South Florida-based Chef Balo is determined to put Caribbean cuisine on the international map with a unique approach to presentation. He is using his food truck, The Experience, as a vehicle to get his creative dishes across to a wide audience.
The Experience offers a largely Jamaican menu but there is space for dishes from Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean islands. “The food we do in the Caribbean is basically the same, just prepared differently and often times with a different name,” said Chef Balo.
He opted for the food truck route after Covid-19 stalled plans for him to open a restaurant in Palm Beach where he lives. With The Experience, the self-taught, London-born chef makes weekly forays into areas with large West Indian communities such as Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Miami. “It’s my way of bringing the Caribbean straight to you, which is something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said.
Chef Balo’s creations include the Jerked Fried Chicken (JFC), sweet and sour snapper, the Ackee Flat Bread and Calaloo Bites with Scotch Bonnet. Though he has lived in the United States for most of his life, Chef Balo spent some of his formative years in Jamaica where he developed a taste for the country’s diverse cuisine.
He has been cooking professionally for 15 years. His assignments include events such as Miami Carnival and independent dates for dancehall artists.
