{"id":834,"date":"2015-11-13T17:02:12","date_gmt":"2015-11-13T17:02:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/islandoutpost.com\/outpostings\/?p=834"},"modified":"2023-10-16T18:49:45","modified_gmt":"2023-10-16T18:49:45","slug":"five-things-learned-jamaicas-top-food-entrepreneurs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.islandoutpost.com\/outpostings\/2015\/11\/13\/five-things-learned-jamaicas-top-food-entrepreneurs\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Things We Learned From Jamaica\u2019s Top Food Entrepreneurs"},"content":{"rendered":"

We are excited to have one of the most exciting duos at our first ever <\/span>NyamJam Festival, <\/span><\/a>kicking off on Saturday, November 14th (how exciting!). Suzanne and Michelle Rousseau (known around the island as <\/span>Two Sisters and a Meal<\/span><\/a>) are the executive producers and culinary hostesses for the popular web series I<\/span>sland Potluck<\/span><\/i>, as well as a television series <\/span>2 Sisters & a Meal<\/span><\/i>. The two are former restaurateurs and caterers, and authors of the 2014 cookbook <\/span>Caribbean Potluck<\/span><\/i>. <\/span>Outpostings<\/span><\/i> sat with the two sisters to learn how they manage to do it all\u2014and still have time to cook dinner. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Be willing to switch lanes.<\/b><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    While the Rousseau family owned restaurants in Jamaica, Suzanne and Michelle actually began their careers in retail, opening Ciao Bella, a high-end retail boutique in Kingston. It wasn\u2019t until their mother asked the two sisters to help run Cafe Bella, a family-owned restaurant located just next door to their retail shop, that the two ventured into the food industry. For two years, the duo split their time running the retail shop and the family restaurant. Cafe Bella was popular with the expatriate crowd, and the sisters realized that their restaurant business had the potential for growth.<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Know what you don\u2019t know\u2014and fix it.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      While the sisters grew up cooking for family members, friends and in their family owned restaurants, they weren\u2019t professional chefs\u2014and that was holding them back. They decided to get formal training at The Culinary Institute of America in New York City. \u201cWhen we started our restaurant, the hip food culture that exists in Kingston now was non-existent,\u201d says Suzanne. The duo worked rigorously\u2014dedicating long hours to training and opening a second restaurant\u2014to personally create that culture in Jamaica. \u201cWe just rolled with it,\u201d Michelle says.    <\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Look for a hole in the market.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        When the sisters started their catering business later in their career, they decided to do something different. \u201cAt the time, no one cooked onsite, so we thought, <\/span>why not do what no one else is doing? <\/span><\/i>No one was preparing the meals from start-to-finish at the site of catering events, serving food like they would have at a restaurant,\u201d Suzanne says. Michelle and Suzanne made sure they always deliver food that was hot off the stove, rather than preparing the food days before. \u201cWe were always innovating and creating the kind of food we wanted to share with our guests,\u201d Michelle says.<\/span><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. To borrow from the boy scouts: Always be prepared.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          While on vacation in New York City Michelle was introduced by chance to <\/span>Joy Tutela<\/span><\/a>, an agent from The David Black Literary Agency. \u201cWe had a book proposal ready. I showed it to her, and she signed us,\u201d Michelle says.<\/span><\/p>\n

            \n
          1.  Get inspired in Kingston<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            If you don\u2019t come to Kingston, you don\u2019t understand Jamaica, the sisters tell us. The island isn\u2019t all about resorts and beaches, and \u201cthat\u2019s what gets lost in translation,\u201d explains Michelle. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of good energy here. We always say the heartbeat of the island is here.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            We are excited to have one of the most exciting duos at our first ever NyamJam Festival, kicking off on Saturday, November 14th (how exciting!). Suzanne and Michelle Rousseau (known around the island as Two Sisters and a Meal) are the executive producers and culinary hostesses for the popular web series Island Potluck, as well as a television series 2 Sisters & a Meal. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food"],"yoast_head":"\nJamaican Food Entrepreneurs Share Tidbits about the Industry<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Suzanne and Michelle Rousseau - the top Jamaican food entrepreneurs aka Two Sisters and a Meal share 5 facts about the food business. 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