¶ Food Blogging and Life in Grenada
Hi , I'm Carlene and this is Nutmag Nation . I have with me in studio Rosanna John . She is a content creator , attorney at law in Denton's Grenada office and she has quite the resume . Hi , rosanna , hi , Carlene , how are you doing ? I'm fine , thank you . How are you ? I am well , thanks .
So I actually found you through your social media , your top places to check out when you're in Grenada . But I guess , before we even talk about like places to eat and lots of great food to enjoy in Grenada , like just tell me a little bit about yourself . I know you're born , you grew up in Grenada , but where in Grenada did you grow up ?
My mother is Cuban and my father is Grenadian , so I grew up in the first 10 years of my life in Hermitage , st Patrick , and then we moved to St George's in an area called White Gun , so I lived there until I got married . Oh , okay , so that's where I'm from , from St Patrick and St George .
Nice . I'm from St George's Grand Anse . I have no idea where you mentioned the name of the pair . She said White .
Well , the name of the neighborhood is White Gun . Many people are not familiar with that place by that name . Some might call it Upper Lucas Street , some might call it Lower Parade , but like the name on the conveyance is White Gun .
Okay , very nice . Obviously , you've done a lot of schooling . I see that you did your Bachelor's of Law from the University of West Indies and I also learned something new , like I mean , obviously you're an attorney at law , but you wanted to be a psychiatrist , so what made you decide to change your path ?
The reason I wanted to be a psychiatrist is because I used to look at a lot of law and order and that detective Wong , like I , was very fascinated with how he looked at the human mind . But as I grew older I realized that to be a psychiatrist well , at least then my understanding was that you had to be a traditional doctor .
So doing traditional medicine , dealing with blood and all that sort of thing is just not my calling Right . So that's how I ventured more into the arts type field and that is how I ended up in law .
Oh okay , law and order . Yeah , I love law and order . I watched the original and , yeah , like you said , it's a great show , so it's very interesting . But I mean , the study of law itself is always ongoing . Tell me more about your experience going to law school and what that was like .
So I did my undergraduate law degree at Cave Hill in Barbados . So that was excellent , not so much for the formal schooling , which was also good , but in terms of just meeting persons from all over the Caribbean . It was my first time having that experience that I had only lived in Grenada .
So to meet all my Caribbean classmates , to see how similar we were , to see all the similar problems we were facing , it was truly a memorable experience getting to meet so many people from across the region , people that I continue to keep in contact with to this day .
And then I went to law school in Trinidad with most of those same classmates , so that's over a five year period that we studied together . Then I did my master's in the United Kingdom at UCL . That was also a very enlightening experience because I got to meet persons from all over the world .
So once again , it was my first time living outside of the Caribbean . So living in the UK was very different .
It wasn't love at first sight living in London , but it grew on me and once again I loved that multicultural experience , that getting to see people from all over the world , how they celebrate their different religious holidays , all the different things that it was really eye opening for me and I really enjoyed it .
That's amazing as someone who grew up in Grenada and I guess it took you like your educational path took you outside the country , as someone who stayed there and didn't leave . What made you decide to do school outside of the country ?
I mean , obviously Grenada for those of you who don't know like Grenada , obviously really small island and we don't have that many campuses on the island . I mean , sgu is very popular . That's one of the main universities that people go to right .
So so I really didn't have a choice . Because you can't study law in Grenada SGU doesn't offer that so Cape Hill was the closest for me . So I studied at Cape Hill in Barbados .
Very nice . And wow , Barbados , how was it studying there ?
I mean , obviously you talk about like your other experiences , but Well , the slogan there's never a dull moment in Barbados is really true , Like there was always something going on . So , although you know , I was very focused on my studies , when I did have the time , there was just so much to explore , so much to see , so much to do .
I was there as recently as last year and it's like the food options , the entertainment options . It really is one of my favorite Caribbean islands .
Oh , out of all , okay , very cool . Yeah , because I've seen your Instagram , your social media , that you know you travel a lot and you get to review a lot of different restaurants and great recommendations . By the way , I really appreciate your insight . You know what I mean . It's nice to see that I think over the years , grenada's like up and coming .
