Creole Soul

New York

May 28

The Story

Brianne Grinage’s food is unapologetic, vibrant, and deeply rooted in her Southern and Belizean heritage. A native New Yorker, she says Caribbean culinary representation is vast, with Jamaican, Trinidadian, and Puerto Rican food widely available. Belizean cuisine, however, remains rare. Her mother’s family from the South and father's family from Belize, Brianne’s cooking is a nod to traditional foods that she grew up with. Her father was her grandfather’s sous chef, and she tells me, “Cooking is part of my heritage.”

“Creole” is a concept that signals the combined influences from Europe, Africa, and the Americas. “Soul,” relates to African American cuisine named for the soul nourishing survival foods that emerged out of oppression from enslavement up to the Civil Rights Movement. Creole Soul Food represents a bold celebration of these intersecting cultural cuisines. Garlic-rich stew chicken, johnny cakes, plantains, fresh fish, and Bacalao cod are Belizean staples mingling amongst Southern favorites like shrimp and grits, crab cakes, and gumbo on the menu. A self-proclaimed foodie, Brianne started by riffing on family recipes and reinterpreting them through her own lens and experience. She officially launched Creole Soul Food in 2022, starting with events and pop-ups before growing into a food truck and full catering operation. “I love working with Food Fleet,” Brianne says effusively.