It’s probably safe to say that shaving has never been the favorite part of any woman’s day. But just like a cute outfit can add a little joy to a grueling workout, there’s a product line working to make our morning ritual something we can all smile about.
Oui Shave is a selection of timelessly styled razor housings, luxurious shaving creams and oils, and other skin maintenance products developed with the discerning woman in mind. Its founder is Karen Young, a passionate entrepreneur of Guyanese heritage, focused on women, and their hair removal and skin care needs.
Young, like many women, suffered with razor burns and ingrown hairs for much of her life. Her research proved that the packaged razors she had been using were irritating her skin, and the creams were filled with unhealthy chemicals. Coming from the beauty industry herself, she set about creating better, more natural alternatives.
She learned that a single razor skims the hair from the skin, while multiple blades lift and pull the hair resulting in ingrown follicles. She also learned that the right emollients would make the hair removal process much easier.
To satisfy our love of shiny things while putting her new knowledge to practice, Young developed lavishly designed single and double razor housings in 14 karat gold, her most popular offering of course, and in chrome. Her other products for use during and after shaving include natural oils, creams, toners and balms meant to address issues like dryness, irritation, inflammation, dulling, and the dreaded ingrown hairs (Bikini time!) The Oui Shave range is scented with essential oils like bergamot, lavender, neroli and jasmine so your skin will be soft and glowing, and you’ll smell delicious too.
Ladies, here’s to the promise of daily soft, smooth skin without waxing or harsh chemicals! Learn more at www.ouishave.com.
Try Chef Thia’s amazing Back Bean Salsa recipe with your favorite plantain or tortilla chips. It’s simple, refreshing, and even lasts a few days in the fridge. Lovely to enjoy chilled, you can actually enjoy this warm as well!
BLACK BEAN SALSA INGREDIENTS
2 cups Lakay Black Beans, cooked
1 cup Sweet Whole Kernel Corn
¼ cup Red Onions
¼ cup each Red, Orange and Yellow Bell Peppers
2 tbsp Scallion
¼ cup parsley
3 tbsp Canola Oil
4 capfuls Lakay Lemon Blend
½ tsp Scotch Bonnet Pepper
½ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Black Pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Dice the bell peppers and red onions.
Chop the parsley and scallions finely.
Add Lakay Black Beans to a large bowl, along with remaining ingredients, including Lakay Lemon Blend.
Stir to combine.
Serve with tortilla or plantain chips
Try this Black Bean Salsa with Chef Thia’s Tasso de Dinde (Creole Turkey), any other protein, or as a light snack on its own.
Writer: Calibe Thompson | Photography: David I. Muir
Near the corner of Sistrunk Boulevard and 27th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, sits the prominent red and white building that is home to the urban league of Broward County (ULBC). That’s where we met with president and CEO, Dr Germaine Smith Baugh. She is a community leader with confident ease.
21 YEARS AGO, bright eyed and ready to save the world, she began in direct service social work with the ULBC, coordinating a science and arts program with a group of 50 girls. In her eyes at the time, she was inspiring major change. Just over a year later, she was called into the office of the president and offered the job of VP, a position he thought was better suited for her obvious tenacity and leadership skills, and from which she, in fact, helped exponentially more people.
Since then she has led the charge in building and soliciting $9 million in financing for the construction of the ULBC’s state of the art headquarters. She has played a role in improving the lives of thousands of Broward residents, and currently controls a budget in excess of $12 million annually, used by the organization to help African-Americans gain economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights.
To the work she’s now involved with, young Germaine’s life was very different. As the fifth and final child of a construction worker father and a homemaker mother, her resources were limited. She recalls stories of her father working ‘off island’, away from Tortola in the Virgin Islands. He would send money to her mother, who would purchase a few concrete blocks at a time toward the construction of the family home which they built slowly, as the resources became available. From Tortola, to St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands where she was born, and then on to Florida where she has lived since she was a teenager, her family made the most of what little they had.
Though there were times so tight that her siblings and parents were split up, living with friends and family in multiple homes, she speaks with pride about never lacking in culture or education, and never going hungry. According to Dr G as she is fondly known, her parents’ determination that they could improve their family’s lives, even with their meager resources, convinced her that she, an island girl from a simple background, could some day affect lives in a positive, remarkable way.
