The Caribbean Cookbook

‘This book is thrilling – at last, a definitive collection that honors the full breadth of Caribbean cuisine. Deeply varied, richly storied, and endlessly delicious, it captures the soul of a region where history and flavor are inseparable. As a longtime student and admirer of Caribbean foodways, I’m grateful for Rawlston’s work in bringing this essential book to life.’ – Gregory Gourdet, James Beard award-winning chef & author

‘Rawlston is telling a beautiful and rich story of the Caribbean, one island at a time. As I flip through each page, I am transported immediately, closing my eyes inhaling the salt in the air and fish being roasted by the beach. This book is a much-needed documentation of our history, culture, and influences – very similar and also very different and much needed, to showcase that Caribbean cuisine is one everyone needs to discover.’ - Nina Compton, Chef & Author

‘Rawlston has thoroughly and thoughtfully put together recipes that showcase the richness and diversity across the Caribbean. Our culture and food stems from many roots including African, Asian, European, and South American – all bringing different ingredients, flavors, and techniques. These were shaped over time, being molded by new hands and turned into something completely unique, complex, and captivating. The Caribbean has some of the best food in the world, and it should be celebrated. Rawlston has celebrated our home and our food by creating this book, so people can explore these flavors and become familiar with something that is truly unique. There is so much joy to be had in cooking, and you can feel that joy in these pages.’ – Paul Carmichael, Chef of Kabawa & Bar Kabawa

‘Caribbean food is often imitated, rarely duplicated. In The Caribbean Cookbook, Rawlston gives you the real thing, with enough rhythm and soul to make you feel like you’re right there in the islands.’ – Andre Mack, Somm-at-Large‘To be entrusted with documenting Caribbean cooking at this scale requires discipline, respect, and a deep understanding that these dishes are also living records of people, place, and memory. Rawlston grounds the reader in the true flavor foundations of Caribbean cooking. Coming from St. Vincent & the Grenadines, he carries the responsibility of interpreting a region far larger than any single island with care. Throughout the book, you feel his commitment to honoring origins, preserving integrity, and ensuring the food still tastes right and familiar to those of us who grew up with it, and honest to those discovering it for the first time. He understood the weight of being a narrator for the region and met the challenge with clarity and respect for Caribbean people and our foodways. For anyone who genuinely loves, tastes, shares, creates, and supports the Caribbean, this book matters.’ – Nneke Nurse, Founder of Best Dressed Plate

‘A new book brings Caribbean flavors right into your kitchen – no white tablecloth required.’ – Wall Street Journal

Rawlston Williams is a Caribbean chef with a deep passion and knowledge for his region’s food culture. Born in Kingstown in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, he has lived in New York since 1987. A graduate of the French Culinary Institute, for many years he was the chef-owner of the award-winning Brooklyn restaurant The Food Sermon, which focused on dishes inspired by Caribbean cuisine.

Nico Schinco is an award-winning photographer working out of New York. His food and travel images have been published widely, including in two James Beard Award-winning cookbooks.