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Miss Dell’s Restaurant Opens in Granada

Bob and Kenia expect to open their new Miss Dell’s restaurant today, Friday, December 22nd. It is located diagonally across from Kathy’s Waffle House near the San Francisco church. The food will have a Caribbean flair. Kenia was our neighbor for many years when we lived on Calle Santa Lucia. Very interesting story about Miss Dell.

Our restaurant hours are 5:30-10:00 Tues -Sun. Closed Monday.

The Story of Miss Dell

Delrene Dubuissant, known to all as Miss Dell, was the best cook I’ve ever known. She was born in Cap Haitien, Haiti in the last days of 1899 and by the time she passed away at 102 she had lived in three different centuries and cooked in two of them.  Somehow, she managed to make the finest meals from almost anything or sometimes, even nothing.

When I was a small boy she cooked for my family for several years. I was fascinated by her and I’d watch from the doorway to the kitchen as she’d hum and mutter and sigh to herself as she worked. I didn’t know where Haiti was at the time, but I knew that she was far away from home and I once asked her what she missed the most. She didn’t hesitate; “Mr. Beautiful”, she said, “He was my one true love”. She seemed sad and refused to say another word about him.

Many years passed. I left home and moved away. Years later after I moved back to New York City I saw her on the street one winter day wheeling a metal laundry cart laden with groceries. She must have been in her 80’s by then and had hardly changed at all. I asked her if she would finally tell me what happened to her one true love. She sighed deeply and told me that one day she left Cap Haitien to spend a few days with relatives in Port au Prince. Everyone in Cap Haitien was extremely jealous of Mr. Beautiful, so with Miss Dell gone they decided it was time to finally do away with him altogether. They cornered him on the street one morning and threw stones at him until he was finally dealt a mortal blow. He collapsed and died in the street surrounded by his enemies.

When Miss Dell returned, they said that they were so happy to see her again that they had cooked a special dinner in her honor. But what they had done was put Mr. Beautiful in a big pot and cooked him up with onions, cassava, collard greens and carrots and then they served him to Miss Dell.

“I loved Mr. Beautiful and he loved me. They were all so jealous. He used to sit in my lap and purr just like a cat and without a doubt, he was the most beautiful rooster ever seen in all of Cap Haitien”.

Miss Dell never did return home. This restaurant is a tribute to her and the countless other unsung cooks who have toiled in hot kitchens to feed us. I can’t claim that these are her recipes because she never wrote any of them down, but we will try our best. Thank you for joining us when you can.

Menu

Miss Dell’s ‘Global Peasant Cuisine’

Jerk Chicken   Miss Dell’s ‘Boss Sauce’

coconut rice & red beans, maduro, creamy cabbage slaw   9.

 

Bahamian Fish Chowder a la paila 12.75 / 22. (for 2)

Fresh fish, chilote, chiltoma, calabaza, platano, yuca, leche de coco, red curry 12.75 / 22. For 2 

 

Piri Piri   Chicken/ 10.50     Fish/ 12.50

Masa de Cozuela, maduro, caponata siciliana, olive tapenade, Piri Piri Sauce

 

Tonight’s Vegetarian Selection/ priced daily

Something Special/ priced daily

  

Escalivada /5.50   Assorted Tapas platter for 2 / 9.50

Gazpacho /3.50    Whole Roasted Ajo /2 Extra Arroz/ 1.50

Toña /1.50, Coca-Cola, Fanta, Ginger Ale. Club Soda, Iced Tea, Water /1.

House Wine /3.75 glass     ½ liter carafe / 8.

Coconut Flan / 5.

 

 

PAYFAIR- Nicaragua

‘PAYFAIR- Nicaragua’ is a newly formed trade organization committed to helping promote and ensure existing labor laws and worker’s rights here in Nicaragua. By employing an easily certifiable standard for business owners we can make a significant impact, raise valuable customer awareness and lead the way towards better jobs for local people.

While interviewing potential employees for our new restaurant we became aware that there are some serious and insidious abuses of labor and wage standards. In some cases, these practices are occuring in establishments that we have patronized unknowingly in the past. I can’t say for sure how widespread these abusive practices are, but based on what I’ve personally seen, I can say with confidence that they are not merely isolated events.

I also know many business owners who believe as we do; that business profits need not be born on the backs of society’s poor. These business owners have already made the personal decision to not only comply with existing standards but seek to find ways to develop and nurture their workforce.  By recognizing this in a public forum we can lead the way and become a force for change.

Not unlike the implementation of the well-known ‘Fair Trade’ designation in the coffee business, raising customer awareness is a uniquely powerful force and can be employed as part of a greater business strategy that benefits both the worker and the business owner jointly.

They say that people ‘vote with their feet’. They make their choices on where to spend their money based on a variety of factors. We believe that a large percentage of tourists, extranjeros and local residents really do care how the Nicaraguan workers are treated and by making a more public statement that identifies progressive businesses we can impact some of the entrenched abuses that exist in our midst.

The process of joining ‘PAYFAIR-Nicaragua’ would be simple and free. It would employ a third-party confirmation of labor and wage standards (ideally through INSS) which would result in full membership and a certificate that can be posted within the establishment. Members can also include their PAYFAIR  status proudly on their menus and any other promotional materials so that customers can make more informed choices in the future.

Darrell – The PAYFAIR initiative is a much needed idea but INSS needs to straighten out their procedures especially for part-time workers. Make it easier to understand, implement fairly and more people would cover their employees for benefits, medical and pensions. I wish Bob much success with this idea.