Dr Germain Smith Baugh | Photo by David I Muir
She recalls when as newly appointed President and CEO, she sat with the board of directors, largely made up of titans of business and industry. It was early on in the Great Recession and she had a hard choice, to move forward with a plan to build a new home for the organization, or do the ‘safe’ thing and remain satisfied where they were. At a time when money was becoming more scarce and even the highly accomplished folks at the table balked at the idea of undertaking a multi-million dollar project for the non-profit, she remained determined.
“If we’re sitting around this table fearful about the economy, the people that the Urban League serves are already under the bridge,” she declared. Under her leadership, the ULBC would build a community empowerment center that would prepare their team and its clients for better times to come. The board chair offered anyone opposed to the idea an “out”. No one took it.
The 27,000 square foot building is now home to a staff of 71 that Dr G manages. Her office is filled with books on leadership advice, information which she proudly imparts on every agent who joins her team. The organization she leads helps hundreds of Broward county’s minority residents, each year, in the areas of education, jobs, health, housing and most recently, entrepreneurship. Dr Germaine Smith Baugh – wife, mother of two, daughter of the US Virgin Islands and of innovative and hardworking Caribbean parents, is a true example of where grit, smarts and a healthy dose of good old West Indian work ethic can take you in the USA.
Aruba cashew cake for Christmas at Bucuti Tara Beach Resort Melanie Reffes
Writer: Melanie Reffes | Photography: Supplied
A multicultural melting pot and recipes treasured like family heirlooms, preparing, sharing and enjoying holiday fare in the Caribbean. Bring your appetite and dig into our delectable roundup of holiday dishes.
Aruba
A speciality on the Dutch island, Keshi Yena is also the star attraction on Christmas menus. Baked in a Gouda cheese shell, the hearty casserole of chicken, onions, raisins and peppers is gussied up with sides of a cornmeal mash called funchi and a flat pancake called pan bati. “We serve this dish family-style because it’s perfectly share-able, “smiles Lino Van der Biezen, manager of Elements restaurant, Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort, “and for dessert, try our Christmas cashew cake with a shot of Ponche Crema, our version of eggnog.” Sweetening the pot, Bon Pasco, or Merry Christmas in the local Papiamento language, is a must-sip blend, with the island rum called Coicoei, Licor 43, vanilla ice cream and coconut cream.
On the small isle across the channel from St. Kitts, holiday sips and snacks cover the bases from a traditional turkey to West Indian mainstays like the one-pot pelau made with rice, pigeon peas, chicken,
salted pig tail, pumpkin, coconut milk and herbs. Keeping the holiday theme, add a slice (or two) of the boozy rum-basted Black Cake, and a few forkfuls of, coconut rum bread pudding. At the Caribbean’s only
plantation inn on the beach, bartenders Dan Perkins and Kaddy Simmonds at the Nisbet Plantation Beach Club get creative, with their island-famous tropical tipples like the Christmas-colored ruby-red Nisbet Beach Martini, and the green melon Nevisian Sunset
splashed with vodka.
From the Grand Market on Christmas Eve to houses sparkling with ‘pepper lights’, the holidays are all about families, good cheer and downhome specialities. Kick start Christmas Day with ackee and saltfish, the Jamaican breakfast of champions made with sautéed codfish and boiled ackee that looks a lot like scrambled eggs. Move on up to Christmas dinner, often served in the late afternoon, where hefty platters of chicken, curried goat, stewed oxtail, rice and gungo peas (also called pigeon peas), plantains, dumplings and boiled green bananas do a dash of scotch bonnet pepper proud. A glass of sorrel drink made from the tart red flower that tastes a tad like a raspberry, rum-soaked fruitcake and a reggae soundtrack, morph every backyard into a holiday dance floor.
