How Haitian Cuisine Became a Powerhouse in Miami's Culinary Scene

Since the first Haitian immigrants arrived in 1963, a thriving Haitian community has grown in Miami. From the vibrant murals of Little Haiti to the business districts of North Miami, the story of that community is one of extraordinary resilience and ingenuity — overcoming political strife, natural disasters, racial discrimination and negative stereotyping to build a home in south Florida. As the community has grown, Haitian entrepreneurs have opened a broad array of restaurants and shops that reflect the customs and cuisine of their home island.

(Jan Mapou) The Haitian people
are very proud of themselves.

These people when they came here,

they didn't have anything.

Not a penny.

The Haitian food is so good, so spicy...

this was a way for the Haitians
to start a business.

Everybody has to eat.

We have the food like home,

we have the temperature,

you feel comfortable.

Little Haiti is similar to home...

without the politics.

That's the only thing.

♪ upbeat music ♪

(Jan M.) Little Haiti started

under the dictatorship
of François Duvalier and his son.

Lot of people were leaving Haiti
on sinking boats,

packed like sardines.

Everybody was hiding.

Everybody was not so proud.

I felt that it was necessary
to educate our people

and also, to let other people
know who we are.

We're not coming to bring disease,

or Vodou,

or to steal their jobs.

(Georges Laguerre) Our bakery
is a very friendly environment.

The name "Lakay",

it means home.

If you're looking for someone
that you haven't seen for decades,

I guarantee you,

if you come to Lakay
to pick up ice cream,

you will find that Haitian.

We have natural fruit juice.

We have something called tablet

--this is Haitian candy.

And our bread is very different,

you have to consume it fresh.

That's the key, the flavor.

In Haiti, breakfast,
four o'clock in the morning,

a sidewalk guy would call, "Paté! Paté!..."
--the wake-up call for Haitians.

Beef, chicken, cod, herring.

Ready to go, as you can see, gentlemen.

It will be juicier,
if you let it cool off a little bit.

(Wilkinson Sejour) What's our
most popular dish at "Chef Créole"?

Conch, conch, conch! And more conch!

We're famous for our lambi sauce.

For griot, which is fried pork,
a Haitian staple.

And what about those snappers?

They call them snappers,
I call them sharks!

Damn, they are two pounds!

Fried conch is not a Creole dish,

so we said,
"Hey, why don't we Creole-fy it?"

Who eats at Chef Créole?

Let's start with the black power,
which we call the Black Americans.

Cubans, Nicaragüenses
Jamaicans, same and all.

Whyclef Jean when
the Fugees first came out!

Where were they in Miami?

They were with Chef!

Our food is synonymous with music,

you could taste every flavor
like different notes.

That's what makes us successful.

♪ music ♪

If you go to Haiti,
you will see in those markets

that everyone is selling something.

Sometimes, you've got a bunch of people
selling the same thing.

(Speaking in Haitian Creole)
[I'm Marie Maude.]

[I sell at the Hialeah Flea Market.
I sell everything.]

[All types of nations buy here.]

[Even Americans,]

[Hispanics,]

[Haitians. Everybody.]

[When they are happy with me,
I have this saying:]

["Bueno, bonito, barato!"
(Good, pretty, cheap)]

[They are happy about it.
I have a lot of clients here.]

♪ upbeat music ♪

(Georges L.) When I was
in Haiti growing up,

I would see the boats leaving
to come to America.

It was always Miami.

We really want
Little Haiti to be our home.

(Jan M.) To see how we started here
and where we're heading,

the young Haitians in the past

didn't even want people to know
that they were Haitians,

and now we see all of them
inviting all the other kids

to have fun with them on Haitian Flag Day.

We are here and we are here to stay.

English subtitles by
Jenny Lam-Chowdhury.