- Today, on "Table for All" we are taking a Caribbean vacation.

First stop Jamaica with entrepreneur and Slutty Vegan founder, Pinky Cole.

Then we head to Trinidad and Tobago, the birthplace of Carnival.

[island getaway music] [island getaway music ends] Ah, Jamaica, white sand beaches, clear blue waters and lush green landscapes.

But it's not just a resort destination or where Stella got her groove back.

Jamaica is a cultural epicenter.

The very first inhabitants of Jamaica were the indigenous Tainos.

Jamaica was a hub for trading and slavery for a century by the Spanish and the British until slavery was abolished in 1838.

In the years that followed, Jamaica saw a wave of migrants from India, China, and the Middle East.

All together, these groups create the diverse people of Jamaica today, which is reflected in their national motto: "Out of many, one people."

One woman who's been using her proud Jamaican roots to serve the many is Pinky Cole, the genius behind the restaurant empire, Slutty Vegan.

She may look like an overnight success, but Pinky started her restaurant empire with a small Jamaican restaurant in 2016 that burned down in a grease fire.

We met in Harlem, blocks away from that very first restaurant and where her journey began.

Miss Pinky Cole, you are no stranger to Harlem.

- No, I'm not.

Harlem is my second home.

I lived here for seven and a half years when I worked on the Maury Show and a whole bunch of other TV shows.

So this is also my stomping grounds.

I feel like it's almost like I'm an army brat without the army.

- [Buki] You heard right.

Before Pinky was dominating the food space, she was a television producer for the likes of Iyanla Vanzant and Maury Povich.

She says the idea for Slutty Vegan was cooked up in her two-bedroom apartment in Atlanta, Georgia.

- And it came outta nowhere.

So I'm like, "Oh my gosh, slutty vegan."

Like, it was just like no rhyme reason, no blueprint.

I didn't have like a writeup or a business plan.

This was just one of those ideas that just made my spirit just do something different.

And after creating the concept, I only thought that it was going to be a ghost business, like a ghost restaurant business.

But then I look up and now I have a multimillion dollar company four years later.

So I still look up and I'm like, "Wow, I really created this," from like, one idea that was supposed to be a side hustle and now the world knows my name.

- And Pinky is having a major moment, restaurants, product lines, a cookbook, and magazine cover after magazine cover.

Pinky and I headed across the street to the site of her Slutty Vegan Harlem location to talk all things Jamaican culture.

And what a full circle moment this is.

You are a proud Jamaican American woman.

- I am.

- And you are steeped in the Jamaican culture.

Tell me a little bit about what that, what the Jamaican culture means to you.

- So I can remember every summer on the last day of school, my mother would make us go home and pack our clothes.

And the next day we'd be on a plane going to Jamaica for the entire summer.

And as a kid, I didn't really understand what was happening, but what my mother was doing was she was making sure that we stayed familiar with the culture.

And what that culture was was very humbling.

It was in the country with my family going to fetch water, grabbing mangoes off the tree, eating coconut, and like, really having a very simple lifestyle.

And what it taught me is not to take things for granted.

We had a cooked meal every single day.

We would go to church and life was very organic and authentic.

And I'm happy that I was raised that way.

- I heard that you do not consider yourself a chef.

- No.

- But your grandmother taught you how to cook.

- Yes.

My grandmother, rest in peace to her, Miss Jared, she was a very soft woman, very regal, very quiet.

She made sure that there was a hot meal on the table every single day on the days that my mother was at work.

I didn't realize at the time that she was teaching me about character and integrity through food.

- What did she teach you about infusing Jamaican flavors and culture into the food?

- Well, everything was Jamaican so there wasn't no infusion.

Everything was just Jamaicans.

[Pinky and Baku chuckling] She taught me that like really good food takes time, right?

You can't rush anything good in life.

When you think about life, like, you can't microwave your way to life.

And I learned that through food.

When you eat food, it should feel like a party in your mouth.

You should have a little bit of spicy, a little bit of sweet, a little bit of kick, savory.

And you should have a multitude of those things when you're trying food.

Because if you don't, it's just flat.

So when I created Slutty Vegan, I was just throwing stuff in the pot.

I'm like, tasting and like doing all of these things, and it worked.

But subconsciously, it was really from the hands of my grandmother, from the tools that I saw her using, and the things that I watched her do every single day, which allowed me to be able to make the recipes and create Slutty Vegan.

- [Buki] It's those lessons on flavor her grandmother taught her that Pinky also uses in her cookbook.

And she shared with me one of her favorite recipes.