Meat, eat and be merry with Spanish staples like pernil asado or roast pork shoulder with a spicy sweet drizzle, rice and pigeon peas called arroz con gandules, and for the fish lovers in the family, guisado are salt cod fritters that marry well with tostones or fried green plantains, topped with chicken or pork. Sharing the marquis, mofongo is a hefty mashed plantain mound stuffed with chicken, beef or seafood. Upping the festive ante, chefs add pork cracklings, bacon, garlic and a fruity salsa to cut the salty taste. Not for the faint-of-appetite, toast dinner with a decadently rich piña colada and a coquito made potent with white rum (we recommend Bacardi Superior), coconut cream, condensed milk and vanilla. For a sweet treat, tembleque is irresistible, made with coconut milk, sugar and cinnamon.
Puerto Rican Tembleque. Photo Credit: Beatriz Kury
Trinidad & Tobago
Popular on Christmas morning, glazed ham and hops (like a hamburger bun) with a side of pepper relish called chow chow is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Other fan favorites include tamale-like snacks called pastelles made with cornmeal that is stuffed with meat, olives and capers, and then steamed (or boiled) in banana leaves. A pretty side dish, Christmas rice flecked with raisins, peppers, ginger and thyme, is on the holiday A-list. Leading the dessert hit parade, black cake is deliciously browned with sugar and molasses, and studded with hooch-soaked raisins, prunes and currants. Keeping the spirit flowing, a peppery ginger beer with a pinch of cloves and a splash of lime fits the bill nicely.
Fort Lauderdale, FL (September 15, 2017) – Island Syndicate, a South Florida media, arts and entertainment company, has officially begun production of a high-end lifestyle publication – Island Origins Magazine – designed to provide readers with the latest in things Caribbean-American, from celebrity and culture to dining and travel.
The limited edition special summer issue featured culinary themes related to national partner program Taste the Islands. Wealth and business are the featured themes of the official premiere edition of Island Origins Magazine, scheduled for October 2017 distribution. The issue includes diverse content including inspirational business success stories, controversial hot button topics, a holiday gift guide, a listing of Caribbean cultural event happenings around the US, sports features, and artists to watch in the upcoming arts season. The magazine will reach select event venues and hotels, high end spas and salons, professional and municipal offices and other South Florida locations just before the holiday season.
“With one in four South Florida residents hailing from the islands and Caribbean popular culture becoming ever more mainstream, we believe the climate is ripe for this venture,” said Calibe Thompson, Creative Director for Island Syndicate, the magazine’s publisher. “The new Island Origins Magazine is meant to elevate the profile of the Caribbean American community. It supports the brands that celebrate our culture by providing a thoughtful, fabulous journey through the best in our accomplishments, personalities, events, popular culture, cuisine and travel experiences.”
The Island Origins brand is already familiar to many because of the television series of the same name hosted and produced by Thompson, available on South Florida’s BECON TV, and throughout the Caribbean on the One Caribbean and CaribVision cable networks. Readers can stay connected online between quarterly publications via islandoriginsmag.com, and through the publication’s various social media platforms.
Featuring exceptional writing and universally appealing content, Island Origins Magazine is poised to become a leading resource in Caribbean American lifestyle media. Learn more at www.islandoriginsmag.com.
About Island Syndicate
Island Syndicate Inc is an arts, media and event company that produces unforgettable experiences and exceptional content inspired by the Caribbean.
In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, and with Irma on the way, we’ve found a few hurricane preparedness tips for those in the path of the storm. (Thanks to WhatsApp for finally posting something useful!):
Hurricane Preparedness Tips
1. Start running your ice makers now and bagging the ice in freezer bags. Fill as much space in between your freezer items as you can.
2. Freeze regular tap water for pets, cleaning or drinking, in tupperware-type containers. REMEMBER to leave a small bit of space between the top of the water & the lids so the ice expands but doesn’t crack the container.
3. Start using up your perishables to make more room for ice in the freezer.
4. Fill up all vehicles & check tires & oil.
5. Get cash from the ATM, at least enough to get you through tolls and gas out of town. Call your bank if you plan on leaving the state so they don’t freeze your card for out-of-area “suspicious” transactions.
6. Screenshot all your important documents & send to your email or upload to Google Drive. Take originals in sealed bags or plastic bins.
