Many Roots
Welcome! This website pays homage to my multicultural heritage through the documentation of the traditional recipes that I have grown up eating.
My roots
Join me as I share my cultural heritage through the recipes that I have grown up engaging with in a multicultural and multilingual environment.
Caribbean cuisine
My mother grew up in the Caribbean on a small island called Martinique. As the daughter of a Belgian woman and an Afro-Caribbean man, she herself grew up in a multicultural household. After working hard to immigrate to the United States, food has been one of the ways in which my mother has given me and my brothers a glimpse into the vibrant Caribbean culture she grew up in.
My Martinican grandfather, Géorge Pelage
Soul Food
As the son of an African American man and a Japanese woman, my father has grown up observing a wide range of traditions. The soul food cooked by his Virginian grandmother was a staple in his childhood. Whether it be her delicious fried chicken on Sundays after church or her famous collard greens on Thanksgiving, my dad always tells me about her stellar cooking. While I never met my great grandma Sally, I am still able to connect with her vibrant presence through flavors of the recipes she passed down to my grandmother and my father.
My great grandma, Sally Bates
Japanese cuisine
After immigrating to the United States, cooking has been one of the ways in which my grandmother, Aiko, has stayed connected to her Japanese roots and felt closer to home. From Thanksgiving to News Years Day celebrations, her cooking has been a key aspect of our family traditions.
My Grandparents, Aiko Bates and Dr. Ernest Bates