On May 19, over 70 guests took part in a voyage through Haiti’s gastronomy, art and history at “Voyaj,” a tasting event with renowned Haitian chef, Stephan Berrouet-Durand of Culinary By Design and the Haitian Culinary Alliance. The event, which took place at the Bruce Bolling Building in Roxbury, Massachusetts, was attended by Haitian Consulate Marjorie Brunache and Massachusetts Senator Linda Doreen Forry, who was awarded the Waymaker Award by the Christian Haitian Entrepreneurial Society (CHES).
CHES is a nonprofit that trains, funds and mentors entrepreneurs in rural Haiti.
Berrouet-Durand delighted guests’ palettes with the culinary experience he crafted highlighting the flavors of Haiti. Among his creations was the sweet plaintain bread pudding with crémas and soursop sauce.
“It was a profoundly meaningful experience to see our beautiful Boston-based Haitians and friends of Haiti come out to support us celebrate each other and the Haitian culture,” said Rebecca Obounou founder and president of CHES.
Proceeds from the event will go toward a Haiti poultry farm project in Labord, a Hurricane Matthew affected community in Southern Haiti.
CHES is now shifting to a more localized presence in Haiti. At the beginning of the year, they hired a full-time Haiti operations director. CHES is now also partnered with Centre Haïtien du Leadership et de l”Excellence (CLE) in Haiti and are now co-located in Port-au-Prince.
Other projects for CHES include a training program for young entrepreneurs. To date, CHES has trained over 100 people, of which over 50 percent were women.
To donate to CHES, click here