7. Grab your pet & livestock food & supplies. Get vet records too, in case you need to shelter them at a storm-safe facility.
8. Once you’ve figured out your evacuation plans, share with family members so they know where you’re headed.
9. Consider putting heirlooms & photos in plastic bins in a high place, second floor, or safe room if you don’t plan on taking them with you.
10. SECURE ALL FIREARMS & AMMUNITION PROPERLY.
11. Tightly push old rags & beach towels into your windowsills. Even with the best windows & shutters, water seeping from the wind pressure happens. A few damp towels is better than soaked drywall or floors!
12. Shutter windows and doors and bring everything outside into your garage or house NOW. Do not wait until the day before. Better to get done early and be prepared for last minute fixed than wait until its too late. ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE MANDATORY PERSONNEL (hospital employee or first responder).
13. If you don’t already have your hurricane supplies, get them now. Shelves are already empty in most places.
If someone you know needs a heads up, please hit share on this article!
Organizers of the 2017 Third Horizon Caribbean Film Festival (Jason Jeffers center)
In 2014, production company Third Horizon created the award-winning documentary “Papa Machete”, a short film about a master of the mysterious martial art of Haitian machete fencing, also known as Tire Machèt, a beautiful dance animated with deadly weapons. The film screened at Sundance and more than 30 film festivals worldwide. It is currently hosted at NationalGeographic.com and has garnered 1,000,000+ views online.
Jason Fitzroy Jeffers, Executive Producer at Third Horizon, was born in Canada and raised in Barbados with a Bajan mother and Montserratian father. He is a storyteller in film and in the written word. Island Origins sat with him to learn more about his upcoming event, the September 28 – October 31, 2017 Third Horizon Caribbean Film Festival. Films and events will be hosted at O Cinema in Wynwood and Perez Art Museum in downtown Miami.
Attendees at the 2016 Third Horizon Caribbean Film Festival
INTERVIEW
IO: What is Third Horizon Caribbean Film Festival?
Jason: It’s an annual weekend showcase of the best in cutting-edge Caribbean film, art and music. This year it takes place at Pérez Art Museum Miami and O Cinema Wynwood.
IO: You’re the first to be successful, at least in South Florida, with this type of project. You’ve had Time Warner, The Knight Foundation, and now The Perez Art Museum of Miami as active supporters. Not bad company to be in! What was your motivation to do this?
Jason: The world is eager to hear the stories of the real Caribbean, and there are several emerging filmmakers in the region and its diaspora who are eager to tell them. Third Horizon was created to empower and celebrate these adventurous storytellers, to create context for their work, and to connect them with the audiences, production support and resources needed to take their careers to the next level.
IO: Who is the audience that should be interested in seeing this project?
Jason: Third Horizon aims to reach both cinephiles of the Caribbean diaspora, as well as those outside of the culture who are eager to see its stories told with the nuance they deserve.
cinephile /ˈsinəˌfīl/ (noun): a person who is fond of motion pictures.
IO: What will attendees come away with after attending the Third Horizon Caribbean Film Festival?
Jason: I describe a great film as an empathy bullet, as it provides viewers with a glimpse into a person, a community or an issue they might shy away from otherwise, one which they previously understood through a limited view. A great film brings community together, and allows people to see themselves in a whole new light.
Cinephiles enrapt in a film showing at O Cinema
IO: How long have you been in film production and what attracted you to it?
Jason: As a former journalist, I’m committed to telling little-known or untold stories with a degree of nuance and insight they have previously lacked. These days, nothing travels faster than filmed entertainment. It’s a truly powerful way to bring the stories of the region to the world.
IO: What sets you apart from any other film festival in South Florida, or anywhere else for that matter?
Jason: I would like to believe that Third Horizon’s curatorial vision is one that engages both a Caribbean audience and eager filmgoers who are somewhat unfamiliar with the region, its diaspora, and its stories. The Caribbean is one of the most culturally diverse regions in the world, and we select our films to reflect this. In so doing, I believe we’ve created a festival that reflects the region and our evolving world in ways that we especially need to take note of right now in a historical moment fraught with so much racial tension.
