

I have always been a baker and have continued to sharpen my skills especially since having children.

My purpose here is to create a recipe catalog where I incorporate the South African and Jamaican foods that I grew up with. My mom has a bunch of them on recipe cards however a digital copy is what I want to keep on file so that our children do not become far removed from their heritage.

I also regularly try to make something new, at least once a week. I may follow the recipe exactly as it is written but most of the time I just take the idea and modify it my way. Sometimes that means it may incorporate those ethnic flavors I grew up with and other times it ends up being just another way to make an American classic. Either way, if my family loves it then it works!

Cheers to good food!