Black on white: portrait of Creole cuisine in the Netherlands

The time has finally come… The first two episodes of our documentary are online! After months of blood, sweat and tears in the project, the first result of 'Black on White' (Portrait of Creole cuisine in the Netherlands) can now be seen online.

In recent months we have interviewed many people who are professionally involved in the Creole cuisine. We see some of them in every episode.

Part 2: ROOTS

In this second episode we look at our West African roots. How has the kitchen developed from that starting point? And how did that work?

Part 1: TRADITION

This episode is about “tradition”. We have therefore given the floor to various chefs who deal with the traditional food of their country of origin. First up is Chef Raily van Banda Bou Catering. Raily comes from Curaçao. Together with his wife Farridah (Bonaire) he mainly focuses on the dishes from the ABC islands. So tasty pastechi, stobás and even traditional sweets.

Suriname and Sint Maarten

Then it's time to speak Chief Quincy. In the restaurant of the same name he serves dishes from Suriname. Not only the well-known pom, roti and barbecue dishes, but also authentic dishes from the Surinamese-Creole kitchen. Examples include peanut soup, cassava soup and 'heri heri.'

Finally, we interview chef Anthony Gibs from restaurant Caribbean swing. Anthony is from Sint Maarten and runs this colorful restaurant together with business partner Jaista Polak and their third partner Leo. He shows us what Sint Maarten's food looks like: stewed oxtail, johnny cakes and of course homemade jerk seasoning.

Experts talk about Creole cuisine

The chefs are interspersed with commentary from experts: Sunshine Summerville van Inclusion Foundation and head of the 'poetry slam Rotterdam' provides this episode with the necessary knowledge of history. And Dolores Hart (teacher and owner of a thriving catering company) shares wonderful anecdotes from Surinamese culture based on her experience and knowledge.

It was an honor for us to interview all these beautiful people. The support and cooperation from the 'Soul Food community' for this project was overwhelming. And then even the perfect title song just fell out of the blue. Curaçao singer Jahari made the song “Krioyo” for the soundtrack, which literally means “Creole”. In the song he sings about the Creole culture of the Antilles and names specific dishes from the kitchen.

With so much love and cooperation, the documentary is real”By our people, for our people"!

Summary

Title

Black on white: portrait of Creole cuisine in the Netherlands

Description

In 'Black on White' I sketch a portrait of Creole cuisine in the Netherlands. In this five-part documentary we go through all aspects, from the roots to the development of new products. This time with an eye for the traditional dishes from our kitchens.