BEM presents family fun and conversation
in celebration of Lesley Enston's new book:
For author Lesley Enston, cooking has always been a way to connect to her Caribbean roots. Belly Full, with its breadth of stories, recipes, and stunning photography, will leave your stomach and heart more than satisfied and proves that the essential dishes and ingredients of Caribbean cuisine can be seen as an alphabet to unlocking a triumphant culinary language and legacy for all to gather in and share.
Lesley Enston will be in conversation with registered dietician nutritionist, Maya Feller. Lesley will dive into the vibrant world of Caribbean cuisine and the 11 staple ingredients that make it so uniquely flavorful while discussing the overlapping histories of the Caribbean islands through their rich cultures and cuisines.
Small bites curated by Best Dressed Plate.
This is a family-friendly event and we encourage you bring your little chefs and eaters!
About the Author:
For Lesley Enston, cooking has always been a way to connect to her Caribbean roots. After growing up in Toronto, moving to Brooklyn, and spending a few years in London, she ultimately settled in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Along the way she’s consistently found herself over a stovetop, preparing the dishes her Trini mother first introduced her to, along with all her favorite foods from around the islands—and putting Scotch bonnet in just about everything. Lesley is a seasoned home cook and takes great pleasure in spreading the joy (and heat) of these flavors to her friends and loved ones by way of her famed backyard dinner parties. Better yet, Lesley’s young daughter, Desalin, now plays the role of sous-chef, enjoying the flavors her mother and grandmother cherish so deeply.
You can find Lesley’s recipes in Bon Appétit, Food52, and the New York Times.
About BEM
BEM | books & more is a literary destination at the intersection of food and Blackness. Established by two sisters in January 2021 as an online bookstore, BEM is proud to serve as a home for readers, writers, cooks, and eaters passionate about Black cultures in all their diversity. Taking an expansive approach to the nexus of food, literature, and culture, BEM celebrates Black food by bringing works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry for readers of all ages into conversation with cookbooks and culinary studies to explore how what feeds us defines us.