November 1, 2023 • 33 mins
Join us as we embark on a flavorful journey with Rosanna John, a remarkable personality juggling the roles of an attorney, content creator, and co-founder of Spice Foodie Tours. Rosanna opens up about her intriguing journey, from her roots in Grenada to the legal corridors and eventually, the fascinating world of food blogging. Get ready for a riveting conversation about her international education, her love for Grenada's rich culinary landscape, and her unexpected foray into food blogging during the pandemic.
Here's an exciting opportunity to venture into the heart of Grenadian food culture with Rosanna. Hear her share her adventures of uncovering the culinary treasures of Grenada, from her favorite local eateries to the undiscovered gems. As she talks about juggling her legal career and her passion for food blogging, you can't help but admire her tenacity and passion.
Then, we switch gears and take a deep dive into Grenada's Renegade Chocolate Festival. Rosanna paints a vivid picture of the festival's various events, including chocolate pairings and culinary dinners. Be it food enthusiasts, travel buffs, or anyone curious about the picturesque island of Grenada, this episode is a must-listen. Tag along for Rosanna's inspiring journey and gain unique insights into Grenada's vibrant food culture.
Please follow Rosana John on instagram at
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Carlene (00:00):
Hi, I'm Carlene and this is Nutmag Nation.
I have with me in studioRosanna John.
She is a content creator,attorney at law in Denton's
Grenada office and she has quitethe resume.
(00:21):
Hi, rosanna, hi, Carlene, howare you doing?
I'm fine, thank you.
How are you?
I am well, thanks.
So I actually found you throughyour social media, your top
places to check out when you'rein Grenada.
But I guess, before we eventalk about like places to eat
(00:41):
and lots of great food to enjoyin Grenada, like just tell me a
little bit about yourself.
I know you're born, you grew upin Grenada, but where in
Grenada did you grow up?
Rosana John (00:51):
My mother is Cuban and my father is Grenadian, so
I grew up in the first 10 yearsof my life in Hermitage, st
Patrick, and then we moved to StGeorge's in an area called
White Gun, so I lived thereuntil I got married.
Oh, okay, so that's where I'mfrom, from St Patrick and St
George.
Carlene (01:12):
Nice.
I'm from St George's Grand Anse.
I have no idea where youmentioned the name of the pair.
She said White.
Rosana John (01:20):
Well, the name of the neighborhood is White Gun.
Many people are not familiarwith that place by that name.
Some might call it Upper LucasStreet, some might call it Lower
Parade, but like the name onthe conveyance is White Gun.
Carlene (01:34):
Okay, very nice.
Obviously, you've done a lot ofschooling.
I see that you did yourBachelor's of Law from the
University of West Indies and Ialso learned something new, like
I mean, obviously you're anattorney at law, but you wanted
to be a psychiatrist, so whatmade you decide to change your
(01:55):
path?
Rosana John (01:55):
The reason I wanted to be a psychiatrist is
because I used to look at a lotof law and order and that
detective Wong, like I, was veryfascinated with how he looked
at the human mind.
But as I grew older I realizedthat to be a psychiatrist well,
at least then my understandingwas that you had to be a
(02:16):
traditional doctor.
So doing traditional medicine,dealing with blood and all that
sort of thing is just not mycalling Right.
So that's how I ventured moreinto the arts type field and
that is how I ended up in law.
Carlene (02:30):
Oh okay, law and order.
Yeah, I love law and order.
I watched the original and,yeah, like you said, it's a
great show, so it's veryinteresting.
But I mean, the study of lawitself is always ongoing.
Tell me more about yourexperience going to law school
and what that was like.
Rosana John (02:47):
So I did my undergraduate law degree at Cave
Hill in Barbados.
So that was excellent, not somuch for the formal schooling,
which was also good, but interms of just meeting persons
from all over the Caribbean.
It was my first time havingthat experience that I had only
lived in Grenada.
So to meet all my Caribbeanclassmates, to see how similar
(03:10):
we were, to see all the similarproblems we were facing, it was
truly a memorable experiencegetting to meet so many people
from across the region, peoplethat I continue to keep in
contact with to this day.
And then I went to law schoolin Trinidad with most of those
same classmates, so that's overa five year period that we
studied together.
(03:30):
Then I did my master's in theUnited Kingdom at UCL.
That was also a veryenlightening experience because
I got to meet persons from allover the world.
So once again, it was my firsttime living outside of the
Caribbean.
So living in the UK was verydifferent.
It wasn't love at first sightliving in London, but it grew on
(03:50):
me and once again I loved thatmulticultural experience, that
getting to see people from allover the world, how they
celebrate their differentreligious holidays, all the
different things that it wasreally eye opening for me and I
really enjoyed it.
Carlene (04:06):
That's amazing as someone who grew up in Grenada
and I guess it took you likeyour educational path took you
outside the country, as someonewho stayed there and didn't
leave.
What made you decide to doschool outside of the country?
I mean, obviously Grenada forthose of you who don't know like
Grenada, obviously really smallisland and we don't have that
(04:30):
many campuses on the island.
I mean, sgu is very popular.
That's one of the mainuniversities that people go to
right.
Rosana John (04:39):
So so I really didn't have a choice.
Because you can't study law inGrenada SGU doesn't offer that
so Cape Hill was the closest forme.
So I studied at Cape Hill inBarbados.
Carlene (04:53):
Very nice.
And wow, Barbados, how was itstudying there?
Rosana John (04:56):
I mean, obviously you talk about like your other
experiences, but Well, theslogan there's never a dull
moment in Barbados is reallytrue, Like there was always
something going on.
So, although you know, I wasvery focused on my studies, when
I did have the time, there wasjust so much to explore, so much
to see, so much to do.
I was there as recently as lastyear and it's like the food
(05:20):
options, the entertainmentoptions.
It really is one of my favoriteCaribbean islands.
Carlene (05:26):
Oh, out of all, okay, very cool.
Yeah, because I've seen yourInstagram, your social media,
that you know you travel a lotand you get to review a lot of
different restaurants and greatrecommendations.
By the way, I really appreciateyour insight.
You know what I mean.
It's nice to see that I thinkover the years, grenada's like
(05:47):
up and coming.
I mean we get great accoladesbut it's still considered it is
a small island.
So you know, but you definitelyhave a great background.
So tell me what got you intofood blogging?
I mean from like a lot of food.
Rosana John (06:03):
I've always loved food, but what got me into the
blogging aspect of it was thepandemic.
So in 2020, we all know whathappened.
We all know about the lockdownsand the quarantine and so forth
.
So I am a person who likes toplan.
I'm a person who likes to knowwhat the next step is.
(06:25):
So, naturally, all the changesthat were coming from the
pandemic were not sitting wellwith me at all.
So one of the coping mechanismsfor me was cooking.
So, you know, I had saved a lotof recipes and so that I just
never had the time to cook.
So, with the pandemic, I had alot of time on my hands.
So I decided you know what, letme add some structure to my day
(06:47):
.
I was working from home at thetime, but I was like when I
finish my task, I'm gonna do Xrecipe every day.
So almost every day, I wasdoing a new recipe and I was
taking pictures and videos andsharing it on my personal
Instagram page.
So I was getting mixed reviewsabout it.
There were people who wereloving it and encouraging me,
and there were people who werelike, ah, so much food every day
(07:10):
, all day.
