This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Followed by more than a million Internet users on Instagram and TikTok, Culinary creator Émilie Lafortune, aka Émilie Cuizine, has conquered a vast audience with her mouth-watering Caribbean-inspired recipes, just as colorful as she is. The winner of the People’s Choice Award at the last Dynastie Gala has just taken another step forward by launching herself into the publishing arena with The taste of the CaribbeanThis first book is full of tasty suggestions… and accessible to all, she assures us!
Emilie, how did cooking come into your life?
Out of necessity at first, I admit. When I was 8, my mother left my sister, my brother and me to go earn a living outside Haiti. We were placed with an aunt, but we had to become independent quickly. Or at least, learn a little the hard way, because personally, I had trouble doing my hair properly. School even sent me home several times because of it. And I made a lot of mess in the kitchen. But, as my big sister used to say, it was the best way to improve. So much so that by the age of 12 or 13, I had become the head of the household. I could prepare lots of traditional Haitian dishes, such as sticky rice, griot or chicken in sauce. On the other hand, I did all of this mechanically, to feed us. I had not yet developed a passion for cooking.
When did the trigger happen?
To Argentina! I went there when I was 18 to study and work part-time. And that’s where I discovered, in addition to a completely different culture, my talent in cooking. Since I was working in bars and restaurants, I took the time to observe the chefs, then I reproduced their dishes at home. I realized that I loved it, and what’s more, ideas came to me while I was cooking. I never looked back.
What led to Émilie cuizine afterwards?
Exactly, but a bit by chance. When I arrived in 2021 in Quebec, where Haitian culture is well established, I thought I would become a hairdresser. Until a new hobby began: filming myself on Instagram making dishes my way. I had no ambition at that time. But one day, I posted a video of a recipe for Caribbean-style breaded chicken drumsticks lollipops that my partner had asked me for. And then, all of a sudden, I had 100,000 views. Two weeks later, I already had 20,000 Internet users following me. So I understood that I could turn my passion for cooking into my job. Since then, I have been producing an average of three gourmet capsules on my networks each week.
What does the book “The Taste of the Caribbean” represent for you?
It’s a big dream come true. Making Caribbean cuisine known is a huge honor for me. But I have an additional goal: I want to make it fresher, more elegant, more original, while making it accessible to everyone. Because this cuisine, contrary to popular belief, does not automatically take hours to make, in addition to being made of basic ingredients that are easy to find. In short, in this book, I bet that each reader will find at least one recipe that is ideal for them!
How did you think about this work, concretely?
I was inspired by my own journey. So I incorporated traditional recipes from my childhood such as rice djondjonsome others from Argentina, like the choripan (a sandwich with chorizo and to chimichurri), and a majority developed here in Quebec, for all occasions. There are dishes containing my favorite ingredients, like plantains, which I love to vary in many ways: weighed, in tortillas, mashed, fried with cheddar and bacon, etc. You will also find quite a few recipes with coconut milk, mangoes, passion fruit and avocados. And marinades, of course! Because nothing can be bad with a good marinade. Meats, fish, sticky rice, broths; I put them everywhere! It is not for nothing that I launched my own line of hot sauces and marinades, Le goût de ça. In short, I follow my desires more than the traditions themselves. And I intend to change the rustic conception that people have of Caribbean cuisine!
This content was produced by the Special Publications Team of Dutyrelevant to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part in it.