IO: What have been some of your greatest challenges in getting people to buy into the film festival?
Jason: There is a preconceived notion that Caribbean films do not have high production values, and therefore can’t hold a candle to mainstream, big-budget productions. This is far from true, and each year we’re seeing more quality productions coming out of the Caribbean. Our biggest challenge is to dismiss this notion, and give audiences a new appreciation for what Caribbean film can be and is quickly becoming.
IO: What does success with this project look like to you?
Jason: Currently at Third Horizon, we show a weekend of 10 feature films, screening each film once. A successful edition of the festival would be one in which several films are sold out, and audience demand is such that we are required to host return screenings of these particular films.
IO: Some of your filmmaker participants have gone on to phenomenal success. Tell us about them.
Jason: In the year since hosting the inaugural edition, we’ve seen the creatives featured at the festival go on to bigger successes. Last year, we featured emerging Bajan visual artist Sheena Rose in a solo gallery show entitled “Black Obeah.” She’s since been profiled in the New York Times. We were also one of the first festivals to screen the film “The House on Coco Road” about one family’s experience of the Grenada revolution. It has since been distributed by Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY and can be found on Netflix. Finally, we showed Trinidadian director Vashti Anderson’s film “Moko Jumbie” as a work in progress film last year to a private audience, a process through which Anderson got feedback from the audience about crafting her final edit. The completed film recently world premiered at the celebrated LA Film Fest and returns to Third Horizon 2017 for its Miami premiere at Pérez Art Museum Miami.
IO: Where can readers learn more about the Third Horizon Caribbean Film Festival?
In the 1970s with the popularization of Rastafari, people who wore dreadlocks were looked down upon as outcasts and rebels. Today, “locs” have become mainstream, and thanks to “goddess” braid-ins (shown below), long, beautiful locs can even be temporary. Make sure to take care of your natural hair if you’re preparing to make it permanent.
Dreadlock styles like these look best when the roots of the hair are neatly groomed. Some are pretty simple do-it-yourself styles, and others were clearly accomplished by astrophysicists with second degrees in engineering. Regardless, here are some gorgeous loc styles for women and men that might inspire you.
**If you see dots at the bottom of the Instagram photos, it means you can scroll to see additional shots.
Goddess Locs
These faux locs are braided into unlocked hair for a temporary mane.
Braided into Plaits
Pretty simple to accomplish with thin locs, the locs are cornrowed partway down the scalp and then plaited to the ends.
Faux-hawk
Not quite a mohawk, this wrapover style pulls the hair up onto the middle of the head in a neat roll from forehead to nape with the ends hanging loose.
Straight Cornrows to Ponytail
Ideal for smaller locs, the locs are braided into straight, fine cornrows from all the way around the edges of the hair, leading up to the crown and released down into a ponytail. Embellish the individual locs for an extra bit of flair.
French Braids into Ponytails
The hair is parted into two sides and French braided on each. At the nape of the neck the hair is released into ponytails.
Straw Curls
Beware: You have to have a lot of time to get these done! The wet locs are wrapped tightly around straws before setting under a bonnet dryer to achieve super-tight curls. Over time the curls begin to loosen but they’ll last a good long time.
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Although it’s unlikely that anyone, ever, will get tired of the fantastic sun, sea and sand the Caribbean has to offer, many islands have begun ramping up promotions of their culinary offerings in recent years as well. There is a proliferation of festivals celebrating rum, fruit, crab and more, all throughout the region. Here are just a handful of the amazing annual events where you too can sample the delectable cuisine of the islands.
All Andros Crab Fest, Bahamas
Each year since 1997, tourists and Bahamians alike enjoy an all out crab extravaganza at the All Andros Crab Fest. The event is held the second week in June on Andros Island, the largest of the 26 inhabited islands of the Bahamas, located 77 km southwest of Nassau. Highlights include a crab culinary contest, crab cultural display and land crabs cooked 101 ways. Learn more at bahamas.com.