- It is time to get slutified.

- [Buki] Ooh, goodness.

- And the slutification process is very unique.

But today we are going to have some hot pepper soup.

- Mm.

- Now you said that you have some Nigerian roots, right?

- Full.

- Okay.

- Mom and dad.

- So you know about spice and remember I told you I really, really like spice?

So I wanted to make this hot pepper soup recipe.

It's perfect for people who just wanna get cozy in the wintertime or even if it's hot outside.

Like, this is one of those things you can drink soup.

That's what we say.

You don't eat soup, you drink the soup.

So here I have a few ingredients.

I have some basil, I have some core sea salt, I have some cayenne pepper, some white pepper, some paprika, some scallion.

We have our tomato, which is going to be our base and some green pepper.

And we have garlic.

And all you do is you add all of these ingredients into your pot with your green pepper.

And then the secret to this is red wine.

You like red wine?

- You know, I don't drink.

- You don't drink?

- I do not drink.

- Okay, well you can eat the wine.

- I sure can.

[Pinky laughing] We cook with it all the time.

- This is one of the best soups that we've ever created.

It is hardy, it's flavorful, it's not too spicy.

It has just the right kick.

And everybody in the family can enjoy it.

Can I make the plate for you?

- You absolutely can.

- Okay, let me serve you.

So how we eat it is we take some rice and just put it, make it really pretty.

And it's almost like you eat it like a chicken noodle soup, but without noodles, it's rice.

So now get into that and taste that and tell me what you think.

- Okay.

[Pinky chuckles] [relaxed tropical music] That's good, right?

- Mm.

- That is really good.

- Warms my soul.

- Yeah.

You're eating plants, bitch.

[Buki and Pinky laughing] This started as a passion project.

Now I got executive chefs, I got like, operational teams.

And like, we do these big tasters.

And I'm like, "I really started all of this."

- You did it.

- I did this.

And I am so grateful that people love my food and that my warm meals make people feel warm and fuzzy inside.

- You are a black woman entrepreneur.

You own all this by yourself.

And you just so happen to be full-blood Jamaican.

How does it feel to know that you have created this whole thing?

- When I first started, I'm like, "Yes, I'm this black woman and I have this business."

But like, I represent so many classes of people.

I'm black, I'm a woman, I'm strong, I'm an entrepreneur.

Right?

I'm a former nine to fiver.

I'm a television producer.

I'm a mother.

I'm a friend, I'm a sister.

I'm all of these things.

So I don't care if you black, white, blue, or yellow, like you can identify with Pinky Cole because I can speak for you.

And the fact that my mother and my father are full-blood Jamaican and I got that Jamaican lineage in me.

So I make everybody proud.

- [Buki] For Pinky family is everything.

And her mother is her biggest inspiration.

- Who would ever think that your offspring would amass a level of success that only people could imagine and just dream of.

I think sometimes she looks up like, "Damn, she really came outta me."

You know what I'm saying?

So when I see how proud my mother is and how she shares with her friend, she's like, the most popular person at work, right?

Because like, her daughter owns this bank.

- [Buki] Bragging rights.

- Multimillion dollar business.

But my mother is also a big dreamer.

And I noticed that she put her dreams on hold so that she can raise us.

And she did the very best that she could.

So now she gets to live vicariously through me.

And that's the best feeling in the world to know that my mother and my father still have life and breath, to see somebody that they created in this world show up as an entrepreneur and a philanthropist, and somebody who's really making a like, true impact in the world.

I think she's happy about that.

- So if you could describe in one word what Jamaica means to you, what would that be?

- Resilience.

- [Buki] Mm.

- Lemme tell you something about Jamaican people.

Jamaican people are very resilient.

Jamaicans are one of the hardest set of people that I've ever seen work in my life, right?

No matter what the circumstance is, if they get that one opportunity, they gonna run with that one opportunity.

And that's why all the chances I get, I run with it.

From the time that I worked in TV, from creating my first restaurant, and now creating Slutty Vegan, I take that chance and I run with it.

And I don't look back.

- Here is to never looking back, Pinky.

But wait just one minute.

I came all the way down here and didn't have any Slutty Vegan?

So I had to look back just this once to grab myself a slutty lunch.

- [Cook] We got a slutty king in the building.

- [Staff] In the building.

- Mm.

Napkin for safety.

[drum music] Wow wee.

Who knew the combination of plant-based and Jamaican influences would be a match made in heaven?

Okay, Pinky.

Okay.

[drum beat music] Jamaica's Caribbean neighbor in the south is Trinidad and Tobago.