You know, you're making mehungry.
This is not the kind of thing Iwanna keep seeing and wanna
block you.
So I decided, you know what,let me just make a separate
space for persons who want tosee food.
So I started off predominantlyshowcasing my own cooking and,
as you know, outside, as we say,reopened, I transitioned more
(07:31):
into restaurant reviews.
So that is how the page more orless re-evolved.
So the three main focuses Ishould say it's my own cooking,
which has become almostnon-existent on the page now
restaurant reviews and food formy travels.
Carlene (07:48):
On your Instagram you have the top five restaurants,
or I mean you go through variousthings.
So, for anyone who's listening,as a food blogger, someone who
obviously has reviewed a lot ofplaces in Grenada, what would
you recommend?
You know our national dish isoiled down.
(08:10):
Is there a good place that youwould suggest to get oiled down?
Rosana John (08:14):
So there are a few .
The main issue I have withoiled down is that it's not a
dish that can be easily boundand that is not available every
day of the week everywhere.
It's a dish that takes a lot oftime, a lot of effort to cook,
so it is not a dish that youwould find easily, considering
that it is the national dish.
(08:35):
So I'm actually working oncurating a list of where can you
find oiled down on various daysof the week.
So you tend to be able to findit more Thursday, friday,
saturdays or the main days thatyou tend to find them.
So on Wednesdays there's aplace called the Joints, so
that's one of my favorite placesto get oiled down.
So, from Brudel, he does itWednesdays and Fridays, so he's
(08:58):
one of the most consistentvendors I've found that does
oiled down on a consistent basis.
So, brudel and Lagoon Road, hisplace is called the Joints.
It's a list of before foodlandsupermarket if you're heading
from town direction to GrandanceRight.
There are also a few otherplaces that do it.
There's flavors taffé in golfcourse.
(09:22):
They do it on a Saturday.
There's good food in Grenville.
They do it on Thursdays.
No, yes, thursdays andSaturdays, I believe.
And how could I not mentionAntsnes?
Antsnes is my main oil-dungprovider right now with the
Spice Foodie Tour.
So she's currently off island,but generally she's one of the
few places that you can getoil-dung almost every day.
(09:45):
So she is based in Paradise, stAndrew, miss Shirley, and she
also has an outlet in town, butI don't have as much details
about that as yet.
I believe it's on the Caranage,close to Anders, but currently
it's closed.
But when she comes back I'mdefinitely going to do a feature
on her so you can learn moreabout her oil-dung.
(10:07):
She does a wide variety ofmeats in her oil-dung so
traditionally oil-dung is madewith pork and chicken, but we
know people have a wide varietyof dietary restrictions and
preferences so she does one ofthe widest ranges I have come
across in terms of options youcan have in your oil-dung, from
vegan to seafood.
(10:30):
She does a wide variety ofoil-dung.
Carlene (10:33):
Wow, the fact that you know the best places to check
out when you're visiting isamazing.
I'm still learning.
You're still yeah, yeah, yeah.
Rosana John (10:42):
There's so many what I call hidden gems, places
that people from the area knowbut are not widely known.
Just this week I found outabout a place in Santsu Sea by a
guy called Tony.
I haven't had his oil-dung yet,but it's on my list to try out.
So I'm sure there are manyother spots across the island
that I just don't know about.
(11:02):
But I want to learn and I wantto explore and I want to share
it with everybody else.
Carlene (11:07):
Yeah, you know we are in the digital age of technology
and that's how you get a lot ofthings across through social
media.
You know what I mean as someonewho is a food blogger, so I
guess you're also the co-founderof Spice Foodie Tours.
What is that?
Is it like a tour?
I'm visiting Grenada and Ibasically want to check out some
(11:29):
good places to eat while I'mvisiting.
Is that what you do?
What exactly does Spice FoodieTours do?
Rosana John (11:36):
So it's a food tour where we curate food
experiences.
Right now we have one signaturetour called the Taste of Labi,
so it focuses on seven foodspots within the parish of Saint
Andrew.
So we are looking to expand ourofferings to different parishes
and so forth, but right now ourprimary offering is in the
(12:00):
parish of Saint Andrew.
So we start off by havingbreakfast from cookies.
So she is a baker from SaintAndrew.
Her bakery is in Grenville, sowe have a traditional Canadian
breakfast from her.
So we're doing two things likebakes, saltfish, fishcakes.
Then we go to Tri Islandchocolate where, although it is
(12:22):
physically located in Bolio, theproprietor, aaron Sylvester
he's originally from Moissamieis from Croce, st Andrew, so he
is a chocolatère, so we get totaste the different chocolates
that his factory makes.
We have cocoa tea there, thenwe usually do coconut water in
Balthazar Junction.
(12:44):
We do doubles in Grenville fromWangi or Ryan Ryan's doubles in
Grenville.
We do bussup shot in Grenvilleas well from Boogie Bee, the
artist Boogie Bee.
He does a finger licking bussupshot.
It is so delicious.
So some people say, oh well,doubles and bussup are not
traditional Grenadian dishes.
(13:05):
So the tour isn't abouttraditional Grenadian dishes per
se, but showcasing the varietyof dishes in Grenada or that are
now forming part of Grenadiancuisine.
So that's why we have these twodishes included as well.
Both are very tasty.
And then we usually would havecorn in Paradise Junction.
(13:27):
We would have that by Suzanne.
She has been making corn beforeI was born, so she does boiled
corn, she does roasted corn andwe would have oil lung by
Michelle Lee up in Anstnest.
Carlene (13:41):
Always delicious.
Rosana John (13:43):
Definitely worth a restaurant Anstnest.
Carlene (13:46):
Oh yeah, I was just wondering where is that?
In Grenada Also in Paradise, oh.
Rosana John (13:51):
OK, oh.
Carlene (13:52):
OK.
Rosana John (13:54):
And then we go to Daniela, who makes a
traditionally baked sweet potatopudding.
So that pudding or porn as wesay is baked traditionally.
So it's making a traditionalsteel drum.
So at the top you would havewood and at the bottom you would
(14:15):
have a cold pot.
So fire on top, fire below, sothat gives a nice depth of
flavor.
She also does a bread foodwhich is very tasty.
So you know, these are not bigbusinesses, these are not
businesses that everybodygenerally knows.
So we're all about, you know,community-based tourism, taking
(14:35):
people to see parts of Winitathat are not traditionally
highlighted.
You know we have more thanGrand Ams Beach.
So that is why we are very keenon the smaller businesses, the
small man, and showcasing whatthey have to offer and that
Winidian tourism is not just thesun and the sand and the sea.
Carlene (14:53):
Right?
Well, I mean, that's what we'reknown for, you know the sun and
the sand and the sea.
I'm Carleen and this is Not myNation.
I'm speaking to Rosanna John, afood blogger, attorney at law,
and I just want to know, likeattorneys are very busy, I mean
you have a very busy schedule,obviously, so how do you make
time to do both managing yourtime to work with your clients
(15:16):
that you're helping and alsodoing your food blogging your
blogging, they call it, you know.
Rosana John (15:22):
Yes, it's not easy .
I'm not going to pretend thatit is, at least at this point.
I don't have children, so Iguess that gives me a little bit
of extra time compared to otherpeople.
So it's just in terms ofprioritizing what I love.
So the food blogging is a majorhobby of mine.
I guess it's a distresser.
