Haitian Cuisine: Creating Stunning Art With Food And Flavours
Original story published on Behind the Plate with Kenzie Osborne.
A foreign country, an unspoken language, and a pair of beaten and battered shoes that you’ve been wearing for countless years. Oftentimes, we take what we have for granted. We don’t worry about learning to speak our native language, we don’t stress about finding our way around town, and we wear Nike shoes without a second thought. But what if you didn’t have any of those luxuries? What would you do then? Most of us would draw upon some sort of unspoken communication to express ourselves. Some may practice music, others may experiment with painting or drawing, and others will become inspired by creating art with food.
Learning To Communicate Though Food And Flavour
Creating art with food is something that Chef Albertho, an immigrant from Haiti, has become increasingly passionate about. Growing up, he struggled at school — unable to fully understand the courses that were being taught in a language he barely knew. How can you expect to learn about cellular respiration when you’ve just begun to learn basic english? Rather than dwelling upon his hardships at school, Albertho decided to draw upon his other talents to express himself.
Albertho moved to the USA when he was 14 years old. He’d always loved cooking and experimenting with wild flavour combinations.
“When I was younger, I always made new sandwiches for my mom to try. I’d almost force her to eat them! Even if she wasn’t hungry, I’d sit there and wait for her to eat it, then ask for her thoughts”.
Cooking was a passion, and it was a way for Albertho to communicate and express his love for others. It was never intended to be a career per-say — rather cooking was an activity that kept him busy during the challenges he faced in highschool.
Getting A Gig To Impress A Girl
As he moved through highschool, Albertho began to struggle with “fitting in”. His family didn’t have much money, and he yearned for the shoes and nice clothes that the other boys and girls were wearing.
“When you’re 15 and 16 and you see a girl you like, you want to impress her. I wanted to be able to show off to her, so I got a job so I could buy brand new clothes.”
There weren’t many job options to choose from… Unfortunately, Albertho didn’t have any special skills, and communication wasn’t exactly his “strong suit”. After searching around, he landed upon a job as a dishwasher. It wasn’t ideal — but it was a job.. And that’s all he was looking for…
“The dishwashing gig kicked my a** at the beginning. I was getting no sleep and I barely had time to study for classes. My school would end at 2:30pm, I would walk home, change, hop on an hour long bus ride, work until midnight, then head home. My parents didn’t think I would last — but I kept at it, and got some extra cash to buy those new clothes.”
Exploring A Little More Than A Long Line Of Dishes
Dishwashing wasn’t exactly a glamorous job… He didn’t mind being in the back-of-house, but he wanted to be involved in the cooking part (not so much the scrubbing part…). One day, Albertho came across a restaurant job listing for a food busser. Again, it wasn’t ideal — but at least he wouldn’t be scrubbing dishes all night long. He would still get the opportunity to see the food that was being served, and watch as the guests dug into their first bite. The new role was exciting — so he filled out an application and crossed his fingers that he’d land the job.
“When I handed in my application, my resume was one paragraph long… All I wanted was a job. I was determined, I was hard working, but in terms of skill — I had nothing…”
I guess it’s unfair to say that Albertho had “nothing”… Hard work and dedication is definitely a BIG something — and it’s not so common to find those traits in young workers today. The restaurant recognized Albertho’s dedication and drive, and took a chance on hiring the guy with a one-paragraph-resume…
And that, my friends, was the beginning of Albertho’s culinary Cinderella story…
Climbing To The Top Of The Culinary Ladder
Albertho worked his way to the top. He covered nearly every role in the kitchen; busser, runner, salad cook, fire cook, grill cook, pasta cook, kitchen assistant, sous chef, manager, and executive chef. It was a 9 year journey, but he climbed up the ladder to eventually earn an executive chef role in LA at the young age of 23.
Wow.
Chef Albertho proves that you don’t need a certificate, a diploma, or a $100,000 degree to earn the job of your dreams. Experience, hard work, and dedication is all you need to continuously learn, improve, and make your mark in the food industry.
