Mother's touch brings Trinidad to York's Penn Market
Lovers of Caribbean food in the York area trying to get their helping of jerk chicken or authentic Trinidadian roti would have to search far and wide, with only a little bit of luck, to get their fix. But no longer.
In May, Ashur Thomas opened Caribbean Roti Hut at Market & Penn Farmer's Market, with the focus of the menu on Trinidadian cuisine.
Ashur, 29, owns the store and cooks with her mother, Heather, a Trinidad native who came to the United States in 1978.
Ashur, herself a mother of two with two other jobs, said that from her first thought to open a restaurant, her mother's cooking was always part of the package.
“We knew from the beginning (that she would be the cook),” Ashur said. “She has that special touch. The food just tastes so good when she cooks it.”
Heather learned that touch cooking for her parents and eight siblings in Port-Au-Spain, Trinidad.
“Oh my goodness. (The taste was) exotic and flavorful,” Heather said. She also used the phrase "had a touch" when describing her own mother's ability to cook. “I always try, when I’m cooking, to go back to my mother’s taste and to copy my mother’s taste because it was so wonderful.”
The secret to that explosion of taste lies within the ingredients.
“I just try to use fresh spices like thyme and cilantro, the peppers, all the fresh seasonings,” Heather explained. “The fresher the seasoning, the better the taste.”
At the core of the Roti Hut’s menu is the roti itself — a traditional Indian dish that was adapted into Trinidadian culture. It is a flatbread that features split peas ground up and mixed with flour, generally served with curry chicken. The menu also features jerk chicken, oxtail, peanut punch and rice.
The positive effects of Heather’s presence can be felt beyond the kitchen, Ashur said.
“The fact that someone from Trinidad is there and the local Trinidadians who come notice the accent … it’s a conversation starter,” Ashur said.
Heather added, “People tell us, ‘where have you been? I have to go to New York or New Jersey to get Caribbean food. I could kiss you!’”
Anthony J. Machcinski is the Food and Drink reporter for the York Daily Record and FlipSidePA. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter for additional coverage.
If you go…
What: Caribbean Roti Hut
Where: Market and Penn Farmers’ Market. 380 W. Market St. York
Open: 10-3 Tuesdays and Fridays.