I mean we get great accolades but it's still considered it is a small island . So you know , but you definitely have a great background . So tell me what got you into food blogging ? I mean from like a lot of food .
I've always loved food , but what got me into the blogging aspect of it was the pandemic . So in 2020 , we all know what happened . We all know about the lockdowns and the quarantine and so forth . So I am a person who likes to plan . I'm a person who likes to know what the next step is .
So , naturally , all the changes that were coming from the pandemic were not sitting well with me at all . So one of the coping mechanisms for me was cooking . So , you know , I had saved a lot of recipes and so that I just never had the time to cook . So , with the pandemic , I had a lot of time on my hands .
So I decided you know what , let me add some structure to my day . I was working from home at the time , but I was like when I finish my task , I'm gonna do X recipe every day . So almost every day , I was doing a new recipe and I was taking pictures and videos and sharing it on my personal Instagram page . So I was getting mixed reviews about it .
There were people who were loving it and encouraging me , and there were people who were like , ah , so much food every day , all day . You know , you're making me hungry . This is not the kind of thing I wanna keep seeing and wanna block you . So I decided , you know what , let me just make a separate space for persons who want to see food .
So I started off predominantly showcasing my own cooking and , as you know , outside , as we say , reopened , I transitioned more into restaurant reviews . So that is how the page more or less re-evolved . So the three main focuses I should say it's my own cooking , which has become almost non-existent on the page now restaurant reviews and food for my travels .
On your Instagram you have the top five restaurants , or I mean you go through various things . So , for anyone who's listening , as a food blogger , someone who obviously has reviewed a lot of places in Grenada , what would you recommend ? You know our national dish is oiled down . Is there a good place that you would suggest to get oiled down ?
So there are a few . The main issue I have with oiled down is that it's not a dish that can be easily bound and that is not available every day of the week everywhere . It's a dish that takes a lot of time , a lot of effort to cook , so it is not a dish that you would find easily , considering that it is the national dish .
So I'm actually working on curating a list of where can you find oiled down on various days of the week . So you tend to be able to find it more Thursday , friday , saturdays or the main days that you tend to find them . So on Wednesdays there's a place called the Joints , so that's one of my favorite places to get oiled down .
So , from Brudel , he does it Wednesdays and Fridays , so he's one of the most consistent vendors I've found that does oiled down on a consistent basis . So , brudel and Lagoon Road , his place is called the Joints . It's a list of before foodland supermarket if you're heading from town direction to Grandance Right . There are also a few other places that do it .
There's flavors taffé in golf course . They do it on a Saturday . There's good food in Grenville . They do it on Thursdays . No , yes , thursdays and Saturdays , I believe .
¶ Grenadian Cuisine With Spice Foodie Tours
And how could I not mention Antsnes ? Antsnes is my main oil-dung provider right now with the Spice Foodie Tour . So she's currently off island , but generally she's one of the few places that you can get oil-dung almost every day .
So she is based in Paradise , st Andrew , miss Shirley , and she also has an outlet in town , but I don't have as much details about that as yet . I believe it's on the Caranage , close to Anders , but currently it's closed . But when she comes back I'm definitely going to do a feature on her so you can learn more about her oil-dung .
She does a wide variety of meats in her oil-dung so traditionally oil-dung is made with pork and chicken , but we know people have a wide variety of dietary restrictions and preferences so she does one of the widest ranges I have come across in terms of options you can have in your oil-dung , from vegan to seafood . She does a wide variety of oil-dung .
Wow , the fact that you know the best places to check out when you're visiting is amazing . I'm still learning . You're still yeah , yeah , yeah .
There's so many what I call hidden gems , places that people from the area know but are not widely known . Just this week I found out about a place in Santsu Sea by a guy called Tony . I haven't had his oil-dung yet , but it's on my list to try out . So I'm sure there are many other spots across the island that I just don't know about .
But I want to learn and I want to explore and I want to share it with everybody else .