This dual island nation is one of the richest in the Caribbean, thanks to their oil.

And like Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago saw a surge of migrant workers from across the world after the liberation of African slaves.

Fast forward to the present day and what that migration meant is a fusion of cuisines that can only be described as true Trini.

I heard of a Trinidadian institution in East Orange, New Jersey that's been doling out authentic fare for over 20 years.

One step into Limin's Cafe and you are transported to the Caribbean.

Limin's co-owners, Parris Jordan and his son Tristan welcomed me into their piece of Trinidad and the father-son duo wasted no time ushering me into the kitchen to make the Trinidadian favorite, Roti.

Roti is a traditional flatbread made from flour and water rolled out and then cooked on a flat top.

Seems simple enough, but Roti is deceptively tricky.

Luckily, I have a veteran showing me the ropes.

- So Buki, the first thing you wanna do is rest this down here.

Take a little bit of flour and sprinkle all over it.

Get it coated really nice.

And then you can start rolling this out so it doesn't stick on the table.

- Uh, wait, I'm already.

Oh, there we go.

- [Parris] Yeah, you go, great job.

[tropical music] And now you flip it over.

Ah.

- But the true star of this dish is what goes into the Roti.

Parris and I headed behind the counter to talk Trini flavors and fillings.

And this customary dish was actually a gift from another culture.

I'm selling island flavor, so tell me what we got.

- So this is the island flavor vegetarian dish.

What you're gonna prepare for us now is our veggie- - What I'm gonna prepare?

- You're gonna prepare.

- Okay.

- You're on stage.

- Put me to work.

- Okay.

So we're gonna do the vegetarian Roti.

So everything here is vegetarian.

We have potato and chickpeas.

- Ta-da.

- How does that smell?

- Mm.

It smells good.

- Okay.

And then we have pumpkin and spinach.

This one's some curry pumpkin.

- Curry pumpkin.

- Okay, and spinach.

- And spinach.

- My fave.

- Yeah.

- Mm.

All right.

- Those are the basic ingredients that go in every vegetarian Roti that we sell, but then we have these additives here.

So this is hot sauce.

It's extremely, extremely hot.

So please proceed with caution.

- Okay.

Listen, I'm Nigerian so extremely hot is my middle name.

I'm ready for it.

- Okay, I'll have to get a bottle of water for you.

Okay?

[Parris and Buki laughing] And this- - Okay, we'll see.

Now I'm smelling the curries.

We're using so many different ingredients, mango chutney, and that's really a melting pot, just like Trinidad.

Right?

- Yes, yes.

So the history of Trinidad is that our people started in the 1800s.

We came out of slavery.

So the population is roughly about 40, 45% black, 40, 45% Indian.

And then you have a mix of the different ethnic backgrounds and races.

So a lot of the history was African slavery, and then the East Indians came as indented workers.

And with that, they brought their foods.

And then we have a lot of folks from Venezuela that came over and migrated.

We have folks from the Middle East.

So it's reflected on our food, a very rich history of our people, our culture, our dance, and the food.

- And before we could say lunchtime, East Orange Mayor Ted Green stopped by for his Limin's usual order.

- Sir, what can I get you?

- So I'm gonna get the vegetarian Roti.

- What are you put in yours?

- So I'm gonna get the potatoes in it.

I'm gonna get the spinach in it.

I am going to get the, I think it's what, sweet potatoes and whatever they call it.

So all vegetarian.

- Okay, well you don't put the, you don't put the spicy sauce in there?

- Nah, I don't like it too spicy.

Just a little.

Not a lot, just a little.

- I expected more from you, mayor.

- I know that, man.

Back in the days I can eat all that spicy food.

I just can't eat it no more.

I've been coming here almost, it had to be more than like, 15 years when this place opened.

In terms of our Caribbean restaurants here, one of the best in the community.

All of 'em are good, but Limin's have become like a household name.

My wife eat here, I eat here, my sons eat here.

We all eat here and the food is good.

And the environment to me is second to none.

And you always feel like family when you here, you know.

- I will take a mayoral recommendation any day.

[mayor laughing] So do we have, do we have the order?

Don't make me look bad in front of the mayor now.

Come on, now.

- We gotta support our small businesses here.

So we are good with that.

- All right, and the tip jar is not out, but I'll call your office.

- They moved, there you go.

- Yeah, I'll call your office.

- Thank you so much, mayor.

Appreciate it.

Thanks, Mayor Green.