Cayman Cookout, Cayman Islands
With partners like the Ritz-Carlton and Food & Wine Magazine, expectations for Cayman Cookout are always pretty high. The multi-day event includes tastings, demonstrations and excursions, as well as appearances by celebs like Anthony Bourdain, Emeril Lagasse and Jose Andres. Eric Ripert, chef of Blue at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, has hosted the event for 8 of its 9 past installments. The culinary talent is a veritable who’s who of local and international personalities. At just about 30 minutes flying time from Miami Airport, this seems like a good place to please the higher end palate. Learn more at caymanislands.ky.
Portland Jerk Festival, Jamaica
On the first Sunday every July, Jamaicans and visitors to the island make the journey to Portland on the east coast for the country’s largest celebration of its signature spicy jerk seasoning. The Portland Jerk Festival offers delicious food, arts and crafts, and a concert to keep guests entertained as they sample lobster, conch, sausage, chicken, pork and more across the grounds. Learn more at facebook.com/originsofjerk.
Food, Wine & Rum Festival, Barbados
In November, near the time of Barbados’ independence, travelers from around the world visit the eastern Caribbean island to eat, drink and be merry at their annual Food, Wine and Rum Festival. Stars like Marcus Samuelsson, and a number of international chefs, come together with local chefs to share techniques and create a memorable spread of fare for their guests. As home of the world’s oldest documented rum factory, the event organizers believed it was important to incorporate lots of rum into the proceedings. Learn more at foodwinerum.com.
Mango & Food Festival, Nevis
Nevis, the sister island to St Kitts, hosts its Mango and Food Festival each July. This fairly young festival takes place over 4 days with dining, cooking demos, master cook-along classes and a beach celebration. One of the unique mandates for participating chefs is that each and every course of every meal must have Nevis mangoes incorporated. The weekend’s climax is the Nevisian Chefs’ Mango Feast, a challenge of creativity and skill as an ode to the scintillating gastronomic thrills of the king of fruit. Learn more at nevisisland.com/nevismangofest.
Bet you didn’t know all the ways coconut milk can change your life!
For years we heard that anything made with coconut was bad for you because of all the natural fat that it contains. In recent years, the rest of the world has caught up to what those of us in the Caribbean always knew – anything coconut is all good!
In the islands we enjoy the water of the fresh coconut, and its soft sweet flesh. Then when the coconut is more mature and has dried, the hardened flesh is pulverized and squeezed to produce a naturally sweet, velvety liquid known as coconut milk.
The desiccated flesh is used in baking and dessert making. The milk on the other hand, is used for a wide variety of culinary purposes including cooking, drinking, baking and even for topical applications. Jamaican Rundown, Puerto Rican Tembleque, Barbadian Curried Crab, Haitian Pen Patat, and some of the smoothies at your local health food joint here in the US all incorporate it.
Here are some of the ways that adding coconut milk to your diet can help improve your life.
1. Keeps you younger, longer Coconut milk is rich in antioxidants, which can slow down the aging process and help to reverse damage done by free radicals. That means it reduces your risk of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s. It’s a veritable fountain of youth.
2. Helps fight off illness
The Lauric acid in coconut milk has antibacterial and antiviral properties that help get rid of infections and illnesses. Lauric acid may also lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, decreasing the risk of coronary disease and stroke.
3. It’s got the good fat
Since the body uses the type of fat in coconut milk for energy, rather than storing it, there is less of a chance it will contribute to blocked blood vessels or arteries than other sources of fat. These unsaturated fats may actually help with weight reduction and boost your immune system. Awesomeness!
4. Sustains fabulous skin and hair
Coconut milk’s unsaturated fats naturally moisturize the skin, making it healthier from the inside while also repairing wrinkles and sagging. It may help to treat dandruff, skin diseases, wounds, dryness and irritation of the skin.
5. Fills your body with Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins C and E and phosphorous which keep your bones healthy, are plentiful in coconut milk, as are B vitamins which vitalize the cells. It is also packed full of magnesium, potassium and iron helping maintain a healthy nervous system, proper brain and kidney function, and supporting the transportation of oxygen through your body.
Bearing in mind that we aren’t doctors, just people who like to research and share helpful information, please consult with your physician before making any dietary changes. That said, we think coconut milk is amazing. Hopefully it’ll add a little sweetness to your life!