Yeah , you know we are in the digital age of technology and that's how you get a lot of things across through social media . You know what I mean as someone who is a food blogger , so I guess you're also the co-founder of Spice Foodie Tours . What is that ? Is it like a tour ?
I'm visiting Grenada and I basically want to check out some good places to eat while I'm visiting . Is that what you do ? What exactly does Spice Foodie Tours do ?
So it's a food tour where we curate food experiences . Right now we have one signature tour called the Taste of Labi , so it focuses on seven food spots within the parish of Saint Andrew . So we are looking to expand our offerings to different parishes and so forth , but right now our primary offering is in the parish of Saint Andrew .
So we start off by having breakfast from cookies . So she is a baker from Saint Andrew . Her bakery is in Grenville , so we have a traditional Canadian breakfast from her . So we're doing two things like bakes , saltfish , fishcakes .
Then we go to Tri Island chocolate where , although it is physically located in Bolio , the proprietor , aaron Sylvester he's originally from Moissamie is from Croce , st Andrew , so he is a chocolatère , so we get to taste the different chocolates that his factory makes . We have cocoa tea there , then we usually do coconut water in Balthazar Junction .
We do doubles in Grenville from Wangi or Ryan Ryan's doubles in Grenville . We do bussup shot in Grenville as well from Boogie Bee , the artist Boogie Bee . He does a finger licking bussup shot . It is so delicious . So some people say , oh well , doubles and bussup are not traditional Grenadian dishes .
So the tour isn't about traditional Grenadian dishes per se , but showcasing the variety of dishes in Grenada or that are now forming part of Grenadian cuisine . So that's why we have these two dishes included as well . Both are very tasty . And then we usually would have corn in Paradise Junction . We would have that by Suzanne .
She has been making corn before I was born , so she does boiled corn , she does roasted corn and we would have oil lung by Michelle Lee up in Anstnest .
Always delicious .
Definitely worth a restaurant Anstnest .
Oh yeah , I was just wondering where is that ? In Grenada Also in Paradise , oh .
OK , oh .
OK .
And then we go to Daniela , who makes a traditionally baked sweet potato pudding . So that pudding or porn as we say is baked traditionally . So it's making a traditional steel drum . So at the top you would have wood and at the bottom you would have a cold pot . So fire on top , fire below , so that gives a nice depth of flavor .
She also does a bread food which is very tasty . So you know , these are not big businesses , these are not businesses that everybody generally knows . So we're all about , you know , community-based tourism , taking people to see parts of Winita that are not traditionally highlighted . You know we have more than Grand Ams Beach .
So that is why we are very keen on the smaller businesses , the small man , and showcasing what they have to offer and that Winidian tourism is not just the sun and the sand and the sea .
Right ? Well , I mean , that's what we're known for , you know the sun and the sand and the sea . I'm Carleen and this is Not my Nation .
I'm speaking to Rosanna John , a food blogger , attorney at law , and I just want to know , like attorneys are very busy , I mean you have a very busy schedule , obviously , so how do you make time to do both managing your time to work with your clients that you're helping and also doing your food blogging your blogging , they call it , you know .
Yes , it's not easy . I'm not going to pretend that it is , at least at this point . I don't have children , so I guess that gives me a little bit of extra time compared to other people . So it's just in terms of prioritizing what I love . So the food blogging is a major hobby of mine . I guess it's a distresser .
It's a way that I distract myself from the other stresses of life . So it's something I'm passionate about and I just find the time right now to do it . Yeah .
So I guess you've created quite the following and now is it something that you also get paid to do , or is it still just something that is considered your passion ?
So it's a hobby for now
¶ Food Blogging and Grenadian Cuisine
. The food blogging . So the way I guess I've been able to monetize it slightly is through the food tours Because of that following I've created . Now that I have a tour , people want to try it , but I can't say I have made money directly from food blogging . It's just something I do for fun .
The restaurants don't pay me , they don't compensate me , sometimes they don't even thank me . I just go pay for my food and share my experiences .
It's amazing that you're doing that you know what I mean , I think just to showcase Grenada and all the dishes that the island has . So you've obviously been to Fish Friday Many years ago . Oh , so you haven't been in a while . Let's talk about the national dishes of Grenada . I know you've done like the top Is it the top five ?