“I didn’t finish college — it wasn’t for me. The classes were long, I was restless, and I couldn’t speak English fluently. There was no way I was passing an English course by writing essays — it just wasn’t going to happen… Instead of continuing a degree program, I decided to enrol in a few one-off courses that interested me. I took acting, photography, accounting, art, etc. Basically, I took anything and everything that I wanted. Each course I completed gave me the confidence to know that I would be able to handle whatever life threw at me.”
All You Need Is Dedication, Passion, And Love
Chef Albertho was dealt a tougher hand than most. He didn’t have loads of money, he wasn’t fluent in English, and he didn’t look the same as other successful chefs in the industry.
“It’s hard for people my age and with my appearance to get the jobs they want while receiving proper payment. Back in the day, most of the successful chefs were old caucasian men. Nowadays, things are certainly changing. I want to be a part of the change and prove that anyone can make it to the top in the industry.”
Everything Chef Albertho does is intended to showcase his talent. He puts his heart and soul into everything he does — “half-assing” just isn’t part of his vocabulary.
“Ever since I decided to go into this industry, I’ve wanted to create a brand for myself. I learned about photography so I could take my own professional pictures for my instagram account. It’s so important to put my heart, soul, and passion into everything I do. It takes time and effort — but it’s what I love to do.”
Finding True Happiness By Creating Art With Food
Throughout his culinary journey, Albertho’s love for food has only grown greater. Food is his happy place — it’s what he lives, breathes, and thinks about around-the-clock.
“There aren’t too many things in this world that bring me true happiness. But, food is so magical. Cooking takes me away from the stress in life. I become so happy and in tune with the dish that I am creating. I get to provide a special experience for someone that they can admire, taste, and enjoy with others. The creativity with food is so unique because you can alter the experience of all senses — sight, smell, taste, texture, and even the satisfying crunch of an ingredient.”
Creating Beautiful Art With Food And Flavours Unique To Haiti
While Albertho has experimented with many types of cuisines, Haitian food is the one he’ll always fall back on.
“Haitian food is much more about the flavour than the presentation. There is a lot of Caribbean influence and Creole spices. It’s more about big, bold flavours and dining with a big group of people rather than making the food look pretty on the plate.”
Chef Albertho appreciates the flavours authentic to Haitian cuisine — but he loves experimenting with different visual presentations as well.
“I want to showcase that you can create beautiful art with food and flavours that are unique to Haiti. Most people don’t think of fine dining when they think of Haitian food — but I want to change that! I want people to feel proud to go on a date at a Haitian restaurant. Right now, you wouldn’t exactly go out for a nice meal at a Haitian restaurant with your significant other. But, when I bring artistry to the table with Haitian flavours, the food transforms into an elevated yet authentic experience.”
Wow. I love that. Chef Albertho has broken down so many barriers — and now he’s making a wave in the food scene. Oftentimes, second and third world countries are viewed as “family-style” or “messy” cuisines… You don’t think of their food as fine dining, impressive, or exotic. Sometimes, that causes us to miss out on the flavour and experience of their unique cuisines. Rather than choosing a messy family-style dinner, we’ll opt for the fancy 5-star Italian- or French-inspired date night. Introducing Haitian flavours in an impressive and visually stunning presentation exposes more people to the versatility and joyful flavours of Albertho’s home cuisine.
Producing Art With Food To Please The Western Eye
Although Albertho’s plates aren’t exactly what you’ll find in Haiti — the flavours are authentic to his heritage. He’s adapted seamlessly to the Western “eyes”, and tailored his creations to garner the attention of the average North American foodie.
“I always think about how the people eating my food will enjoy it. I want to bring something different to the table — something that will spark conversation and initiate those WOW moments. Creating food is kind of like creating an art piece. I’m always looking to improve upon the presentation, use different textures, and create unique flavour profiles to surprise my guests.”
Creating a piece of art. That’s what a plate of food is… It’s about using the blank canvas of a plate, the incredible hues of fresh fruits and vegetables, and the textural contrasts of different cooking preparations.