(15:43):
It's a way that I distractmyself from the other stresses
of life.
So it's something I'mpassionate about and I just find
the time right now to do it.
Yeah.
Carlene (15:55):
So I guess you've created quite the following and
now is it something that youalso get paid to do, or is it
still just something that isconsidered your passion?
Rosana John (16:05):
So it's a hobby for now.
The food blogging.
So the way I guess I've beenable to monetize it slightly is
through the food tours Becauseof that following I've created.
Now that I have a tour, peoplewant to try it, but I can't say
I have made money directly fromfood blogging.
It's just something I do forfun.
The restaurants don't pay me,they don't compensate me,
(16:27):
sometimes they don't even thankme.
I just go pay for my food andshare my experiences.
Carlene (16:34):
It's amazing that you're doing that you know what
I mean, I think just to showcaseGrenada and all the dishes that
the island has.
So you've obviously been toFish Friday Many years ago.
Oh, so you haven't been in awhile.
Let's talk about the nationaldishes of Grenada.
I know you've done like the topIs it the top five?
(16:55):
So let's talk about that forthose people that don't know the
national dishes of Grenada, ifyou could just highlight the
national dishes and maybe a fewplaces that you would recommend.
Rosana John (17:09):
So our main dish is oiled on, so that is the
official national dish, so Ialready spoke a bit about that
and where she tries with a onepot dish.
The reason it's called oiled onis because it is cooked with
coconut milk.
So it's a series of provisionsand meat cooked in one pot.
(17:29):
So that's the remnant of ourWest African one pot tradition.
And when the coconut milkevaporates, the oil from the
coconut milk is left at thebottom of the pot.
So that's where the name comesfrom.
So it's a dish with coconutmilk, turmeric, lots of
(17:49):
vegetables, you know kalaluground provision.
So very, very tasty.
Not always very visuallyappealing when you see
everything mixed up as one, butit's definitely a dish you need
to try when you come to Grenadaas it is the national dish.
Other things you should try whenyou're visiting Grenada that
(18:11):
we're on island, so seafood is abig part of our culture, of our
heritage, so seafood isdefinitely something you should
check out.
So fresh fish, lobster whenit's in season it's not always
in season, so having seafood issomething I highly recommend as
well.
A traditional Canadianbreakfast.
(18:33):
So you know your beaks, yoursaltfish, your smoke herring.
I got a good place to get thatis at Mount Morris Breakfast, so
you get the whole culture withit as well.
It's usually held once a month.
But you should be able to get atraditional Canadian breakfast
anywhere.
Patrick's Home Style Cookin' isanother great place to get a
local breakfast.
On Wall Street you can get it.
(18:53):
It's not something difficult toget.
So, like those are some mainthings, I would recommend you
try some sort of water.
So water is our name for bratsBrats so in terms of like lambi
water.
So lambi is what we refer to asconk or is referred to as conk.
(19:13):
So having lambi water if you'reallergic to seafood, having
corn soup or some type of soupis also a big part of our
cultural tradition.
Carlene (19:24):
What else is there?
I was just thinking ofeverything that you mentioned,
right?
What about the ice cream?
You know what I think we shouldtalk about ice cream.
I'm not a huge fan of it, butwhenever I go to Grenada, I
always like to have rum andraisin ice cream because of the
way that it's made.
I find, like you know, there'snot too many additives that they
add, like here in North America, like I'm in Toronto, and you
(19:47):
know, when you get rum andraisin ice cream, it's not just
the rum and raisin, it's all theother things that they add to
it, which makes it differentwhen you're going to, you know,
like a little ice cream shop intown when you're there.
You know what I mean.
So do you have a favorite icecream place that you like to go
to?
Rosana John (20:06):
So for rum and raisin I would recommend Sugar
and Spice.
They're like the oldest icecream company in Grenada and
have a well-known for their rumand raisin ice cream.
But my favorite place to getice cream is actually from Miss
Barbara.
Miss Barbara is up at OnceAgain Paradise in Andrew.
(20:27):
She operates usually on aSunday so she sets up her ice
cream can so it's home-turned,traditionally made ice cream.
She does a variety of localflavors.
I love the sour syrup, thepassion fruit, cherry, so a
variety of seasonal flavors.
So my favorite type of icecream is the homemade kind in
(20:47):
the can.
You usually get it at ChurchHarvest as well, so Church
Harvest is like an excellentplace to get that type of ice
cream.
Carlene (20:55):
Yeah, that's very traditional in the fact that you
said she sets it up andeverything like that, right?
So yeah, when you're in townthough, like you know, you were
mentioning the Caranage and likefor those people that don't
know, like in town, that's wherea lot of the hustle and the
bustle, you know a lot of peoplego when they're visiting, and
do you have few places that youlike to check out when you're in
(21:18):
town?
Like to try?
Rosana John (21:19):
In town.
My favorite place to go forlunch is BB's Crabback.
Like I like to do their lunchspecial.
It's especially the fish lunchspecial.
It's very tasty.
I like how they do the fish.
I love the rice and peas andcoconut milk.
It's just a very tasty meal andit's one of their more
(21:40):
affordable options.
Their lunch special Right, buteverything I've had at BB's is
tasty, so that's like myfavorite place to have lunch.
Okay, and I've got this.
Carlene (21:51):
I don't think I've tried that when I've been, so
definitely have to check thatout.
So, as a food blogger, contactcreator, what do you want people
to know about Grenada?
I mean, like you've been living, you born and raised in Grenada
and you are pretty much youlive there now, so you
definitely have a differentperspective.
Like, what do you think as atourist?
(22:12):
What do you think makes Grenadaso great?
Rosana John (22:16):
Well, grenada was recently designated as the
world's first culinary capital.
We were recognized for our richcultural and culinary
traditions.
We have unique things thatother places don't have, such as
Saracah, which is a festival ofthanksgiving to our ancestors,
where food is cooked in villagessuch as Riversale and La
(22:38):
Poterie and it's cooked in honorof our ancestors, shared out
for free.
So we have unique things likethat here.
So, in terms of what I wouldwant persons who don't live here
or who are visiting here toknow is that we have a lot to
offer while we are very small.
Do not be fooled, there's a lotto do in Grenada.
I think Grenada is an idealtourist destination for persons
(22:59):
who like adventure and who wantto relax, because we have a
variety of natural sites.
On spoils, we still have thatuntouched feel that a lot of
Caribbean islands don't have.
We're not as commercialized.
Persons are still very friendly, very approachable, it's very
safe.
So if you want to get that Idon't want to say authentic, not
(23:24):
trying to grocery that anyother Caribbean island, but that
quintessential Caribbean vibe Ithink we still have it, we
still have been able to preserveit, and that you should
definitely check out Grenada forfood, for sites for spice masks
.
We have juve on, like any otherplace in the world, so we do
(23:46):
have very unique things.
So, although all Caribbeanislands do have similarities, I
think that Grenada does havesomething special to offer.
Carlene (23:54):
Oh yeah, definitely.
There's so many sites to see,very many beaches to check out.
When you're down there, youknow we're in September and like
it's starting to get cold, andso you know, just, I find people
like here in Toronto, like whenthe weather gets cold they like
to go somewhere warm.
So, other than the places thatyou've already mentioned, is
(24:18):
there any other place that youhaven't mentioned that you think
?
Like if people are planning togo away to Grenada to get away
from the cold, where should theygo when they land?