So let's talk about that for those people that don't know the national dishes of Grenada , if you could just highlight the national dishes and maybe a few places that you would recommend .
So our main dish is oiled on , so that is the official national dish , so I already spoke a bit about that and where she tries with a one pot dish . The reason it's called oiled on is because it is cooked with coconut milk . So it's a series of provisions and meat cooked in one pot . So that's the remnant of our West African one pot tradition .
And when the coconut milk evaporates , the oil from the coconut milk is left at the bottom of the pot . So that's where the name comes from . So it's a dish with coconut milk , turmeric , lots of vegetables , you know kalalu ground provision . So very , very tasty .
Not always very visually appealing when you see everything mixed up as one , but it's definitely a dish you need to try when you come to Grenada as it is the national dish .
Other things you should try when you're visiting Grenada that we're on island , so seafood is a big part of our culture , of our heritage , so seafood is definitely something you should check out . So fresh fish , lobster when it's in season it's not always in season , so having seafood is something I highly recommend as well . A traditional Canadian breakfast .
So you know your beaks , your saltfish , your smoke herring . I got a good place to get that is at Mount Morris Breakfast , so you get the whole culture with it as well . It's usually held once a month . But you should be able to get a traditional Canadian breakfast anywhere . Patrick's Home Style Cookin' is another great place to get a local breakfast .
On Wall Street you can get it . It's not something difficult to get . So , like those are some main things , I would recommend you try some sort of water . So water is our name for brats Brats so in terms of like lambi water . So lambi is what we refer to as conk or is referred to as conk .
So having lambi water if you're allergic to seafood , having corn soup or some type of soup is also a big part of our cultural tradition .
What else is there ? I was just thinking of everything that you mentioned , right ? What about the ice cream ? You know what I think we should talk about ice cream . I'm not a huge fan of it , but whenever I go to Grenada , I always like to have rum and raisin ice cream because of the way that it's made .
I find , like you know , there's not too many additives that they add , like here in North America , like I'm in Toronto , and you know , when you get rum and raisin ice cream , it's not just the rum and raisin , it's all the other things that they add to it , which makes it different when you're going to , you know , like a little ice cream shop in town when
you're there . You know what I mean . So do you have a favorite ice cream place that you like to go to ?
So for rum and raisin I would recommend Sugar and Spice . They're like the oldest ice cream company in Grenada and have a well-known for their rum and raisin ice cream . But my favorite place to get ice cream is actually from Miss Barbara . Miss Barbara is up at Once Again Paradise in Andrew .
She operates usually on a Sunday so she sets up her ice cream can so it's home-turned , traditionally made ice cream . She does a variety of local flavors . I love the sour syrup , the passion fruit , cherry , so a variety of seasonal flavors . So my favorite type of ice cream is the homemade kind in the can .
You usually get it at Church Harvest as well , so Church Harvest is like an excellent place to get that type of ice cream .
Yeah , that's very traditional in the fact that you said she sets it up and everything like that , right ?
So yeah , when you're in town though , like you know , you were mentioning the Caranage and like for those people that don't know , like in town , that's where a lot of the hustle and the bustle , you know a lot of people go when they're visiting , and do you have few places that you like to check out when you're in town ? Like to try ?
In town . My favorite place to go for lunch is BB's Crabback . Like I like to do their lunch special . It's especially the fish lunch special . It's very tasty . I like how they do the fish . I love the rice and peas and coconut milk . It's just a very tasty meal and it's one of their more affordable options .
Their lunch special Right , but everything I've had at BB's is tasty , so that's like my favorite place to have lunch . Okay , and I've got this .
I don't think I've tried that when I've been , so definitely have to check that out . So , as a food blogger , contact creator , what do you want people to know about Grenada ? I mean , like you've been living , you born and raised in Grenada and you are pretty much you live there now , so you definitely have a different perspective .
Like , what do you think as a tourist ? What do you think makes Grenada so great ?
Well , grenada was recently designated as the world's first culinary capital . We were recognized for our rich cultural and culinary traditions .
