The Bajan Kitchen, Toronto's beloved spot for Bajan comfort food, is back again with their latest pop-up happening this weekend, from March 26 to March 28, operating from their Scarborough location.
Despite Toronto having a large Bajan population, there appears to be a lack of Bajan cuisine available year-round. Festival season allowed for temporary Bajan food pop-ups to appear across the city, but with COVID-19, these events came to a halt. As flights to Barbados were cancelled and travelling restrictions were implemented, the lack of Bajan representation in Toronto's diverse food scene became starkly apparent. This -- is how The Bajan Kitchen was born.
Beginning as a small pop-up to celebrate Barbados Independence Day, chef and owner Fabian Mayers realized the demand and the importance of sharing Bajan cuisine with the GTA. He recognizes that most Torontonians probably haven't even tried island favourites like their incredibly popular salted cod fishcakes.
"Food from Barbados is world-class, just ask any tourist that has visited the island," Mayers says, "We want to really showcase the popular dishes from Barbados - so we've decided to keep our menu focused on just that. A small-ish selection of quality 'street-food' you'd get anywhere in Barbados, at any time."
Similar to other Caribbean cuisines, the food provided is not only comforting but is also mostly slow-cooked. Mayers describes the flavourful dishes as being able to taste the tropics in every bite.
Highlights on the menu include their two most popular savoury dishes, staples in Bajan cuisine: "Macaroni Pie" which is cheesy layers of baked macaroni pasta and "Black Pudding and Souse" a meal that carries much historical significance in Barbados, consisting of steamed sweet potato, pickled pork and steamed breadfruit. Additionally, The Bajan Kitchen also offers "Bajan Meal Specials," named after four towns on the island: Bridgetown, Oistins, Speightstown and Holetown.
Additionally, portions of every sale at The Bajan Kitchen go towards supporting the medical equipment fund for Barbados' Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Now that the warm weather is approaching, The Bajan Kitchen plans to hold pop-ups almost every week. They'll be rotating between their two current locations, one in Scarborough at 1686 Ellesmere Road and one in Mississauga at 1500 Matheson Blvd. They hope to add a third location in Downtown Toronto in the near future, to further expand the accessibility of ordering their traditional Bajan meals to more people in the GTA.
Once safe travel resumes between Toronto and Barbados, Mayers hopes to be able to not only expand the menu but also offer an additional number of Bajan food products to Canadians.
To preorder for pick up or delivery this weekend, visit their website. If you can't make it to this pop-up, be sure to sign up to their mailing list and follow The Bajan Kitchen on Instagram to stay up to date on where and when they'll be popping up next.