Trinidad is known for a lot of their cuisine, but a popular street food I had to try is what's known as doubles.

This popular Trinidadian Street food with South Asian roots is deep fried and filled to the max.

I enlisted my friend, travel blogger, and proud Trinidadian, Melissa Rose Cooper to join me in my island adventure.

Well, look what the wind blew in.

- Ay.

- Ay.

[Buki and Melissa laughing] Melissa Rose Cooper.

- In the flesh.

- Travel blogger.

So I had to call the master of Trinidad and Trinidadian culture.

Are you ready to join me on this excursion?

- I'm ready.

- Back to the kitchen we go.

Piece me outta double because I know you took a class and did a whole thing.

- I took a class.

I don't know how well I did.

And it was years ago, so I- - Oh, now, now, oh, you were propping yourself up two minutes ago.

- I can show you how to eat it.

- How do we make this thing work?

- All right, so the dough has already been made and it's set.

So what you gotta do is put it a single dough and then you roll it out with your fingers.

- Okay.

- Flat.

'Cause you want to get it, let's say flat, like four to five inches.

- See I'm like a birdie.

[Melissa laughing] - [Parris] Look, he Looks like he's done this before.

Look.

- Come on, keep up, Trinidad.

[Melissa and Parris chuckling] Come on.

The dough was prepped and it was time to fry.

- [Parris] Before you put the first one, you gotta get them all there really quickly and then flip them.

Okay?

- Okay.

So I have to like, just [Buki mimics rapid firing]?

Just like the guy.

[Buki mimics rapid firing] - [Parris] Pace, pace.

- Pow-pow-pow.

[Melissa laughing] Okay.

Ah!

See?

See?

[Melissa laughing] See, she jinxed me.

She jinxed me, Melissa jinxed me.

- I didn't jinx you.

- [Parris] You're getting there, you're getting there.

- I'm gonna be a doubles master.

- [Melissa] Yeah, lemme- [Buki and Parris laughing] - This is what happens when you cook with your friends.

Way too much fun.

This.

is slightly burned.

Oh my god, so the doubles man is coming from me already.

Okay, that's fine.

- Well, we'll give you an A-plus on the Roti.

I'll give you a B-minus on the doubles.

- Oh, no.

[Parris and Melissa laughing] Oh, no.

Okay, listen, I'm a straight A student.

We don't do that.

So we're gonna do this again.

- [Parris] Maybe just do two.

- Okay, two, yeah.

- [Parris] And now you flip them really quickly.

Yeah, there you go.

- [Melissa] Right.

- [Parris] Yeah, you go.

And they're ready, let's go.

- Like this?

- [Parris] You see, that's it.

Let me taste?

Because I've never had it burnt.

[all laughing] - It tastes good.

- I thought we was supposed to be community and family, Parris.

- Listen, the Trinidadians, they're tough graders, man.

I'm telling you.

If your doubles isn't on point, you're done.

- Once my extra crispy doubles were done, it was time to indulge in the flavors of Trinidad.

So Tristan set up a special table for us to eat and chat.

What a spread.

The doubles we made, Aloo pies or potato pies, curry chicken, curry goats, the Roti traditional, and then the bus up shop, another type of Roti beat into pieces on the flat top, which Parris also taught me how to make.

And another great street food, the Pylari.

Tristan showed me how the vendors prepare them back in his homeland with every native's favorite, the tamarin sauce.

- So I take one, drop it in the bag.

Just shake it up like that.

[Buki speaking softly] - You know, take another look at those skulls.

We're friends, we can do this.

Mm, this food is delicious.

Tell me about what it was like growing up in Trinidad.

- I grew up with a close-knit family: five sisters, two brothers, and my parents.

So this was regular and this is how we celebrated.

Again, not growing up going to restaurants, not being from a wealthy family, people would get together and just cook and eat at home, and have fun, and dance.

Like Carnival, right?

It's a big thing for us.

- [Buki] Brazil has a famed Carnival, but Carnival originated in Trinidad and Tobago.

Carnival is celebrated the Monday and Tuesday before Lent.

And as legend has it, in the late 1700s, French colonists in Trinidad hosted masquerade balls before the start of Lent that were banned to slaves.

So never to be deterred, the enslaved people hosted their own festivities.

When emancipated in 1838, black ribbon people brought their own customs, music, and traditions to make what Carnival is today.

And let's not forget about those incredible costumes from jewels and feathers, cutouts and prints.

Melissa says, Carnival has been criticized as being hedonistic.

But those people would be dead wrong.

At its core, Carnival is a celebration of freedom, renewal, and hope for prosperity.