Rosana John (24:30):
Well, as soon as they get off the plane, they
should go to Esther's bar,Because you can have some local
if they drink alcohol, some rumpunch or some fruit punch or
some local freshly made drink.
So that's the first place youshould hit when you land.
Carlene (24:47):
Maybe this is just me, because I love KFC in Grenada,
because it has a little bit morespice than here in Toronto.
I don't know like if you've beento any other islands or because
you haven't mentioned anythinglike fast food, right, all of
its local food and stuff butwhat do you think about KFC in
the Caribbean versus anywhere?
(25:07):
I mean, you obviously did yourschooling in the UK so I'm sure
you tried food when you werethere.
So what do you think I mean interms of KFC and the way we put
a little bit of spice on thechicken?
Rosana John (25:22):
But I hope I don't get my Grenadian passport
revoked.
But when I travel I don'tgravitate towards KFC at all.
So I guess I don't have acomparison because I have not
ordered it outside of Grenada.
But people have kept sayingthat Grenada's KFC is unique.
But I really can't say.
Carlene (25:43):
Right, right, yeah, I mean there's more expansion.
I guess you could tell me alittle bit more.
If there's more fast food,that's there, because I mean
when you go in town like otherthan your local restaurants and
everything, there's always alineup at KFC, I find so that's
true, but it does have a varietyof fast food option.
Rosana John (26:03):
Sometimes I joke and I say that our national dish
is actually chicken and chips,because that's one thing that
you can get every day, all day,at all hours.
It's always available.
So, especially like on WallStreet, on different street
vendors, or chicken and chips islike something that's very easy
to get.
Things like boiled corn or,more so, roasted corn, barbeque
(26:25):
chicken, like these are all, Iguess, street foods, fast fast
foods that you can get quiteeasily across the island.
So you know, you can be inGrenada on a budget.
Not everything has to be agourmet meal.
There are many affordable foodoptions, especially if you stick
to the local items.
They tend to be more affordablethan the international cuisine
(26:47):
because we do have a variety ofVenezuelan, italian, asian.
We have quite a variety of foodoptions in Grenada outside of
the traditional local food.
Carlene (26:57):
That's true, definitely true.
I mean, it's been a while forme, so I'm learning through your
eyes, to highlight everythingyou said.
You know we've talked aboutfood in general, but like
desserts, like I saw a recentblog of yours where you posted I
can never say this right, kumaris a Kumar, yeah one told me no
, someone told me from Trinidadthat that's not how you say it,
(27:19):
so, oh, oh well, I would haveliked it, but yeah, that's one
of the things that we have.
And then, you know, sugar cake.
What else is really good, like,I mean here.
Rosana John (27:31):
Current rolls.
Current rolls turnovers.
I guess the other day I wasasking why do turnovers all have
to be that sort of movepurplish color, like everybody
just decided it has to be thatcolor, like who decided this
Right.
But yeah, and tamarind ballsare one of my favorites.
Carlene (27:49):
Tamarind balls.
Yes, yes, Tamarind balls, yeah.
Rosana John (27:51):
So all these things just remind me of church
harvest.
They're getting all these niceCanadian confectionery, but you
can get them in supermarketslike they're quite available.
Carlene (28:00):
Yeah, no, definitely you don't have to go anywhere
special but that the dessertsand like the drinks, like you
know, if you're going for we'retalking about food, but if
you're going for a saw, fish andbaked and if you're looking for
some hot cocoa, I know likecocoa is really good too, right.
Rosana John (28:17):
Yeah, so cocoa tea or bush tea as well.
So you know we call all sortsof ginger tea and that sort of
thing.
We call it bush tea Once it'snot a tea bag type tea.
You know variety of.
You know cinnamon, lemongrass,all those different teas are
(28:38):
very traditional and verypopular.
In terms of other drinks thatare popular as well CMOS.
So Canadians tend to drink CMOSin terms of it as a creamy
drink with condensed milk, butpeople are becoming more aware
of the.
You know the true nutritionalvalue of CMOS.
It's not just a thickener andthat.
So they're moving away fromusing so much milk and sugar in
(29:01):
it so that you can get the fullnutritional value.
Then you have things such asmobby, ginger, bear tharil.
You know Christmas is coming up, so these beverages will be
highlighted even more.
Carlene (29:15):
Definitely, so where can people find you on Instagram
if they want to follow yourblog?
Check out the places that yourecommend.
Rosana John (29:24):
So they can find me at radical rose eats.
So radical is with a K, so it'sR-A-D-I-K-A-L rose eats on
Instagram, and also Spice FoodieTours, so that's the name.
On Instagram as well, you'llfind out about all the latest
information on our tours.
We share information about ourvendors, so even if you don't
(29:47):
have the time to do a full tour,if you could check out one of
the vendors, they will be verygrateful.
So those two places are themain places to find me.
Both are on Instagram.
Carlene (29:58):
Yeah, it's amazing.
Thank you so much.
So you know what.
There's one thing I want to saythere's so many places to check
out while you're in Grenada,and I know the chocolate factory
.
I see that you posted that youknow the Grenada Chocolate Fest,
like they celebrated their 10thanniversary this year in May.
What's the history with thechocolate?
(30:19):
I've been there like a fewtimes.
Every time I go to Grenada, Ialways try and check out
something that I haven't seenbefore and tell me more about
that festival or even like thechocolate factory where they
make cocoa and you knowchocolate.
Rosana John (30:33):
So the chocolate festival is held annually.
It was founded by MariaFielding and it is a celebration
of all things chocolate.
So every year there's adifferent theme.
So this past year the theme wasrum and chocolate.
So the focus was on the fusionof the two and various
(30:54):
experiences were curated aroundthat.
So we did chocolate factorytours, because Grenada has at
least five chocolate factories.
We did tours of rumdistilleries.
So we did a tour of RenegadeRum Factory and rivers on the
same day.
So that was very eye-opening.
To look at how rum was made ahundred years ago with the
(31:16):
hydraulic wheel and we are the Ithink we are the only one in
the Western Hemisphere who stillhave a functioning wheel and
then to see the moderntechnology that Renegade uses in
terms of all the computerscreens and all the gadgets.
So to see the evolution of howrum has been distilled was quite
interesting.
(31:36):
We did pairings of the RenegadeRum with various chocolate
truffles.
There was also a sales carechocolate event, so learning how
to make different chocolatemasks and things like that.
Different chocolate dinners, sousing chocolate in food, so a
seven course chocolate culinarydinner.
So just a variety of eventscentered around chocolate.
(31:58):
The festival lasts for about aweek and a half, so there's
definitely something foreveryone in there.
They have events focused onchildren, so there are a lot of
events in that chocolatefestival, so I highly recommend
coming during that time.
It is held annually, usuallyaround May.
So check.
They have a website.
(32:19):
So just look up RenegadeChocolate Festival and you
should be able to getinformation on the upcoming one.
Carlene (32:25):
Well, thank you so much for sharing your insight on
just food and Grenada.
It's amazing the amount ofthings that you've done since
2020.
I think, like the pandemic hasdefinitely created, like you
know, things that, like wedidn't have time to do For me.
I actually created this podcastin 2020 and I stopped doing it,
(32:48):
but someone ignited the flame,you know, and I'm so happy that
you made the time to come on theshow to talk about, you know,
your experiences as a foodblogger.
