As authentically charismatic as she is, one thing Angelique Jackson has is a strong disdain for bland food. Upon that premise, her love for delightfully flavorful cuisine has compelled her to start her own Caribbean food blog –The Raw Spice.
However, food blogging is a different field of interest from Jackson’s professional and educational pursuits. She graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of South Florida and now works for USA Environmental where she functions in a managerial capacity on Superfund projects. Although Jackson spends more time in Tampa, Florida these days, her connection and deep-rooted love for her island of Trinidad & Tobago is undeniable. With Christmas fast approaching, it’s understandable for this to be a time Jackson misses home the most especially as a ‘foodie’. Christmas in the Caribbean is a soulful and belly-filling experience especially in Trinidad where the pastelles, ponche de crême, and sweet bread just never seem to be enough in the holiday season.
“When it comes to Christmas time, I envision myself sitting out in a family member’s front yard listening to parang, having a glass of sorrel in hand, and a full plate on my lap with an assortment of dishes. A Trini pastelles in one section of the plate is a must, then you have your stewed peas, macaroni pie, corn pie, callaloo, Christmas styled-ham, baked turkey, roasted lamb (with mint jelly), and some green salad,” Jackson reminisces. “Your plate should look like a colorful mountain at this point. What I love about Christmas in Trinidad though is that everyone will have their own food staples, unique to their family history and that holds so much meaning. Many are special family recipes passed down through generations. My family has a tradition of lighting our Christmas pudding on fire with dark rum which gives off a vibrant and beautiful blue flame (and will undoubtedly have you walking away a little tipsy), paired with a Brandy butter.”
At a young age, Jackson harbored a knack for cooking. When she was 6 or 7 years old she would go through the Naparima Girls Cookbook for recipes to try. She loved watching her mother, housekeeper, or grandmother cook to then try her own hand at the stove but with her own twist. “I’ve never been one to follow a recipe entirely. I enjoy getting creative and experimenting with different substitutions that in my mind seems like it could be a winner. There was A LOT of trial and error to get to a point where I really knew what I was doing. Since then, I have always had a love for cooking, and even did a little bit of catering Trini food during college. When I wanted to fly home for Carnival and needed to raise the money to do it, I started making dinner boxes for friends and family.”
After posting her delectable creations on social media, Jackson got flooded with requests for tutorials and recipes. Thus, here lies the birth of The Raw Spice food blog. “I find there to be a simple joy when I see my food coming to the table at restaurants and getting to document and admire it, as well as share it with others. I really admire chefs and restaurants that incorporate an artistic and creative element with their dishes, taking the simplest ingredients and turning them into something magnificent and absolutely delicious. These types of creations I think deserve to be showcased and promoted, which is what I often aim to achieve through the blog,” she expresses.
Despite being confident in her culinary skills, and achieving academic success, Jackson still has her shortcomings. She is open about her struggles with anxiety and depression on social media. We asked her about the therapeutic potential of the culinary arts and she revealed “one of the biggest challenges when coping with anxiety and depression is turning your thoughts off and finding a way to pull yourself out of a dark and heavy place. When my mind is racing at full speed and my body is running on overdrive, I go to the kitchen, turn on some music and just start cooking. I tend to open the fridge and grab the first few things I see and the thought process of what can I create with what is in front of me helps to focus my energy elsewhere and get my creative juices flowing. Making myself a favorite comfort food dish and a little karaoke session really helps me to relax, unwind and clear my mind when stress levels are at a high.“
In closing, we had to find out from The Raw Spice Boss what her Top 5 restaurants in Trinidad & Tobago and contemplatively she said: “This is a tough one… but I would have to go with Kan Hai’s Dosti Roti, Pappy’s Fried Chicken, Chaud Café, Wings Curry In Tunapuna and the Store Bay Food Huts.”
