Where can you taste dishes and drinks flavored by every continent on this beautiful blue planet? That’s the open secret behind foods offered by the Disrict of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV’s) Caribbean and Caribbean-inspired restaurants, markets, food trucks and caterers. With each bite, you’ll savor the world-of-flavors stirred into the Caribbean cooking pot by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africans, Europeans, Asians, and East Indians.
The DMV is known for its Caribbean restaurants. Three hundred (300) of them are ready to transport you to Caribbean cultures which celebrate the sun, spices, flavors and fun. Lucky you, there are no planes or ships to catch—they are in easy reach.
While you can enjoy the DMV’s Caribbean cuisine year-round, JUNE, which ushers in Summer, is a special month to explore Caribbean food offerings for two reasons:
- In JUNE, we celebrate National Caribbean American Heritage Month (NCAHM) with many vibrant events featuring Caribbean cuisine, and
- Annually, we celebrate the SECOND WEEK IN JUNE as National Caribbean American Restaurant Week (NCARW), where many DMV Caribbean food merchants showcase their menus and offerings. Contact them for specials or promotions . You don’t want to miss this.
Often, when moving about in the DMV, foodies know we’re lucky to have Caribbean favorites within “grab-and-go-reach” such as Patties, Rotis, and Empanadas. But do we know the stories behind these favorite pit stops and the stories of their owners?
Many are the smallest of small businesses. Tim Carman, Food Reporter at the Washington Post, describes them as “ part of the small mom-and-pop operations that hide in plain sight throughout our region”.
As we engage their owners in conversations, we learn that they’ve had recent roller-coaster years. We’ve seen some trip, some regain their balance, and some fall as they navigate new ground. Survivors had to be resilient to weather the not-so-long-ago recession, and in parts of the DMV, some have faced increased rents, deep competition for inflation reduced disposable dollars and the pressing need to remarket to meet rapid gentrification. Significantly, they’ve also had to be resilient to recover from the pandemic. They deserve our support.
You’re invited to explore and enjoy our world-of-flavor Caribbean cuisine which adds significantly to the diversity and vibrancy of the DMV’s food culture.