Obviously, your main career isyou're an attorney at law, so I
guess if anyone in Grenada needsa lawyer, I guess you have a
website as well.
Rosana John (33:08):
Yes, so I work with Dentons, which is a global
law firm, so I practiceprimarily in real estate and
commercial matters.
Carlene (33:16):
Basically someone.
If they're buying real estateor if they already have real
estate and they need assistancewith that, you could help them.
Yes, Perfect.
Well, thank you again, Rosanna,for being a gas on-out
magnation.
You have a great one.
Thank you so much.
Rosana John (33:33):
Thank you so much for having me, Carlene.
Hi, I'm Carlene and this is Nutmag Nation.
I have with me in studioRosanna John.
She is a content creator,attorney at law in Denton's
Grenada office and she has quitethe resume.
(00:21):
Hi, rosanna, hi, Carlene, howare you doing?
I'm fine, thank you.
How are you?
I am well, thanks.
So I actually found you throughyour social media, your top
places to check out when you'rein Grenada.
But I guess, before we eventalk about like places to eat
(00:41):
and lots of great food to enjoyin Grenada, like just tell me a
little bit about yourself.
I know you're born, you grew upin Grenada, but where in
Grenada did you grow up?
Rosana John (00:51):
My mother is Cuban and my father is Grenadian, so
I grew up in the first 10 yearsof my life in Hermitage, st
Patrick, and then we moved to StGeorge's in an area called
White Gun, so I lived thereuntil I got married.
Oh, okay, so that's where I'mfrom, from St Patrick and St
George.
Carlene (01:12):
Nice.
I'm from St George's Grand Anse.
I have no idea where youmentioned the name of the pair.
She said White.
Rosana John (01:20):
Well, the name of the neighborhood is White Gun.
Many people are not familiarwith that place by that name.
Some might call it Upper LucasStreet, some might call it Lower
Parade, but like the name onthe conveyance is White Gun.
Carlene (01:34):
Okay, very nice.
Obviously, you've done a lot ofschooling.
I see that you did yourBachelor's of Law from the
University of West Indies and Ialso learned something new, like
I mean, obviously you're anattorney at law, but you wanted
to be a psychiatrist, so whatmade you decide to change your
(01:55):
path?
Rosana John (01:55):
The reason I wanted to be a psychiatrist is
because I used to look at a lotof law and order and that
detective Wong, like I, was veryfascinated with how he looked
at the human mind.
But as I grew older I realizedthat to be a psychiatrist well,
at least then my understandingwas that you had to be a
(02:16):
traditional doctor.
So doing traditional medicine,dealing with blood and all that
sort of thing is just not mycalling Right.
So that's how I ventured moreinto the arts type field and
that is how I ended up in law.
Carlene (02:30):
Oh okay, law and order.
Yeah, I love law and order.
I watched the original and,yeah, like you said, it's a
great show, so it's veryinteresting.
But I mean, the study of lawitself is always ongoing.
Tell me more about yourexperience going to law school
and what that was like.
Rosana John (02:47):
So I did my undergraduate law degree at Cave
Hill in Barbados.
So that was excellent, not somuch for the formal schooling,
which was also good, but interms of just meeting persons
from all over the Caribbean.
It was my first time havingthat experience that I had only
lived in Grenada.
So to meet all my Caribbeanclassmates, to see how similar
(03:10):
we were, to see all the similarproblems we were facing, it was
truly a memorable experiencegetting to meet so many people
from across the region, peoplethat I continue to keep in
contact with to this day.
And then I went to law schoolin Trinidad with most of those
same classmates, so that's overa five year period that we
studied together.
(03:30):
Then I did my master's in theUnited Kingdom at UCL.
That was also a veryenlightening experience because
I got to meet persons from allover the world.
So once again, it was my firsttime living outside of the
Caribbean.
So living in the UK was verydifferent.
It wasn't love at first sightliving in London, but it grew on
(03:50):
me and once again I loved thatmulticultural experience, that
getting to see people from allover the world, how they
celebrate their differentreligious holidays, all the
different things that it wasreally eye opening for me and I
really enjoyed it.
Carlene (04:06):
That's amazing as someone who grew up in Grenada
and I guess it took you likeyour educational path took you
outside the country, as someonewho stayed there and didn't
leave.
What made you decide to doschool outside of the country?
I mean, obviously Grenada forthose of you who don't know like
Grenada, obviously really smallisland and we don't have that
(04:30):
many campuses on the island.
I mean, sgu is very popular.
That's one of the mainuniversities that people go to
right.
Rosana John (04:39):
So so I really didn't have a choice.
Because you can't study law inGrenada SGU doesn't offer that
so Cape Hill was the closest forme.
So I studied at Cape Hill inBarbados.
Carlene (04:53):
Very nice.
And wow, Barbados, how was itstudying there?
Rosana John (04:56):
I mean, obviously you talk about like your other
experiences, but Well, theslogan there's never a dull
moment in Barbados is reallytrue, Like there was always
something going on.
So, although you know, I wasvery focused on my studies, when
I did have the time, there wasjust so much to explore, so much
to see, so much to do.
I was there as recently as lastyear and it's like the food
(05:20):
options, the entertainmentoptions.
It really is one of my favoriteCaribbean islands.
Carlene (05:26):
Oh, out of all, okay, very cool.
Yeah, because I've seen yourInstagram, your social media,
that you know you travel a lotand you get to review a lot of
different restaurants and greatrecommendations.
By the way, I really appreciateyour insight.
You know what I mean.
It's nice to see that I thinkover the years, grenada's like
(05:47):
up and coming.
I mean we get great accoladesbut it's still considered it is
a small island.
So you know, but you definitelyhave a great background.
So tell me what got you intofood blogging?
I mean from like a lot of food.
Rosana John (06:03):
I've always loved food, but what got me into the
blogging aspect of it was thepandemic.
So in 2020, we all know whathappened.
We all know about the lockdownsand the quarantine and so forth
.
So I am a person who likes toplan.
I'm a person who likes to knowwhat the next step is.
(06:25):
So, naturally, all the changesthat were coming from the
pandemic were not sitting wellwith me at all.
So one of the coping mechanismsfor me was cooking.
So, you know, I had saved a lotof recipes and so that I just
never had the time to cook.
So, with the pandemic, I had alot of time on my hands.
So I decided you know what, letme add some structure to my day
(06:47):
.
I was working from home at thetime, but I was like when I
finish my task, I'm gonna do Xrecipe every day.
So almost every day, I wasdoing a new recipe and I was
taking pictures and videos andsharing it on my personal
Instagram page.
So I was getting mixed reviewsabout it.
There were people who wereloving it and encouraging me,
and there were people who werelike, ah, so much food every day
(07:10):
, all day.
You know, you're making mehungry.
This is not the kind of thing Iwanna keep seeing and wanna
block you.
So I decided, you know what,let me just make a separate
space for persons who want tosee food.
So I started off predominantlyshowcasing my own cooking and,
as you know, outside, as we say,reopened, I transitioned more
(07:31):
into restaurant reviews.
So that is how the page more orless re-evolved.
So the three main focuses Ishould say it's my own cooking,
which has become almostnon-existent on the page now
restaurant reviews and food formy travels.
Carlene (07:48):
On your Instagram you have the top five restaurants,
or I mean you go through variousthings.
