For three decades, Chef Troy Lopez has been part of Berlin’s culinary landscape. Born in Kingston, he grew up in St Anne and moved to New York to study literature before training in the culinary arts in Paris, where he developed his craft in professional kitchens.  

In 2009, Lopez co-founded RosaCaleta in Kreuzberg with his partner Kirk Henry. The restaurant served as a vital community hub and became known for its innovative approach to Jamaican-European fusion cuisine. Lopez pairs Caribbean ingredients, like Jamaican curry powder and pimientos de padrón, with European bases. His breakout menu featured playful creations such as fiery guava jerk chicken, spicy-sweet pork served with ginger gnocchi, and a plantain spätzle tossed in coconut cream. After over a decade of success, the physical location transitioned to a dedicated pop-up and catering model in 2021.   

Alongside his leadership of RosaCaleta, Lopez hosts lively Soulful Sunday community dinners and operates a custom baking business specializing in local favourites such as authentic Jamaican rum cake and key lime cheesecake. Driven by passion, romance, and culinary pragmatism, his work continues to connect various Berlin-based communities through frequent gatherings. For many attendees who have moved to the city, these meetups have played an important role in building a home away from home. 

This edition of Tongue and Throat Memories opens up a space to discuss food as a tool of resistance and a means of creating spaces of belonging in the diaspora. With themes ranging from the marking of various life events such as birthdays and wakes to the role of the Chef as a facilitator and organizer, these conversations affirm the notion of the restaurant as a living salon—a site of exchange, community, and conviviality.