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ByBlacks Restaurant Week is back! Launched in 2021 by Roger and Camille Dundas, the week honors Canadian Black-owned eateries, caterers, pop-ups, food trucks, and restaurants. If you’re wondering what to eat Caribbean food in Canada, this event offers the perfect roadmap.
“Black-owned restaurants have always been pillars of culture and innovation, but systemic barriers kept them undervalued and overlooked,” says Roger Dundas, publisher and co-founder of ByBlacks.com Inc. “ByBlacks Restaurant Week was born to disrupt that invisibility—to create a platform where their stories, flavors, and contributions could shine unapologetically.”
What started with ten Toronto restaurants has exploded into over 40 participating businesses nationwide. “The event’s growth mirrors the hunger for equity,” says Dundas. “It’s not just about meals served; it’s about millions reinvested into Black businesses and a cultural shift where diners seek out these spaces year-round.”
It has quickly become one of the most anticipated food events in Toronto and throughout Canada.
ByBlacks Restaurant Week is from Monday, May 11, to Sunday, May 17. Participating businesses will offer either a prix fixe menu or a $10 special (discounted by up to 25%). For more information and a list of participating businesses, visit the event online.
Spotlighting Caribbean Food in Canada
This year’s ByBlacks Restaurant Week will focus on Caribbean food in Canada, which known its incredible flavors, timeless cooking techniques and modern versatility.
“Caribbean food is resistance on a plate,” Dundas says. “It carries history, resilience, and joy. Its boldness forces people to engage deeply with Black culture, making it a gateway to broader conversations about who gets celebrated in Canada’s culinary scene.”
Dundas emphasizes that Black food businesses aren’t a trend; they’re heirlooms, innovators, and community anchors. “We want diners to walk away thinking, ‘This isn’t just a meal—it’s a legacy I’m supporting.’ And we want the industry to see them as the assets they’ve always been.”
For those seeking Caribbean food in Canada, check out these two participating businesses in Toronto.
Kareema Beckles: Chef Kareema, Inc.
Kareem Beckles a is a Toronto-based chef, entrepreneur, and mother who views the kitchen as a stage for storytelling. “My background is rooted in the vibrant flavors of the Caribbean—specifically Trinidad—but my perspective is shaped by the multicultural energy of Toronto food. I’ve built my business on the idea that Caribbean food in Toronto can be both deeply nostalgic and unapologetically modern.”
Beckle’s earliest food memories are tied to the vibrant, aromatic building blocks of Trinidadian cuisine with her mother. “I remember the scent of fresh green seasoning—shadow beni, garlic, and pimento peppers—filling the house,” she laments. “That foundation is the DNA of my kitchen today. Whether I’m doing a high-end plated dinner or a 250-person brunch, I use those same traditional foundations to ensure every dish has an authentic soul.”
Then one day, while watching TV, she discovered that food could be a career. “I saw Emeril Lagasse on the Food Network. Seeing the way he commanded the kitchen and turned cooking into an engaging, high-energy performance changed everything for me. It sparked the realization that I could blend my love for food with my personality to build a professional culinary operation.”
Chef Beckles decided to turn her rich heritage into a business and enrolled at Liaison College, earning a diploma in culinary arts and chef training. In 2010, she began building her business from the ground up.
“It has taken relentless grit and a ‘pivot-ready’ mindset,” she explains. “In a city like Toronto, the culinary scene is world-class, so you have to be a top-tier service provider, period. It’s taken late nights managing logistics, building a trusted team, and consistently delivering quality even when the guest count jumps from 50 to 250.”
Caribbean Cuisine Rooted with West Indian Soul
Her menu has a clear focus on her heritage. “I describe it as Caribbean fusion,” she says. “It is the point where traditional West Indian soul meets modern culinary technique. It’s a masterclass in balance: bold, rustic spices presented with a polished, contemporary aesthetic. It’s not just a meal; it’s a high-energy experience that feels both sophisticated and deeply rooted.”
She emphasizes that the fusion part is intentional. “People sometimes think fusion is just mixing things for the sake of it. For me, every pairing is calculated to tell the story of the Caribbean diaspora in Toronto. When you see a ‘southern-style’ influence in my Caribbean dishes, it’s a nod to the shared history of those flavor profiles. It’s a conversation between cultures on a plate.”
The restaurant industry is full of challenges, especially the “invisible” logistics of catering, as Beckle calls it. “People see the beautiful finished plate, but they don’t see the complexity of sourcing specific Ontario-grown produce that matches Caribbean flavor profiles, or the sheer physical and mental stamina required to execute a massive event while balancing the roles of business owner and mother.”
She says there was initial pressure to adapt her food to attract a broader audience, but has since disappeared. “I’ve realized that people don’t want a ‘translated’ version; they want the truth. My job isn’t to water down the heart, the heat or the spice; it’s to present it so beautifully that they can’t help but try it. Authenticity is my strongest currency.”
