🍲 Trinis take THIS for granted (and it needs to stop)

Dear Reader,

I’m writing this on a quiet Saturday evening, preparing some cornmeal porridge for my mother, grateful for this calm after the frenzy of the now concluded Carnival season.

However, this being Trinidad, the holidays never really stop. This month we will be observing 2 more, Eid-Ul-Fitr (tentatively on the 20th) and Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day (30th). You can find menu inspiration for both here and here.

Those older posts are a reminder to me that In October TriniGourmet turns 20. Can you believe it? I know I can’t. That’s pretty OG if you ask me.

I used to share my origin story a lot in those earlier years, but it’s been a while. So I thought it may be fun to share some of it with you all again. I’ve grown so much in that time. Gained a lot, and lost a lot. I’ve taken extended periods off, but I’ve always returned. I never thought that food would become one of my callings, but now it seems I can’t imagine my life, or future, without “TG” as I affectionately refer to her (yes, she’s a she).

True story:

Nineteeen years ago, I was a life & business coach who got into a car accident that quietly ended everything I thought I was.

I wanted to keep going. Keep coaching. Keep being who I’d built myself to be. But my body said otherwise.

Instead, a simple online chat with an American college friend changed everything. I started describing swizzle sticks, browning, doubles. She was fascinated and I realised something shocking. We Trinis take our culinary heritage for granted.

Her curiousity lit something in me I didn’t have a name for yet.

Within 24 hours, I registered the TriniGourmet domain and wiith little more than a Naparima Girls’ Cookbook and a willingness to document both my successes AND my spectacular failures, TG was born.

🍳 Action Step! Cook one traditional dish this week and ask yourself why each ingredient matters.

Caribbean cuisine is a tapestry woven from many cultures. Learn the roots, honour the history and then make it yours. That’s not disrespect. That’s mastery. The cook who truly “gets it” doesn’t just follow instructions. They read their food.

That’s exactly the kind of confidence that my Flavour Sundays are designed to give you, in a single afternoon.

My next one will be on March 8th.

Your kitchen.

One dish you’ve always wanted to master. And me, with you on Voxer offering real-time guidance , helping you to read your food and adjust confidently.

“ [Sarina] has shown us that our beloved Trini cuisine can compete with the haute cuisines of the world, that we are a ‘glam’ gourmet brand in our own right. I think that TriniGourmet is doing pioneering work.” — Jessie-May Ventour, veteran Trinbagonian broadcast journalist

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As a “Golden Swizzle” subscriber save 20% with code FS20 (offer ends March 6th)

Only 5 spots.

If it’s calling you, it’s probably for you.

🥘 Grab your spot here​

Best Wishes,

Sarina

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✍🏾 RELATED POSTS

Mastering Trinidad Doubles At Home Discover the story behind Trinidad doubles and learn how to make this iconic, vegan street food at home with my step-by-step guide. Read article

Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge Cornmeal porridge is one of my ultimate comfort foods. My Jamaican mother made it regularly for me as a child, particularly if I was unwell or feeling particularly downtrodden. Read article

🔥 IN THE SPOTLIGHT

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Thank you for being part of the TriniGourmet community. Here’s to another month filled with vibrant flavours, warm moments, and culinary joy. Until next time, keep cooking and sharing the spirit of the Caribbean!