In a new chapter of the ongoing Tongue and Throat Memories programme, the Toronto-born and based Chef Craig Wong—whose culinary practice is deeply shaped by his multigenerational Caribbean and Chinese heritage—invites all guests to enjoy and share his specialities during the celebrations of Bwa Kayiman—Lakouzémi. Wong’s flavour-driven dishes serve as a living archive of familial memory, celebrating the importance of communal gatherings and family-style dining.   

Asian-Caribbean history is marked by exploitative systems like indentured labour, which brought members of different Asian communities to the archipelago with little to no prospect  of return, thereby extending the logic of the plantation beyond the abolition of slavery. Their  presence and exchanges gave rise to alliances, hybridization, and new forms of cultural expression that became integral to local customs: the use of curry as well as many Indian spices in Jamaican cuisine, for example, or the celebration of Diwali, the festival of lights, in Guyana, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago. 

Portraying his culinary practice as a form of soul-searching, Chef Craig Wong has long been in conversation with his Chinese grandmother. Through shared moments of cooking and storytelling, he has inherited the memory of her community and place of origin—experiences which have become foundational to his own sense of cultural rootedness. After graduating in culinary arts from L’Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, Chef Wong honed his craft in several Michelin-starred kitchens, blending technical mastery with the ancestral knowledge of resistance and perseverance of his people. 

In line with the communal ethos at the heart of  Bwa Kayiman—Lakouzémi, Chef Wong invites all in attendance to convene around his family stories as well as those behind his signature dishes such as jerk chicken chow mein, popcorn shrimp fried rice, oxtail mac n’ cheese, JunePlum patties, and the unmissable Rum Punch.

The next day, from 18:00 a selection of light snacks from Chef Wong are available for purchase on the Paulette Nardal Terrace.