We have unique things that other places don't have , such as Saracah , which is a festival of thanksgiving to our ancestors , where food is cooked in villages such as Riversale and La Poterie and it's cooked in honor of our ancestors , shared out for free . So we have unique things like that here .
So , in terms of what I would want persons who don't live here or who are visiting here to know is that we have a lot to offer while we are very small . Do not be fooled , there's a lot to do in Grenada . I think Grenada is an ideal tourist destination for persons who like adventure and who want to relax , because we have a variety of natural sites .
On spoils , we still have that untouched feel that a lot of Caribbean islands don't have . We're not as commercialized . Persons are still very friendly , very approachable , it's very safe .
So if you want to get that I don't want to say authentic , not trying to grocery that any other Caribbean island , but that quintessential Caribbean vibe I think we still have it , we still have been able to preserve it , and that you should definitely check out Grenada for food , for sites for spice masks .
We have juve on , like any other place in the world , so we do have very unique things . So , although all Caribbean islands do have similarities , I think that Grenada does have something special to offer .
Oh yeah , definitely . There's so many sites to see , very many beaches to check out . When you're down there , you know we're in September and like it's starting to get cold , and so you know , just , I find people like here in Toronto , like when the weather gets cold they like to go somewhere warm .
So , other than the places that you've already mentioned , is there any other place that you haven't mentioned that you think ? Like if people are planning to go away to Grenada to get away from the cold , where should they go when they land ?
Well , as soon as they get off the plane , they should go to Esther's bar , Because you can have some local if they drink alcohol , some rum punch or some fruit punch or some local freshly made drink . So that's the first place you should hit when you land .
Maybe this is just me , because I love KFC in Grenada , because it has a little bit more spice than here in Toronto . I don't know like if you've been to any other islands or because you haven't mentioned anything like fast food , right , all of its local food and stuff but what do you think about KFC in the Caribbean versus anywhere ?
I mean , you obviously did your schooling in the UK so I'm sure you tried food when you were there . So what do you think I mean in terms of KFC and the way we put a little bit of spice on the chicken ?
But I hope I don't get my Grenadian passport revoked . But when I travel I don't gravitate towards KFC at all . So I guess I don't have a comparison because I have not ordered it outside of Grenada . But people have kept saying that Grenada's KFC is unique . But I really can't say .
Right , right , yeah , I mean there's more expansion . I guess you could tell me a little bit more . If there's more fast food , that's there , because I mean when you go in town like other than your local restaurants and everything , there's always a lineup at KFC , I find so that's true , but it does have a variety of fast food option .
Sometimes I joke and I say that our national dish is actually chicken and chips , because that's one thing that you can get every day , all day , at all hours . It's always available . So , especially like on Wall Street , on different street vendors , or chicken and chips is like something that's very easy to get .
Things like boiled corn or , more so , roasted corn , barbeque chicken , like these are all , I guess , street foods , fast fast foods that you can get quite easily across the island . So you know , you can be in Grenada on a budget . Not everything has to be a gourmet meal . There are many affordable food options , especially if you stick to the local items .
They tend to be more affordable than the international cuisine because we do have a variety of Venezuelan , italian , asian . We have quite a variety of food options in Grenada outside of the traditional local food .
That's true , definitely true . I mean , it's been a while for me , so I'm learning through your eyes , to highlight everything you said .
You know we've talked about food in general , but like desserts , like I saw a recent blog of yours where you posted I can never say this right , kumar is a Kumar , yeah one told me no , someone told me from Trinidad that that's not how you say it , so , oh , oh well , I would have liked it , but yeah , that's one of the things that we have .
And then , you know , sugar cake . What else is really good , like , I mean here .
Current rolls . Current rolls turnovers . I guess the other day I was asking why do turnovers all have to be that sort of move purplish color , like everybody just decided it has to be that color , like who decided this Right . But yeah , and tamarind balls are one of my favorites .
Tamarind balls . Yes , yes , Tamarind balls , yeah .
So all these things just remind me of church harvest . They're getting all these nice Canadian confectionery , but you can get them in supermarkets like they're quite available .
