7 West Indian food vloggers and bloggers you should follow
For West Indians abroad, it’s always hard to find the most authentic dishes/snacks/treats you were accustomed to back home. When your nearest roti shop or Caribbean restaurant doesn’t carry what you need then it’s time to turn to your kitchen. There are several YouTubers/vloggers/bloggers who have shared their expertise and recipes for thousands of people in the West Indies and abroad. Whether you are a beginner or you could “bubble ah pot,” any one of these vloggers/bloggers can help bring the taste of home to you.
7. Jenna G Hijabi From TT
Representing: Trinidad & Tobago 🇹🇹
Jenna G is a upcoming food vlogger hailing from San Juan, Trinidad. She’s also a professional caterer, foodie and wanted to prove how easy it is to cook. Jenna’s channel contains a mix of both local Trinbagonian recipes as well as low carb and veggie recipes. The most important thing to note about her channel is that it’s coming from a local perspective, a lot of the ingredients and products used are native to the Trinidad & Tobago.
Recipes to try:
Chicken Pies (snack/appetizer)
Curry Duck (main)
Chicken and Mushroom Alfredo (main)
Fry Bake (breakfast)
6. Lamise O
Representing Haiti 🇭🇹
She’s a Haitian vlogger who lives in North Dakota. Just in time for Sunday lunch, she uploads a new cooking video. Lamise’s channel is inclusive of a lot of popular Haitian, American dishes and occasionally includes dishes from African countries like Ghana. Her recipe videos are in both english and creole which is helpful for those who aren’t fluent in english.
Recipes to try:
Haitian Spaghetti
Haitian Soup Joumou Recipe
Haitian Black Rice Diri kolé ak djon-djon
5. That Girl Cooks Healthy
Representing: Jamaica 🇯🇲 / Cuba 🇨🇺
This food blog stands out because it provides a different perspective on West-Indian food. Charla is working towards a plant based diet so a vast majority of her recipes are dairy and gluten free. This is extremely helpful for the very few of us who are cutting back on meat and have milk allergies. You will find some of your absolute favorite dishes that are much healthier and cuts out all the stuff that’s bad for you.
Recipes to try:
Vegan Rasta Pasta (main)
Soursop Punch (drink)
Jamaican Steamed Fish (main)
4. Nellys Kreations
Representing Grenada 🇬🇩
Inspired by her cooking adventures with her dad, Gina (who goes by Nelly), created her channel to share her creations for the world. She grew up in Grenada and moved to the U.S when she was eleven. Gina attended culinary school and has been growing her recipe catalog since she was thirteen. Today her channel features the food that she grew up with as well as new recipes that she’s had success with.
Recipes to try:
Grenada Oil Down (Main/National Dish)
Callaloo Soup (soup)
Green Fig Salad (side)
Coconut Tart (sweet/dessert)
3. Alica’s Pepperpot
Representing Guyana 🇬🇾
By her blog name is much more than the popular Guyanese Christmas dish. Alica is one of the top foodie bloggers who specializes in Guyanese cooking. Her blog features several dishes that have Indian, African, Chinese, Portuguese, and Amerindian dishes native to Guyana. Her recipes will take you to the streets of Georgetown.
Recipes to try:
Cheese Straws (snack)
Pepperpot (main)
Chow Mein (side)
Sugar Roti (sweet)
2. Taste of Trini
Representing Trinidad & Tobago 🇹🇹
Now this channel is perfect for Trinbagonians living abroad. Reshmi who resides in New York, has learned a lot of recipes taught to her by her mother as a way of keeping in touch with her West Indian roots. Her recipes are adapted for what West Indians have available for them in the states. One major thing to note about her channel and blog, Reshmi has a diverse array of Trinbagonian food. She goes step by step and adds useful tips for beginner cooks.
You can find some of the most popular Chinese, Indian, Creole and local dishes to make. An added benefit of her channel is the recipes specific to religious observances like Diwali, Lent or Eid.
Recipes to try:
Hong Kong Chicken/Pepper Chicken (main)
Tuna Puffs (popular appetizer)
Barfi (Diwali/Eid sweet)
Macaroni Pie (Side)
Doubles (appetizer/popular street food)
1. Caribbean Pot
Focusing on all of the Caribbean and driven by providing a cooking guide for his children, Chris De La Rosa provides the world with tasty and creative dishes right from his home in Canada. His YouTube channel and blog provides the ultimate guide to traditional and Caribbean inspired recipes. Although he is a Trinidad native, you can find anything from Jamaican Rice and Peas to Haitian Griot. Chris is very aware of his audience and also provides vegetarian and gluten free options on his channel/blog.
Recipe to try:
Stew Oxtail (main)
FIsh Broff (soup)
Chicken Pelau (main)
Griot (main)
There’s hundreds of West-Indian/Caribbean vloggers and bloggers to follow. We only captured some, who are your favs? List them in the comments below.