- We would dance on the night away, which is Monday night, which is Juvet.

You start at midnight all the way till 9:00 AM and then you go into what we call big mask, which is the full two days, the Monday and the Tuesday.

So sometimes there's no sleep.

If you sleep.

- If you sleep.

I remember there was a party that I used to go to called Insomnia.

It was from 10:00 PM to 10:00 AM and your girl used to be there the entire time.

- I have like, distinct memories of watching my mom dressed up in her Carnival costume and walking through the crowd, and my dad watching from the side.

- [Buki] Melissa has been all over the world.

A Carnival in Trinidad is a destination she holds close to her heart, booking tickets a year in advance just to make the celebration.

You were born in Boston.

- [Melissa] Hmm.

- [Buki] But you are so tied to the Trinidadian culture.

How did that happen?

- Well, I have to credit my parents.

My family, you know, they never treated us any differently because we were born there.

You know, I've met people actually, I have family, that have been born in Trinidad.

And they come here and they feel like, you know, they have to assimilate and they've totally changed.

I grew up cooking this food.

I grew up listening to music.

Like, that was just something that was there.

It was just like, so there was no way for me not to be tied to it.

- Growing up for me, same as Melissa, my parents, you know, in the house.

They spoke to me and you know, in our Triny slang.

I ate the Triny foods.

So for me, especially working here and now and being involved in the family business, I'm immersing myself much more into the culture.

And my goal is to really like spread it, you know, to my offspring, as well.

- You know, I see myself as a true Caribbean person, Caribbean man.

I just love the region.

I love the people of the region.

And I'm very proud of who I am and where I come from.

And I wanna have the ability to showcase our culture, our food, and our people to the world.

- Is there really no place like home?

- Yes.

It's just the different mix of people.

And you see like, just with the food itself, like, there's different cultures ingrained in that, that makes it our culture.

So it's just, it's unique to me.

And just being able to get a piece of all of that I think is a beautiful thing.

- Melissa and Parris agree, you can't have the Trinidadian experience without music.

So Parris brought a little bit of Carnival to Limin's in the form of Devin, steel drum performer and recording artist.

And this is called a pan?

- Yes.

- Yeah.

- Well, you know, us Americans call it the steel drum.

- Well it is a steel drum, but I mean- - But if you're from- - Normally just call it pan.

- Yeah, if you're from the culture, you call it a pan.

- [Melissa] Yeah, mm-hm.

- So it's a pan.

The seal pan originated in Trinidad and Tobago.

during the late 1930s.

Trinidadians would use everyday household items like buckets, dust pans, and oil drums to create that quintessential sound.

It wasn't until 1945 that the first 14-note steel pan was made.

The steel pan remains the only new instrument ever invented in the 20th century and is the soundtrack of Trinidad and Tobago, and all the Caribbean islands.

Can I try?

- [Devin] Yeah.

- [Buki] Okay.

- [Devin] Yeah, that's- [note plays] - [Buki] C?

- [Devin] D, J, E A, F, F, F. G, - G. - E. - E. - B.

- B.

- C. - All right.

[Buki playing steel pan] See, let's see, yeah.

This is why I'm not gonna quit my day job.

[Melissa and Buki laughing] I think I'll lead the steel pan to the professionals.

Devin, play us out.

[Devin playing steel pan] - [Buki] Now, what dancing are we doing?

- Call it chip.

- It's all the chip?

Chippin'.

- Chippin'.

- What I call the two-step.

[steel pan music] [upbeat music] What a fun, festive and filling day with Parris, Tristan, and Melissa done the Triny way.

I've already booked my ticket and ordered my costume for Carnival 2024.

Jamaica and Trinidad may be a thousand miles away from each other, but they and all the Caribbean islands share a common bond.

Pinky, Melissa, Parris, and Tristan are the true definition of what Caribbean culture is all about.

Turning hardships into resilience, embracing family, and honoring the many rich cultures that make the people and the food of Jamaica and Trinidad, what they are today.

Never forgetting where they came from, but knowing exactly where they're going.

Now that calls for a Carnival size celebration.

[Caribbean music] Can I get a grand moment, Miss Influencer?

Can I get a TikTok moment?

Please?

- Hold up.

- Can I get?

- So my good friend Buki hosts this dope food show called "Table for All" and he's in the middle of filming an episode focusing on Trinidad.

And since he knows how much I love my culture, he asked me to take part.

And of course, I said yes.

I was so happy to be given this opportunity to be able to share how big of an impact my culture has on my life.