Nneka Nurse’s passion for Caribbean food and culture sparked a movement to preserve and promote the region’s culinary heritage and fight against cultural appropriation.
What began as a simple Instagram page, Best Dressed Plate, has evolved into a dynamic platform championing Caribbean chefs, documenting traditional recipes, and educating the public on the rich diversity beyond the “street food” stereotype often associated with the cuisine.
Nurse, whose heritage spans Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, and Nevis, recalls a pivotal moment on a Memorial Day weekend when she missed the vibrant Caribbean flavors that usually defined Brooklyn’s Shhh parties. Inspired by Jamaica’s famous “best dressed chicken,” she launched Best Dressed Plate to merge her love for food and fashion.
“I love fashion, and I love food,” Nurse said. “Best Dressed Plate was born from that fusion.”
As Caribbean chair for the upcoming 50 Best Restaurants in North America list, Nurse is committed to raising the profile of Caribbean cuisine in the fine dining world. She emphasizes breaking free from narrow labels that reduce Caribbean food to casual, inexpensive fare.
“They wanna put us in a box,” she said. “We’re battling stereotypes deeply embedded in people’s minds.”
Beyond storytelling, Best Dressed Plate hosts their inaugural HERitage Award dinner, spotlighting women in hospitality whose contributions often go unrecognized until after their passing. Nurse cites St. Lucian chef Nina Compton as an example of Caribbean talent excelling on the global stage alongside honorees like Marva Lane, owner of Negril Village, and Charmaine Gumbs, owner of Sugarcane, both pioneering women who opened what are considered the blueprints of the first seated Caribbean restaurants in New York over 20 years ago and continue to operate today.”
A significant focus for Nurse is combating cultural appropriation. She points to instances where Caribbean ingredients like sorrel are renamed hibiscus tea or where an article that appeared in Oregon State University claimed the discovery of the Trinidadian pimento pepper.
“That’s erasure of our culture,” Nurse said. “We must assert the origins and document our traditions.”
Earlier this year, Best Dressed Plate teamed up with the Culinary Institute of America to host a lecture series spotlighting Caribbean cuisine. The series featured renowned chefs Omar Walters of Omar’s Rum Bar, Alain LeMaire of Ou Manje Deja, and practical nutritionist Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN. The initiative aimed to bring Caribbean culinary traditions into the spotlight of formal culinary education.
“There’s a lack of documented Caribbean food history in institutions,” Nurse said. “This is the next frontier for us.”
Nurse’s role with 50 Best Restaurants will spotlight Caribbean establishments when the list launches later in 2025 — a milestone expected to boost culinary tourism, which has surged 32 % globally.
“This is huge for the Caribbean,“ she said. “We want our region to claim its place in the culinary world.”
Addressing a brain drain in the Caribbean’s hospitality sector, Nurse points out how local talent is often overlooked in favor of foreign hires paid in U.S. dollars, forcing many chefs to leave home for opportunities elsewhere.
“They don’t want to leave, but they have bills to pay,“ she said.
Looking ahead, Best Dressed Plate plans expanded educational programming, more video content, and its third Caribbean Tradishon Heirloom in November 2025. Past events have traced the Spanish and French influences shaping Caribbean flavors, connecting chefs across the region.
“These dinners serve as an encyclopedia of why and how Caribbean cuisine evolved,“ Nurse said.
The platform also aims to elevate underrepresented cuisines, like Guyanese food, which is often overshadowed or mistaken for others in the region.
Nurse is dedicated to preserving Caribbean culinary traditions through Best Dressed Plate, demanding rightful recognition, and empowering the next generation.
“Time for Talawa,“ she said, using a Jamaican term for rising strong. “We’ve matured, and now it’s time to refine and own our story.”