“I once made a beautiful dish for my chef at a fine dining restaurant. It was the very first dish I served him that was actually put on the menu. I was in shock — and I was so honoured to have something I created placed on the menu to be served to guests. I had put so much time and effort into visualizing and preparing the meal.”
So, What Was His Stunning, Fine-Dining-Worthy Dish??
“It was a fluke crudo prepared with a citrus base (orange juice, lime juice, and lemon juice). I mixed the bse with sweet and spicy notes to balance the flavours by adding habanero, cinnamon and maple syrup. The fluke was then marinated in the mix and served with radishes, jalapenos, and crispy rice chips. It had relatively simple ingredients, but the long preparation time allowed the flavours to merry together so well. It took hours to perfect — and I was proud to be able to serve it to guests.”
YUM! This sweet-heat citrus crudo sounds right up my ally… Anyone else with me?? I was amazed by the combination of cinnamon, maple and habanero.. Something about the sweet “dessert” notes of the cinnamon and maple paired with the habanero and citrus punch makes the flavours bounce around in your mouth. It’s truly something incredible.. It’s simple, high quality ingredients — prepared to perfection.
His road was rough, but he persevered. Nine years climbing up the culinary ladder and Chef Albertho has finally lived his Cinderella Story. You may not see him coming, but he’ll soon be shining bright. Simply put, he’s the underdog chef who serves unexpected flavours that will most-certainly make you say WOW.
Thank You!
Thank you so much to Chef Albertho for sharing your story! I am so happy to have had the opportunity to connect with you and learn about your culinary journey. If you want to see his incredible creations, head on over to his instagram HERE and give him a follow!
Before I let Chef Albertho get back to creating his signature art with food, I had to ask a few of my favourite quick fire questions…
Quickfire Questions
What Is Your Favourite Food Memory?
“My grandma and mom used to make me Haitian creole with rice, beans and Haitian spices. We had it about two times per week when I was growing up. It was definitely a comfort food, and I’ll usually find myself making it once a week to connect with my family and heritage. It takes a long time to prepare, but I take time to do it because it makes me feel closer to my culture and family.”
What Is Your Favourite Dish You’ve Ever Made?
“It has to be the first fine-dining dish I’d ever created… You’re always gonna remember your first hehe.. It was an orange sous vide chicken (seared), served with poached green beans, sweet carrot puree, a refreshing mint oil, and a butter foam on top. I made it for a special restaurant in Miami where I was the kitchen manager. It was my first kick-at-the-can at a fine dining restaurant. I made it without any recipe books — just pure imagination. There was an image in my head and I just went for it!”
What Is Your Favourite Memory From Culinary School?
“I was a kitchen manager at a restaurant at my culinary school. Basically, there were two restaurants — one was a bistro-style restaurant managed by students (where I was the kitchen manager) and the other was a fine-dining restaurant managed by a chef. The other chef and I didn’t really get along.. He looked at me like I was a student who got lucky with the kitchen manager position — which wasn’t true… I worked my a** off for that… I wanted to make my “bistro” food look better than his. He began to talk me down and say I couldn’t do it — but I wanted to prove him wrong. I didn’t care if his restaurant was technically better than mine (his was fine dining, mine was a bistro) — I just wanted to serve incredible food.
Each week, we’d send out new menus to students, staff and chefs of the school to let them know what we were serving. Some weeks, my menu was so interesting and unique that the president of the school chose my little cafe instead of going to the chef’s fine-dining spot. The chef really didn’t like it, hehe… He definitely had more experience, but I had the passion to make it taste and look good. I wasn’t better than him — but I wasn’t to be as close to his level as possible. So, I followed my instincts and made my visions come to reality on the plate.”
What Is Your Favourite Food?
“Fluke Crudo .”
What Are Three Ingredients You Always Have On Hand?
“Can love be one? Cause I really can’t live with that… Then it would be cinnamon and salt.”
What’s Next?
“I’m working on a class that I hope will change the lives of young chefs out there. I want to teach them the tips and tricks I’ve learned to become a professional cook. Whether they decide to go to college or not, I want to provide them with the opportunity to get the dream job that they deserve.”
Craving A Lil’ More??
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