Africa, The Caribbean And Europe Meet In Harlem
October 26, 2009
By Bevan Springer
CaribWorldNews, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Oct. 26, 2009: As I am sure many stories in New York City go, I stumbled across an interesting little eatery on the corner of 125th street and 5th Avenue in the village of Harlem.
I had just been across at the Consulate General of Senegal, the West African nation whose first President Léopold Sédar Senghor was a famous founding poet of Négritude, and was off to an event hosted by the Martinique Promotion Bureau in midtown.
After spending some time with nationals of the French influenced African nation, I was heading to a French Caribbean soirée, which was actually being hosted by the Senegal-born Muriel Wiltord of the Martinique Promotion Bureau who par accident is the niece of famed Martinican poet the late Aimé Césaire – who as well as President of the Regional Council of Martinique was part of the Négritude literary and political movement with Senghor.
Such are the stories of people from the African and Caribbean Diaspora.
However what surprised me this week was Le Meilleur Du Monde Café in Harlem, which promotes authentic Blue Mountain coffee from Jamaica – `straight from the source,` they say. As I entered the establishment, I was greeted by a friendly staff, including proprietor Millicent Clarke, a Jamaican-British-American mélange, who hurriedly brewed me a fresh cup of Jamaica`s finest coffee.
Doctor`s orders to resist caffeine fell on deaf ears as I not only received my afternoon jolt, but was also tempted by some of their freshly baked, European influenced pastries. Apologies to the nutritionists in my life who are working on my `get fine` program.
Le Meilleur Du Monde is a family-operated business and has only been open for three weeks. In addition to authentic Jamaican coffee, the establishment offers `sumptuous sandwiches,` served on freshly baked baguettes or paninis. Their menu also includes croissants, waffles, porridge, salads, smoothies and desserts, including ice cream with Caribbean flavors including `stout,` all home-made from scratch by Millicent herself.
Millicent, who is ably assisted by her husband Ernaldo, brings to Le Meilleur the catering experience she racked up in the UK while working at Britain`s national Wembley stadium where she managed food units for corporate groups.
The husband and wife team say business has not been overwhelming but customers are returning because they like the fresh approach to food preparation. They make the pastries, breads, cake and ice cream – just about everything on the menu – at the store.
Le Meilleur Du Monde believes their fare is attractive given the gentrification that continues in Harlem. They are quite pleased to bring a `Euro Caribbean-American flavor` to the village as they cater to a multi-ethnic and diverse clientele.
As I thumb this column from my BlackBerry, I am now off to see what fare Martinique – renowned for its Franco-Creole fusion cuisine and fine rhums – is serving up in midtown-Manhattan, which I am hoping will complement my rediscovered healthy lifestyle. Yeah right!
I am, however, sure it will be a fun-filled, fantastique, francophone fiesta.
Until next week, au revoir!
Bevan Springer, a New York Amsterdam News columnist who writes frequently on travel and tourism issues, is the President of the New Jersey-headquartered Marketplace Excellence LLC – a full-service, integrated mass communications agency committed to excellence in the fields of public relations, marketing and media coaching. He also produces the Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism – CMEx.
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