Nobody just wakes up and says, “I’m gonna make roti today.” Not for the first time, anyway, and not without preparation. So says Dawn Lewis, who over the last four years earned the title of “the Roti Lady” among Trinidadian expats exiting frenetic soca fetes at the South Loop club Bassline, who grew dependent on […]
Tag: ghost kitchens
Posted inFood & Drink Feature
Sfera Sicilian Street Food ghosts its virtual kitchen
In the Before Times, Daniela Vitale and Steven Jarczyk made a name for themselves selling cheesy, gooey, deep-fried rice balls at farmers’ markets. Like many nimble food businesses, their Sfera Sicilian Street Food pivoted during the pandemic, jarring sauces and delivering their arancini chilled and ready to reheat at home. In October 2020, things took […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The return of the roti at Cafe Trinidad
In 2016, Darryl Hicks shuttered the city’s first and only Trinidadian restaurant, Cafe Trinidad. It was a serious responsibility to stand as the sole representative of a Caribbean cuisine that synthesizes centuries of contributions from African, Indian, Indigenous, Creole, Syrian, Lebanese, Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese cooks. And it wasn’t an easy decision to close. But […]