So, for anyone who's listening,as a food blogger, someone who
obviously has reviewed a lot ofplaces in Grenada, what would
you recommend?
You know our national dish isoiled down.
(08:10):
Is there a good place that youwould suggest to get oiled down?
Rosana John (08:14):
So there are a few .
The main issue I have withoiled down is that it's not a
dish that can be easily boundand that is not available every
day of the week everywhere.
It's a dish that takes a lot oftime, a lot of effort to cook,
so it is not a dish that youwould find easily, considering
that it is the national dish.
(08:35):
So I'm actually working oncurating a list of where can you
find oiled down on various daysof the week.
So you tend to be able to findit more Thursday, friday,
saturdays or the main days thatyou tend to find them.
So on Wednesdays there's aplace called the Joints, so
that's one of my favorite placesto get oiled down.
So, from Brudel, he does itWednesdays and Fridays, so he's
(08:58):
one of the most consistentvendors I've found that does
oiled down on a consistent basis.
So, brudel and Lagoon Road, hisplace is called the Joints.
It's a list of before foodlandsupermarket if you're heading
from town direction to GrandanceRight.
There are also a few otherplaces that do it.
There's flavors taffé in golfcourse.
(09:22):
They do it on a Saturday.
There's good food in Grenville.
They do it on Thursdays.
No, yes, thursdays andSaturdays, I believe.
And how could I not mentionAntsnes?
Antsnes is my main oil-dungprovider right now with the
Spice Foodie Tour.
So she's currently off island,but generally she's one of the
few places that you can getoil-dung almost every day.
(09:45):
So she is based in Paradise, stAndrew, miss Shirley, and she
also has an outlet in town, butI don't have as much details
about that as yet.
I believe it's on the Caranage,close to Anders, but currently
it's closed.
But when she comes back I'mdefinitely going to do a feature
on her so you can learn moreabout her oil-dung.
(10:07):
She does a wide variety ofmeats in her oil-dung so
traditionally oil-dung is madewith pork and chicken, but we
know people have a wide varietyof dietary restrictions and
preferences so she does one ofthe widest ranges I have come
across in terms of options youcan have in your oil-dung, from
vegan to seafood.
(10:30):
She does a wide variety ofoil-dung.
Carlene (10:33):
Wow, the fact that you know the best places to check
out when you're visiting isamazing.
I'm still learning.
You're still yeah, yeah, yeah.
Rosana John (10:42):
There's so many what I call hidden gems, places
that people from the area knowbut are not widely known.
Just this week I found outabout a place in Santsu Sea by a
guy called Tony.
I haven't had his oil-dung yet,but it's on my list to try out.
So I'm sure there are manyother spots across the island
that I just don't know about.
(11:02):
But I want to learn and I wantto explore and I want to share
it with everybody else.
Carlene (11:07):
Yeah, you know we are in the digital age of technology
and that's how you get a lot ofthings across through social
media.
You know what I mean as someonewho is a food blogger, so I
guess you're also the co-founderof Spice Foodie Tours.
What is that?
Is it like a tour?
I'm visiting Grenada and Ibasically want to check out some
(11:29):
good places to eat while I'mvisiting.
Is that what you do?
What exactly does Spice FoodieTours do?
Rosana John (11:36):
So it's a food tour where we curate food
experiences.
Right now we have one signaturetour called the Taste of Labi,
so it focuses on seven foodspots within the parish of Saint
Andrew.
So we are looking to expand ourofferings to different parishes
and so forth, but right now ourprimary offering is in the
(12:00):
parish of Saint Andrew.
So we start off by havingbreakfast from cookies.
So she is a baker from SaintAndrew.
Her bakery is in Grenville, sowe have a traditional Canadian
breakfast from her.
So we're doing two things likebakes, saltfish, fishcakes.
Then we go to Tri Islandchocolate where, although it is
(12:22):
physically located in Bolio, theproprietor, aaron Sylvester
he's originally from Moissamieis from Croce, st Andrew, so he
is a chocolatère, so we get totaste the different chocolates
that his factory makes.
We have cocoa tea there, thenwe usually do coconut water in
Balthazar Junction.
(12:44):
We do doubles in Grenville fromWangi or Ryan Ryan's doubles in
Grenville.
We do bussup shot in Grenvilleas well from Boogie Bee, the
artist Boogie Bee.
He does a finger licking bussupshot.
It is so delicious.
So some people say, oh well,doubles and bussup are not
traditional Grenadian dishes.
(13:05):
So the tour isn't abouttraditional Grenadian dishes per
se, but showcasing the varietyof dishes in Grenada or that are
now forming part of Grenadiancuisine.
So that's why we have these twodishes included as well.
Both are very tasty.
And then we usually would havecorn in Paradise Junction.
(13:27):
We would have that by Suzanne.
She has been making corn beforeI was born, so she does boiled
corn, she does roasted corn andwe would have oil lung by
Michelle Lee up in Anstnest.
Carlene (13:41):
Always delicious.
Rosana John (13:43):
Definitely worth a restaurant Anstnest.
Carlene (13:46):
Oh yeah, I was just wondering where is that?
In Grenada Also in Paradise, oh.
Rosana John (13:51):
OK, oh.
Carlene (13:52):
OK.
Rosana John (13:54):
And then we go to Daniela, who makes a
traditionally baked sweet potatopudding.
So that pudding or porn as wesay is baked traditionally.
So it's making a traditionalsteel drum.
So at the top you would havewood and at the bottom you would
(14:15):
have a cold pot.
So fire on top, fire below, sothat gives a nice depth of
flavor.
She also does a bread foodwhich is very tasty.
So you know, these are not bigbusinesses, these are not
businesses that everybodygenerally knows.
So we're all about, you know,community-based tourism, taking
(14:35):
people to see parts of Winitathat are not traditionally
highlighted.
You know we have more thanGrand Ams Beach.
So that is why we are very keenon the smaller businesses, the
small man, and showcasing whatthey have to offer and that
Winidian tourism is not just thesun and the sand and the sea.
Carlene (14:53):
Right?
Well, I mean, that's what we'reknown for, you know the sun and
the sand and the sea.
I'm Carleen and this is Not myNation.
I'm speaking to Rosanna John, afood blogger, attorney at law,
and I just want to know, likeattorneys are very busy, I mean
you have a very busy schedule,obviously, so how do you make
time to do both managing yourtime to work with your clients
(15:16):
that you're helping and alsodoing your food blogging your
blogging, they call it, you know.
Rosana John (15:22):
Yes, it's not easy .
I'm not going to pretend thatit is, at least at this point.
I don't have children, so Iguess that gives me a little bit
of extra time compared to otherpeople.
So it's just in terms ofprioritizing what I love.
So the food blogging is a majorhobby of mine.
I guess it's a distresser.
(15:43):
It's a way that I distractmyself from the other stresses
of life.
So it's something I'mpassionate about and I just find
the time right now to do it.
Yeah.
Carlene (15:55):
So I guess you've created quite the following and
now is it something that youalso get paid to do, or is it
still just something that isconsidered your passion?
Rosana John (16:05):
So it's a hobby for now.
The food blogging.
So the way I guess I've beenable to monetize it slightly is
through the food tours Becauseof that following I've created.
Now that I have a tour, peoplewant to try it, but I can't say
I have made money directly fromfood blogging.
It's just something I do forfun.
