Attorney and author Saleisha Averhart brings her cookbook, Tasting My Way Through the Caribbean, to Guyana

WITHIN the Caribbean region, food is a part of culture and identity, and for Saleisha Averhart, cooking is a bridge to her heritage, a way to honour her family, and a celebration of Caribbean culture. The attorney, mother, and newly-published cookbook author recently brought that passion to Guyana, immersing herself in the country’s history, traditions, and flavours to inspire her latest work. Her food-history cookbook, Tasting My Way Through the Caribbean, does not just share recipes; it tells the story of the Caribbean, from African and Indian roots to Indigenous and European influences, all intertwined with her own personal journey. Now, she is inviting Guyanese to experience that story firsthand at her upcoming book launch event in Georgetown. Slated for November 22, Averhart aims to host a Food and Rum Festival where Caribbean flavours, culture, and creativity will take centre stage in a celebration of food, music, and shared heritage.

Saleisha Averhart grew up surrounded by agriculture, food, and family traditions that have shaped both her career and her culinary journey. Born to Trinidadian parents and raised in North Carolina, Averhart’s childhood saw her immersed in culture, cooking, and agriculture. “I probably was cooking way longer than I’ve been an attorney, and I’ve been involved in the agricultural world and the farm world since I was a child.” She added, “I grew up in North Carolina on a 67-acre property, and we mostly did livestock for agriculture. I’m a child farmer. My parents ran two doctors’ offices, so Dad was the doctor and my mum was the nurse. When we got home in the evenings, we ran a farm as well.”

Cooking, Averhart says, was always part of her daily life from a very young age, and served not just as an act of necessity but as a way of cultural connection. “In order to keep with our culture, we were always cooking. I learned how to cook from a very young age, in the kitchen with my grandmother, my mother, my aunts.” Even after becoming an attorney, Averhart remained deeply passionate about the culinary arts. “When I became an attorney, I was still very much an entrepreneur and started my own business, but agriculture law is also a big part of that. I really stay connected with my roots, with the farming background, and bring that aspect into my law practice. I thought this cookbook was a great way to bring both of those worlds together. It’s my little love letter to Caribbean cuisine.” Her unique blend of legal expertise, entrepreneurial spirit, and culinary skill comes together in a way that is deeply personal and distinctly Caribbean.

Averhart’s Tasting My Way Through the Caribbean is not only a compilation of recipes but a chronicle of Caribbean history, identity, and migration. “It’s a food-history cookbook, and that’s really what brought me to Guyana — to include all aspects of our cultural identity as Caribbean people.” The diverse piece of literature, published just a few months ago, transcends communities and cultures through food and history, and the history of Guyana was particularly inspiring, says Averhart. “Our main make-ups are Afro-Caribbean and Indo-Caribbean, and to really highlight the Indigenous cultures, I wanted to visit the Amerindian Museum in Georgetown, Guyana. I had such a great experience, sitting there, going up to the third-floor library, and reading all of the books I could get my hands on about the Amerindian culture and the different folks who researched those areas.”

Her research in Guyana, she says, was essential to the creation of the book. Following the lives of various cultures through the centuries, through slavery and indentureship, Averhart not only tells the story of the food we eat today — her work also looks at how those dishes became what they are and remembers the people who shaped them. “The book highlights a real crossroads of Caribbean culture — African roots, Indian roots, Indigenous roots, and even European influence. The first half of the book is text, combining my personal stories with the history I gathered from museum and library visits, intertwining my legal writing background with storytelling and giving traditional Caribbean recipes.” She added, “With so much of our migration patterns throughout the Caribbean from our Indigenous cultures, it starts with Guyana. I didn’t think it was appropriate to do a book launch event for a Caribbean food-history book without bringing it back to Guyana, so that’s why I decided to do my book launch event there.”

Her connection to food is also a bridge to her children and to the next generation. As a mother of three, Averhart uses food, as her family did, as a link between cultures. “I started a food blog in about 2017 after my first daughter was born, using it as a way to document our family recipes and give her something to look forward to as she got older. With children and being part of the Caribbean diaspora, I want them to understand that the Caribbean is home. My oldest daughter will be 10 next year, my youngest turns 6 next week, and my stepson is now 23.” She added, “I want my children to understand that the food is what connects us. They love carnival, Caribbean music, and Caribbean food. It’s amazing to pass down these traditions to our children and share it with the broader community. I want to bring the story full circle, celebrating our shared identity across the Caribbean, utilising what is most real and valuable to us: our people and our land.”

Averhart’s upcoming book launch in Georgetown promises to be an immersive Caribbean experience. “People can look forward to celebrating our Caribbean flavours, our culture, and a lot of creativity. From noon to 1:30, it will be a lunch experience with a community lunch portion to sit down and enjoy each other’s company. From 2 to 6, it’s a day party with a DJ. Transparent tents will cover the area, so rain or shine, it will be a wonderful event. It’s for different community members to come together, mingle, network, and have a good time.” All dishes served will come directly from the cookbook, prepared by the Marriott’s executive chef. Guests will also have the opportunity to purchase the book and have it personalised.

Although a Trinidadian, Averhart’s connection to Guyana is a cherished, personal, and intentional one. “I did two site visits to Guyana: 2023 and earlier this year around Christmastime. I stayed at the Marriott and wanted to immerse myself in the culture and natural environment. Christmastime is when we tend to come together best, and it was a wonderful visit.” While this event will mark its launch, the cookbook has already made waves online. “The book was published in August of this year. For the first month, it ranked number one or two on Amazon in the Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago travel category and has remained consistently in the top 30. It’s available through Amazon or directly from my website, thenaturalfoodie.com, where it can also be personalised.” Through the celebration of Caribbean flavours, history, and heritage, Saleisha Averhart aims to take event-goers on an immersive journey that explores food, culture, and the unique blended culture of the Caribbean.