By NAN Lifestyle Editor
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Friday. October 19, 13, 2022: A Caribbean restaurant headed by a Caribbean chef has made it to the New York Times’ “50 Places in America We’re Most Excited Right Now.”
Canje in Austin, Texas, opened last October by Guyanese-born chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph, paid ode to his roots with a menu that spans the entire Caribbean. The menu includes dishes such as plantain fries, wagyu beef curry; wild boar pepper pot; tamarind and rum-soaked tile; prawns marinated in green spices and smoked chillies; jerk chicken; roti and a tres leches cake soaked in coconut milk.
Chef Tavel made a name for himself in Austin with desserts at Emmer & Rye and Hestia, which he co-owns. “For me, Caribbean food represents a combination of different cultures: Indian, Portuguese, African, French… It’s such a ‘cooking,'” said Bristol-Joseph, who was named the best young chef in 2020 by Food & Wine too. as one of Tribeza’s People of the Year (alongside restaurant co-owner Kevin Fink), in a press release announcing plans to open Canje. “Ever since I moved to Austin, I’ve been craving this food, and it’s exciting for me to have the opportunity to share my version of it. My grandmother will be proud.”
Named after the Canje pheasant, the national bird of Guyana, Canje takes inspiration not only from mainland Guyana, but also from Jamaica to Puerto Rico and all the islands in between.
Owned by the Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group, Canje joins its sister restaurants in sourcing local produce and protein as much as possible, supporting local farms and taking inspiration from the local growing seasons.
“Growing up, my grandparents had seven children and two grandchildren in a two-bedroom house,” Bristol-Joseph told Tribeza in 2019. “Food was scarce at times, so when you had it, you loved it I became a chef so I could give, because I understand what it’s like to be without.”
