Described as “the dream child” of Atlanta chef Demetrius J. Brown, the Heritage Supper Club pop-up celebrates Caribbean and African American culture, tradition and cuisine.
Brown grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, in a Trinidadian family, and graduated from Johnson & Wales University, before moving to Atlanta, where he worked at restaurants such as Watershed, Canoe, the Hill at Serenbe and, most recently, the Pinewood.
Unfortunately, the pandemic shut down the Pinewood. “That’s when I decided to start the supper club,” Brown said, “to try to reconnect with my roots, and learn more about my people and our cuisine.”
In addition to a steady stream of ticketed pop-up dinners, Heritage Supper Club does private dinners and catering, and Brown has plans for more events at breweries and other more casual locations.
Many of the courses at Heritage dinners are based on Brown’s memories of dishes his mother and grandmother made when he was growing up. One of those recipes is an updated cassava fruit cake, made with dried fruit and cassava flour.
“It’s a super common dessert in Jamaica and Trinidad,” Brown said. “My grandmother is Trinidadian, and she would make it for my brother and me. It’s traditionally called pone, and it’s really dense and moist, kind of between pound cake and banana bread.
“I made it for Christmas last year, and it really took me back to my grandmother.”
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