Are you ready for a taste of the tropics? In this episode of Heat Eaters, our host, Chef Esther Choi, embarks on a fiery food journey through the vibrant Little Caribbean neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY.
Esther’s culinary adventure starts off at Irie Jerk Chicken, where she links up with singer and Brooklyn-native, Justine Skye. Together, they feast on succulent Jamaican spicy jerk chicken paired with sweet festival bread, and eat scotch bonnet peppers straight from a spicy escovitch sauce.
Next, Esther joins her friend Pierre “Chef P” Serrao, co-founder of the Bronx Culinary Collective – Ghetto Gastro. Together they hit up Ariapita, renowned for its authentic Trinidadian Homestyle cuisine. Chef Osei “Picky” Blackett serves up a medley of Trinidadian dishes, including spicy fruit chow, Chinese-style wings, and flavorful oxtail curry – all accompanied by a side of explosive Trinidad Scorpion Pepper Sauce. Ranked next to the notorious Carolina Reaper, the Trinidad scorpion pepper is revered as one of the world’s hottest peppers!
In the grand finale, Chef P and Esther meet up with Andre Springer, the founder and mastermind behind Shaquanda’s Hot Pepper Sauce – well known for being featured on Hot Ones. The culinary trio steps into the kitchen to cook up saltfish takoyaki, a recipe from Ghetto Gastro’s ‘Black Power Kitchen’ cookbook. The fried snack is a nod to Andre and Chef P’s Barbadian heritage and mirrors the popular Bajan snack – fish cakes.
Tune in for this SPICY gastronomical journey that will transport your taste buds straight to the Caribbean islands!