About me
Hi everyone!. First let me start by saying Thank You for swinging by my site. My name is Peggy also known as the "Creole Caribbean Queen". I'm so excited to teach you how to make delicious and authentic recipes from the beautiful island of Haiti, the country that gave birth to my mother. A collection of recipes rooted deep in our culture... Food, Love and Memories
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How did I learn to cook Haitian Food?
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My mom is Haitian, duhh! You know good and well Caribbean moms don't play. Saturday mornings you were either cooking or had a bottle of Pledge/Windex in your hand...not up for debate.
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Just kidding. Growing up one of my favorite memories was Saturday mornings. Why? Because that was the day my mom would teach me how to cook. Can you imagine a 9 year old standing on a stepping stool in front of a hot stove with all for burners going and gazing at the most beautiful woman she's ever seen"My Mom" . My younger sister Natasha would be outside sitting on the back-steps eating away at a mango, my mother with her silky smooth brown skin, hair tied with a colorful scarf and a flowy long silk house dress with her belly poking out pregnant with my baby sister Danie. My Mom would effortlessly make the most delicious meal with simple ingredients. My mother "Suzie" or affectionately nicknamed by the family"Suzz"would something as simple as Bannann Graje... pipping hot magic and pour it into a tin mug and serve it to us with warm, buttery Haitian bread. HOW!??? How did she create such deliciousness with just a Plantain, milk, cinnamon and spices. Little did I know my mother was preparing me to take over cooking for the house. Finding a good paying job in America was difficult for my mother. She hardly spoke English and was not formally trained in any skill. That's when she decided to do "Komès" pronounced "Co-mess". I'll never forget when I was 11 and my mom sat me down and said "Pepe, Mwen pral kite ou ak sè ou pou kont nou pou kèk jou." I looked at her like " What you talking about Willis!" she explained to me the situation about not finding work in America that would pay enough for her to take care of me and my younger sisters and she had no choice.... which meant I had no choice. I had to put on my big girl pants and help my Mom. The next day she started buying little knick-knacks wholesale like can openers, strainers, metal spoons, sheet sets etc. A week later my Mom went to the Bahamas and started selling items from a wicker basket on top of her head. I was home alone with my sister and had to cook breakfast , lunch and dinner. That was pretty scary, being so young with the responsibility of an adult. By the age of 9 I knew how to make White Rice, Sos Pwa and Chicken with sos. When my Mom started her Komès business I was 11 I had advance to many other dishes like Bannan graje, Mayi moulen, Deri Kole , Bouillon...
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Why did I decide to start Creole Caribbean Queen?
If I can't do anything else,the one thing that's certain is I CAN COOK! When hanging out with family or close friends you can always find me in the kitchen, it's my safe place, my comfort zone. Cooking traditional Haitian or Caribbean food was my thing. When my sisters would come over they'd request one thing.... "I don't care what you cook, as long as it's good Island Food" . My friends would always call me and ask for cooking tips. You see, they craved the food but had no idea how to cook it. Same thing with my daughter, she loves Haitian food, but has no idea of how to even Boil Bannann... I began to think to myself "God, what would they do if something were to happen to me. How would my daughter keep the tradition of Authentic Haitian cooking alive. I thought to myself " At this rate would my Great-Great grandchildren even know the joy of eating traditional, authentic flavorful Haitian food. That's when I decided to start Creole Caribbean Queen, to give them a point of resource. I then started posting my food pics on Facebook, and my inbox starting to light up with questions from friends and family asking How do you make this, or that.. How do I clean chicken, How do you make Bannann Graje... I mean the questions never ended. That's when I knew I had to do it... I had to create Creole Caribbean Queen for our children, and their children and the ones after them. To me "Creole Caribbean Queen" mean ....Food, Love and Memories.
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