This is a key reason why she wanted to participate in this year’s ByBlacks Restaurant Week, as it creates a united spotlight. “ByBlacks are a pillar of our community,” she says. “Participating is about more than just business; it’s about solidarity. It’s an opportunity to show the city that Black-owned culinary businesses are diverse, professional and of the highest quality. Often, we work in our own spaces/silos, but this week brings us together under one banner.”
She mentions that Caribbean cuisine is frequently dismissed as “cheap eats” or “street food” because its complexity is underestimated. “They don’t always see the labor-intensive processes—the curing, the slow-braising, the complex herb blends. In a world of ‘clean eating’ and minimalist flavors, Caribbean food in Toronto is a maximalist experience. My goal is to shift that perception by presenting it in premium, high-value contexts.”
She hopes that ByBlacks Restaurant Week helps her reach a demographic seeking more than just takeout, aiming for a chef who can create a complete experience. “I want them to understand our range. We aren’t a monolith. There is fine dining, elevated catering, fusion, and tradition.”
She continues, “We are entrepreneurs who are scaling, innovating, and contributing massively to the economic and cultural fabric of Toronto. It’s also deeply tied to the global diaspora; wherever we go, our food evolves, and that evolution is fascinating to the culinary world right now.”
Stacy Porter: Stacy’s Island Flavor Restaurant & Caterers
Stacy Porter has cooking in her DNA. “I grew up in Clarendon, Jamaica, and I come from a family of cooks and bakers. My earliest memories of Caribbean cooking are of my grandmother preparing good old country food with ingredients fresh from the earth; completely natural, yet always delicious.”
Her fascination with the kitchen helped her land a job in the industry at 19. “My first job in a restaurant was as a waitress. I also love eating, so I had to learn how to cook the food I enjoyed. I used to watch my boss and decided I wanted to be as skilled as him, and I also wanted to build a business like his.”
However, she experienced a lot of trial and error after deciding to open her own business, even closing her first restaurant after six months. But she persevered. “The key to sustaining a business in Toronto is to be competitive and offer value for money,” she says. “You also have to think outside the box, as people are always looking for affordable, unique, and exciting food experiences.”
Stacy’s Island Flavor Restaurant & Caterers serves traditional Jamaican food with a twist. “People sometimes think our menu is only traditional Jamaican food, but what they should know is that we push boundaries,” Porter says. “We take Caribbean flavors and turn them into bold, original creations you can’t find anywhere else. We’ve also gone outside the box by adding comfort foods to it, blending in elements of Canadian cuisine as well.”
Porter describes her restaurant as a place where there is something for everyone, even for those who have never tried Caribbean food in Toronto or elsewhere. “Our menu offers a variety of dishes to suit all tastes, and I would introduce them to the food that everyone loves; fried chicken.”
But she emphasizes that she does not “dilute” her menu to fit expectations. “I let people expand their palate and experience Caribbean flavors on our terms. I am pushing the food forward by introducing it to as many people as possible and incorporating bolder flavors. I honor tradition, but I also push the cuisine forward through creativity.”
She’s honored and eager to participate in ByBlacks Restaurant Week, as she also feels that the conversation around Caribbean cuisine is misunderstood.
“People often reduce it to a few familiar dishes or see it only as casual comfort food, when in reality it’s incredibly diverse, layered, and sophisticated. There’s deep technique, history, regional variation, and innovation in Caribbean cuisine that don’t always get the recognition they deserve.”
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Caribbean Cuisine’s Evolution
Porter states that Caribbean cuisine carries soul, history, and fearless flavor. “It’s comfort food, but it’s also innovative. We’ve always known how to take humble ingredients and create something extraordinary, and now more people are recognizing that brilliance,” she says. “I am eternally grateful, and I will continue to participate every year I am invited. I want people to see the passion, sacrifice, and excellence behind Black-owned food businesses. We pour our culture, resilience, and heart into what we do, and we deserve to be celebrated and supported.”
ByBlacks Restaurant Week helps bring awareness to small businesses that otherwise would not get coverage. Porter agrees it’s been tremendously beneficial and notes that this broader recognition is exactly where the power of ByBlacks Restaurant Week resides.
“Our restaurant usually receives media attention, and people who were not previously aware of us are now discovering us. We received a lot of media coverage, and as a result, many influencers came in. The business went viral, and it has grown significantly since then.”
She hopes this week brings more inspiration to those who want to carve out their own path. “I’d love to see more Caribbean women move beyond survival and into ownership, innovation, and legacy-building. Take risks, collaborate more, charge your worth, and understand that your voice and ideas belong at the forefront of this industry.”
Beyond the restaurant, Porter says she’s building legacy, community, and generational wealth. “I’m creating more than a place to eat Caribbean food in Toronto; I’m building a brand rooted in culture, innovation, and ownership that can outlive me and be passed down. I want this business to be proof that Black-owned food businesses can become institutions.”
