Chef Makaveli is opening Dessalines, serving Haitian Caribbean Cuisine, at the end of the month, at Bernhardstraat #168, around the corner from the water tower and the Museum of Industry, in St Nicolas.
Born Marc-Alain Arcelin, professionally known Chef Makaveli, is set to introduce us to the flavors of his childhood, which he remembers from growing up in Haiti, in a family where everyone cooked, both parents, aunts, uncles, nephew, nieces, all contributing in different ways to the food appearing on the extended family breakfast, lunch and dinner table.
They all cooked abundantly, he says, from humble ingredients, delivering big flavor.
Leaving Haiti to live in Aruba meant leaving this strong family connection behind. And when as a young man Marc Alain considered secondary education, he had a manly technical profession in mind, in the maintenance field, and later in economy, but having graduated both programs obtaining the diplomas, did not light his fire, so he decided to try culinary arts.
Marc-Alain enrolled at Colegio EPI, Hospitality & Tourism, and as he stepped into the kitchen, he knew this was IT.
The joy of preparing delicious meals and making people happy was the decisive factor.
He then decided to work for the best chefs on island, learn as much as he could, then open his own restaurant, one day.
His plan worked well. He worked in famous kitchens, the Sunset Grille, Yemanja, Wilhelmina, Elements, but life changed when he was let go as the island’s economy came to a standstill, at the onset of Covid19 pandemic.
Sitting at home was out of the question, so Marc-Alain decided to promote his services as Private Chef Makaveli. That was a clever move, he became busy overnight cooking at local homes and cooking for visitors, still on the island weathering the pandemic storm.
That private chef initiative allowed Marc-Alain, by now well-known as the Haitian Magician, to save enough money towards the opening of Dessalines, Haitian Caribbean Restaurant, this week. And though he was successful as a private chef, he even cooked for singer Mary J. Blige, comedian Jess Hilarious, and other stars of the Soul Beach Festival, he is not looking back!
The Dessalines menu featured hot and cold appetizers, main courses, side orders, desserts, and lounge sharables.
Remember, the Haitian cooking process is elaborate, sourced from humble ingredients, producing big flavors. It starts by pounding spices, and marinading — without killing the soul of the food. The recipes are scribbled into the cook’s heart, as he adds un soupcon, or un rien – which translates to a whiff of this, a hint of that, to his pots and pans. Haitian chefs have a main legere, a light hand in the kitchen and their cooking is intuitive, with a ti-zouing of pepper, or piment zoizo, for accent. It is always French-inspired.
I looked at the menu:
Caribbean Mango Ceviche, a classic Haitian Red Beet and Potato Salad, and Cooked Porkbelly Pineapple Ceviche, among appetizers.
Pate Kode, a Haitian Pastechi, Soup Joumou, a very hearty pumpkin soup, and Haitian Vegetable Bouyon, an even heartier soup with an abundance of vegetable and dumplings, as hot appetizers.
Red Snapper Creole, Fried, Stewed or Grilled, Haitian Spaghetti, with sausage and smoke herring, incredibly delicious, Fritay, a Haitian Mixed Grill platter with beef, pork and chicken, Chef’s Burger, and Fried or Stewed chicken with mushroom gravy, among main courses.
My favorite Griyo, is served with Pikliz.
Griyo is made from Pork Shoulder meat, marinated in citrus juices and epis, various spices, cooked with vegetables, then braised, or roasted until tender. I told you, Haitian cooking is a lengthy process, and the pikliz are tasty homemade pickles, adding flavor to everything.
The menu goes on to offer Salmon in Creole Sauce, Picanha & Tenderloin steaks, two different pastas and Pork Ribs. The BBQ sauce is homemade.
You absolutely must order the Haitian Black Rice and the Banane Peze as sides.
Leave room for dessert, the fruit tarts are sinful.
Aruba’s Haitian community deals mostly in souvenirs and nicknacks, members are generally small entrepreneurs and service providers, they never attempted to promote their delicious French/Caribbean Creole kitchen, ands Chef Makaveli is filling that void, by opening Dessalines sharing the kitchen of his youth with locals and visitors, while giving his home town, St. Nicolas an economic boost. #chefmakaveli #haitianmagician
Dessalines?
Jean Jacque Dessalines was born in 1758 and murdered in 1806. During his lifetime he was a free slave, a French military officer, an insurgent who turned against the oppressing, colonial French, and finally self-proclaimed emperor of Haiti.
His most famous quip? “Let those who want to remain slaves of the French leave the fort, let those, on the contrary, who want to die as free men line up around me.”
Dessalines proclaimed the independence of Haiti in 1804, securing his legacy as the Father of the Nation. He is also remembered for ethnic cleansing, when he massacred all French white settlers, handing their land over to his officers, thus creating a Haitian nobility – perhaps inspiring Shondaland to conjure up the characters in Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte.
As you can read, his rule did not last long, though he had a good head for government. The empire was abolished after his death, and Haiti was extorted into paying restitution to the French, $21 billion, between 1825 and 1947, in claims over lost plantations, property and slaves, in return for diplomatic recognition. Now you understand why it remained poor. It was coerced into paying its so-called debts to the French.