Yeah , no , definitely you don't have to go anywhere special but that the desserts and like the drinks , like you know , if you're going for we're talking about food , but if you're going for a saw , fish and baked and if you're looking for some hot cocoa , I know like cocoa is really good too , right .
Yeah , so cocoa tea or bush tea as well . So you know we call all sorts of ginger tea and that sort of thing . We call it bush tea Once it's not a tea bag type tea . You know variety of . You know cinnamon , lemongrass , all those different teas are very traditional and very popular . In terms of other drinks that are popular as well CMOS .
So Canadians tend to drink CMOS in terms of it as a creamy drink with condensed milk , but people are becoming more aware of the . You know the true nutritional value of CMOS . It's not just a thickener and that . So they're moving away from using so much milk and sugar in it so that you can get the full nutritional value .
Then you have things such as mobby , ginger , bear tharil . You know Christmas is coming up , so these beverages will be highlighted even more .
Definitely , so where can people find you on Instagram if they want to follow your blog ? Check out the places that you recommend .
So they can find me at radical rose eats . So radical is with a K , so it's R-A-D-I-K-A-L rose eats on Instagram , and also Spice Foodie Tours , so that's the name . On Instagram as well , you'll find out about all the latest information on our tours .
We share information about our vendors , so even if you don't have the time to do a full tour , if you could check out one of the vendors , they will be very grateful . So those two places are the main places to find me . Both are on Instagram .
Yeah , it's amazing . Thank you so much . So you know what . There's one thing I want to say there's so many places to check out while you're in Grenada , and I know the chocolate factory . I see that you posted that you know the Grenada Chocolate Fest , like they celebrated their 10th anniversary this year in May . What's the history with the chocolate ?
I've been there like a few times . Every time I go to Grenada , I always try and check out something that I haven't seen before and tell me more about that festival or even like the chocolate factory where they make cocoa and you know chocolate .
So the chocolate festival is held annually . It was founded by Maria Fielding and it is a celebration of all things chocolate . So every year there's a different theme . So this past year the theme was rum and chocolate . So the focus was on the fusion of the two and various experiences were curated around that .
So we did chocolate factory tours , because Grenada has at least five chocolate factories . We did tours of rum distilleries . So we did a tour of Renegade Rum Factory and rivers on the same day . So that was very eye-opening .
To look at how rum was made a hundred years ago with the hydraulic wheel and we are the I think we are the only one in the Western Hemisphere who still have a functioning wheel and then to see the modern technology that Renegade uses in terms of all the computer screens and all the gadgets .
So to see the evolution of how rum has been distilled was quite interesting .
¶ Chocolate Festival and Food Blogging
We did pairings of the Renegade Rum with various chocolate truffles . There was also a sales care chocolate event , so learning how to make different chocolate masks and things like that . Different chocolate dinners , so using chocolate in food , so a seven course chocolate culinary dinner . So just a variety of events centered around chocolate .
The festival lasts for about a week and a half , so there's definitely something for everyone in there . They have events focused on children , so there are a lot of events in that chocolate festival , so I highly recommend coming during that time . It is held annually , usually around May . So check . They have a website .
So just look up Renegade Chocolate Festival and you should be able to get information on the upcoming one .
Well , thank you so much for sharing your insight on just food and Grenada . It's amazing the amount of things that you've done since 2020 . I think , like the pandemic has definitely created , like you know , things that , like we didn't have time to do For me .
I actually created this podcast in 2020 and I stopped doing it , but someone ignited the flame , you know , and I'm so happy that you made the time to come on the show to talk about , you know , your experiences as a food blogger .
Obviously , your main career is you're an attorney at law , so I guess if anyone in Grenada needs a lawyer , I guess you have a website as well .
Yes , so I work with Dentons , which is a global law firm , so I practice primarily in real estate and commercial matters .
Basically someone . If they're buying real estate or if they already have real estate and they need assistance with that , you could help them . Yes , Perfect . Well , thank you again , Rosanna , for being a gas on-out magnation . You have a great one . Thank you so much .
Thank you so much for having me , Carlene .