The restaurants don't pay me,they don't compensate me,
(16:27):
sometimes they don't even thankme.
I just go pay for my food andshare my experiences.
Carlene (16:34):
It's amazing that you're doing that you know what
I mean, I think just to showcaseGrenada and all the dishes that
the island has.
So you've obviously been toFish Friday Many years ago.
Oh, so you haven't been in awhile.
Let's talk about the nationaldishes of Grenada.
I know you've done like the topIs it the top five?
(16:55):
So let's talk about that forthose people that don't know the
national dishes of Grenada, ifyou could just highlight the
national dishes and maybe a fewplaces that you would recommend.
Rosana John (17:09):
So our main dish is oiled on, so that is the
official national dish, so Ialready spoke a bit about that
and where she tries with a onepot dish.
The reason it's called oiled onis because it is cooked with
coconut milk.
So it's a series of provisionsand meat cooked in one pot.
(17:29):
So that's the remnant of ourWest African one pot tradition.
And when the coconut milkevaporates, the oil from the
coconut milk is left at thebottom of the pot.
So that's where the name comesfrom.
So it's a dish with coconutmilk, turmeric, lots of
(17:49):
vegetables, you know kalaluground provision.
So very, very tasty.
Not always very visuallyappealing when you see
everything mixed up as one, butit's definitely a dish you need
to try when you come to Grenadaas it is the national dish.
Other things you should try whenyou're visiting Grenada that
(18:11):
we're on island, so seafood is abig part of our culture, of our
heritage, so seafood isdefinitely something you should
check out.
So fresh fish, lobster whenit's in season it's not always
in season, so having seafood issomething I highly recommend as
well.
A traditional Canadianbreakfast.
(18:33):
So you know your beaks, yoursaltfish, your smoke herring.
I got a good place to get thatis at Mount Morris Breakfast, so
you get the whole culture withit as well.
It's usually held once a month.
But you should be able to get atraditional Canadian breakfast
anywhere.
Patrick's Home Style Cookin' isanother great place to get a
local breakfast.
On Wall Street you can get it.
(18:53):
It's not something difficult toget.
So, like those are some mainthings, I would recommend you
try some sort of water.
So water is our name for bratsBrats so in terms of like lambi
water.
So lambi is what we refer to asconk or is referred to as conk.
(19:13):
So having lambi water if you'reallergic to seafood, having
corn soup or some type of soupis also a big part of our
cultural tradition.
Carlene (19:24):
What else is there?
I was just thinking ofeverything that you mentioned,
right?
What about the ice cream?
You know what I think we shouldtalk about ice cream.
I'm not a huge fan of it, butwhenever I go to Grenada, I
always like to have rum andraisin ice cream because of the
way that it's made.
I find, like you know, there'snot too many additives that they
add, like here in North America, like I'm in Toronto, and you
(19:47):
know, when you get rum andraisin ice cream, it's not just
the rum and raisin, it's all theother things that they add to
it, which makes it differentwhen you're going to, you know,
like a little ice cream shop intown when you're there.
You know what I mean.
So do you have a favorite icecream place that you like to go
to?
Rosana John (20:06):
So for rum and raisin I would recommend Sugar
and Spice.
They're like the oldest icecream company in Grenada and
have a well-known for their rumand raisin ice cream.
But my favorite place to getice cream is actually from Miss
Barbara.
Miss Barbara is up at OnceAgain Paradise in Andrew.
(20:27):
She operates usually on aSunday so she sets up her ice
cream can so it's home-turned,traditionally made ice cream.
She does a variety of localflavors.
I love the sour syrup, thepassion fruit, cherry, so a
variety of seasonal flavors.
So my favorite type of icecream is the homemade kind in
(20:47):
the can.
You usually get it at ChurchHarvest as well, so Church
Harvest is like an excellentplace to get that type of ice
cream.
Carlene (20:55):
Yeah, that's very traditional in the fact that you
said she sets it up andeverything like that, right?
So yeah, when you're in townthough, like you know, you were
mentioning the Caranage and likefor those people that don't
know, like in town, that's wherea lot of the hustle and the
bustle, you know a lot of peoplego when they're visiting, and
do you have few places that youlike to check out when you're in
(21:18):
town?
Like to try?
Rosana John (21:19):
In town.
My favorite place to go forlunch is BB's Crabback.
Like I like to do their lunchspecial.
It's especially the fish lunchspecial.
It's very tasty.
I like how they do the fish.
I love the rice and peas andcoconut milk.
It's just a very tasty meal andit's one of their more
(21:40):
affordable options.
Their lunch special Right, buteverything I've had at BB's is
tasty, so that's like myfavorite place to have lunch.
Okay, and I've got this.
Carlene (21:51):
I don't think I've tried that when I've been, so
definitely have to check thatout.
So, as a food blogger, contactcreator, what do you want people
to know about Grenada?
I mean, like you've been living, you born and raised in Grenada
and you are pretty much youlive there now, so you
definitely have a differentperspective.
Like, what do you think as atourist?
(22:12):
What do you think makes Grenadaso great?
Rosana John (22:16):
Well, grenada was recently designated as the
world's first culinary capital.
We were recognized for our richcultural and culinary
traditions.
We have unique things thatother places don't have, such as
Saracah, which is a festival ofthanksgiving to our ancestors,
where food is cooked in villagessuch as Riversale and La
(22:38):
Poterie and it's cooked in honorof our ancestors, shared out
for free.
So we have unique things likethat here.
So, in terms of what I wouldwant persons who don't live here
or who are visiting here toknow is that we have a lot to
offer while we are very small.
Do not be fooled, there's a lotto do in Grenada.
I think Grenada is an idealtourist destination for persons
(22:59):
who like adventure and who wantto relax, because we have a
variety of natural sites.
On spoils, we still have thatuntouched feel that a lot of
Caribbean islands don't have.
We're not as commercialized.
Persons are still very friendly, very approachable, it's very
safe.
So if you want to get that Idon't want to say authentic, not
(23:24):
trying to grocery that anyother Caribbean island, but that
quintessential Caribbean vibe Ithink we still have it, we
still have been able to preserveit, and that you should
definitely check out Grenada forfood, for sites for spice masks
.
We have juve on, like any otherplace in the world, so we do
(23:46):
have very unique things.
So, although all Caribbeanislands do have similarities, I
think that Grenada does havesomething special to offer.
Carlene (23:54):
Oh yeah, definitely.
There's so many sites to see,very many beaches to check out.
When you're down there, youknow we're in September and like
it's starting to get cold, andso you know, just, I find people
like here in Toronto, like whenthe weather gets cold they like
to go somewhere warm.
So, other than the places thatyou've already mentioned, is
(24:18):
there any other place that youhaven't mentioned that you think
?
Like if people are planning togo away to Grenada to get away
from the cold, where should theygo when they land?
Rosana John (24:30):
Well, as soon as they get off the plane, they
should go to Esther's bar,Because you can have some local
if they drink alcohol, some rumpunch or some fruit punch or
some local freshly made drink.
So that's the first place youshould hit when you land.
Carlene (24:47):
Maybe this is just me, because I love KFC in Grenada,
because it has a little bit morespice than here in Toronto.
I don't know like if you've beento any other islands or because
you haven't mentioned anythinglike fast food, right, all of
its local food and stuff butwhat do you think about KFC in
the Caribbean versus anywhere?
(25:07):
I mean, you obviously did yourschooling in the UK so I'm sure
you tried food when you werethere.
So what do you think I mean interms of KFC and the way we put
a little bit of spice on thechicken?
Rosana John (25:22):
But I hope I don't get my Grenadian passport
revoked.
But when I travel I don'tgravitate towards KFC at all.
So I guess I don't have acomparison because I have not
ordered it outside of Grenada.
But people have kept sayingthat Grenada's KFC is unique.
But I really can't say.
Carlene (25:43):
Right, right, yeah, I mean there's more expansion.
I guess you could tell me alittle bit more.
If there's more fast food,that's there, because I mean
when you go in town like otherthan your local restaurants and
everything, there's always alineup at KFC, I find so that's
true, but it does have a varietyof fast food option.
Rosana John (26:03):
Sometimes I joke and I say that our national dish
is actually chicken and chips,because that's one thing that
you can get every day, all day,at all hours.
It's always available.
So, especially like on WallStreet, on different street
vendors, or chicken and chips islike something that's very easy
to get.
Things like boiled corn or,more so, roasted corn, barbeque
(26:25):
chicken, like these are all, Iguess, street foods, fast fast
foods that you can get quiteeasily across the island.
So you know, you can be inGrenada on a budget.
Not everything has to be agourmet meal.
There are many affordable foodoptions, especially if you stick
to the local items.
They tend to be more affordablethan the international cuisine
(26:47):
because we do have a variety ofVenezuelan, italian, asian.
We have quite a variety of foodoptions in Grenada outside of
the traditional local food.
Carlene (26:57):
That's true, definitely true.
I mean, it's been a while forme, so I'm learning through your
eyes, to highlight everythingyou said.
You know we've talked aboutfood in general, but like
desserts, like I saw a recentblog of yours where you posted I
can never say this right, kumaris a Kumar, yeah one told me no
, someone told me from Trinidadthat that's not how you say it,
(27:19):
so, oh, oh well, I would haveliked it, but yeah, that's one
of the things that we have.
And then, you know, sugar cake.
What else is really good, like,I mean here.
Rosana John (27:31):
Current rolls.
Current rolls turnovers.
I guess the other day I wasasking why do turnovers all have
to be that sort of movepurplish color, like everybody
just decided it has to be thatcolor, like who decided this
Right.
But yeah, and tamarind ballsare one of my favorites.
Carlene (27:49):
Tamarind balls.
Yes, yes, Tamarind balls, yeah.
Rosana John (27:51):
So all these things just remind me of church
harvest.
They're getting all these niceCanadian confectionery, but you
can get them in supermarketslike they're quite available.
Carlene (28:00):
Yeah, no, definitely you don't have to go anywhere
special but that the dessertsand like the drinks, like you
know, if you're going for we'retalking about food, but if
you're going for a saw, fish andbaked and if you're looking for
some hot cocoa, I know likecocoa is really good too, right.
Rosana John (28:17):
Yeah, so cocoa tea or bush tea as well.
So you know we call all sortsof ginger tea and that sort of
thing.
We call it bush tea Once it'snot a tea bag type tea.
You know variety of.
You know cinnamon, lemongrass,all those different teas are
(28:38):
very traditional and verypopular.
In terms of other drinks thatare popular as well CMOS.
So Canadians tend to drink CMOSin terms of it as a creamy
drink with condensed milk, butpeople are becoming more aware
of the.
You know the true nutritionalvalue of CMOS.
It's not just a thickener andthat.
So they're moving away fromusing so much milk and sugar in
(29:01):
it so that you can get the fullnutritional value.
Then you have things such asmobby, ginger, bear tharil.
You know Christmas is coming up, so these beverages will be
highlighted even more.
Carlene (29:15):
Definitely, so where can people find you on Instagram
if they want to follow yourblog?
Check out the places that yourecommend.
Rosana John (29:24):
So they can find me at radical rose eats.
So radical is with a K, so it'sR-A-D-I-K-A-L rose eats on
Instagram, and also Spice FoodieTours, so that's the name.
On Instagram as well, you'llfind out about all the latest
information on our tours.
We share information about ourvendors, so even if you don't
(29:47):
have the time to do a full tour,if you could check out one of
the vendors, they will be verygrateful.
So those two places are themain places to find me.
Both are on Instagram.
Carlene (29:58):
Yeah, it's amazing.
Thank you so much.
So you know what.
There's one thing I want to saythere's so many places to check
out while you're in Grenada,and I know the chocolate factory
.
I see that you posted that youknow the Grenada Chocolate Fest,
like they celebrated their 10thanniversary this year in May.
What's the history with thechocolate?
(30:19):
I've been there like a fewtimes.
Every time I go to Grenada, Ialways try and check out
something that I haven't seenbefore and tell me more about
that festival or even like thechocolate factory where they
make cocoa and you knowchocolate.
Rosana John (30:33):
So the chocolate festival is held annually.
It was founded by MariaFielding and it is a celebration
of all things chocolate.
So every year there's adifferent theme.
So this past year the theme wasrum and chocolate.
So the focus was on the fusionof the two and various
(30:54):
experiences were curated aroundthat.
So we did chocolate factorytours, because Grenada has at
least five chocolate factories.
We did tours of rumdistilleries.
So we did a tour of RenegadeRum Factory and rivers on the
same day.
So that was very eye-opening.
To look at how rum was made ahundred years ago with the
(31:16):
hydraulic wheel and we are the Ithink we are the only one in
the Western Hemisphere who stillhave a functioning wheel and
then to see the moderntechnology that Renegade uses in
terms of all the computerscreens and all the gadgets.
So to see the evolution of howrum has been distilled was quite
interesting.
(31:36):
We did pairings of the RenegadeRum with various chocolate
truffles.
There was also a sales carechocolate event, so learning how
to make different chocolatemasks and things like that.
Different chocolate dinners, sousing chocolate in food, so a
seven course chocolate culinarydinner.
So just a variety of eventscentered around chocolate.
(31:58):
The festival lasts for about aweek and a half, so there's
definitely something foreveryone in there.
They have events focused onchildren, so there are a lot of
events in that chocolatefestival, so I highly recommend
coming during that time.
It is held annually, usuallyaround May.
So check.
They have a website.
(32:19):
So just look up RenegadeChocolate Festival and you
should be able to getinformation on the upcoming one.
Carlene (32:25):
Well, thank you so much for sharing your insight on
just food and Grenada.
It's amazing the amount ofthings that you've done since
2020.
I think, like the pandemic hasdefinitely created, like you
know, things that, like wedidn't have time to do For me.
I actually created this podcastin 2020 and I stopped doing it,
(32:48):
but someone ignited the flame,you know, and I'm so happy that
you made the time to come on theshow to talk about, you know,
your experiences as a foodblogger.
Obviously, your main career isyou're an attorney at law, so I
guess if anyone in Grenada needsa lawyer, I guess you have a
website as well.
Rosana John (33:08):
Yes, so I work with Dentons, which is a global
law firm, so I practiceprimarily in real estate and
commercial matters.
Carlene (33:16):
Basically someone.
If they're buying real estateor if they already have real
estate and they need assistancewith that, you could help them.
Yes, Perfect.
Well, thank you again, Rosanna,for being a gas on-out
magnation.
You have a great one.
Thank you so much.
Rosana John (33:33):
Thank you so much for having me, Carlene.
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