By Sherri Cajuste
Special to the Reporter
Gourmet Kreyol, the first Haitian food truck in Massachusetts, is taking a major leap by opening two new brick-and-mortar Boston locations under the leadership of founder Nathalie Lecorps.
After winning the hearts of locals with her vibrant Haitian flavors on-the-go, Nathalie is expanding her vision to bring the authentic taste of Haiti to even more people. One location will be a convenient take-out spot at 1210 Blue Hill Ave. in Mattapan, while the other will offer a cozy sit-down dining experience at 657 Washington St. in Dorchester’s Codman Square.
This milestone marks a new chapter for Gourmet Kreyol as it continues to elevate Haitian cuisine in Massachusetts— clearing many hurdles along the way.
“One challenge we had was sharing a kitchen space,” explained Lecorps, who learned the ins -and-outs of the restaurant business from her parents, who are successful restauranteurs in her native Miami, Florida. “When you're renting you need access to the kitchen and it may not be available all the time. With my own restaurant I can be there anytime I want to."
She added: “What also was a challenge when you're in a shared kitchen space, the more food you produce the more money your rent is going to be. There was one month where I paid almost $15,000 for one month in the shared space I was renting. For you to pay rent in a space that you don't have access to 24/7 is unheard of.”
Lecorps had hoped to open one of the locations with a “soft opening” this month, but now expects that to pushed back to sometime in May.
“I can't even put a date out due to construction and the inconsistent weather New England faces as this will be an outdoor ceremony. There is a lot of roof construction that we need to do but with the rain in Boston, we haven't been able to get this finished in time,” she said.
Lecorps says she wants the Codman Square sit-down restaurant to be very aesthetically pleasing, with a “date-night” vibe.
“I would want it to be more of a romantic date night vibe where families can come and celebrate special occasions,” she told The Reporter. “We might do something where once a week we have a live band playing Kompa music as well.”
Fans of her food-truck menu will see some similarities, but the restaurant will have even more to offer.
“With the sit down location we wanted to jazz up the menu. Rather than having regular legume with beef we would have legume with shrimp and conch or even Haitian macaroni with lobster, something different to get the crowd going.”
“In the Mattapan location everything is going to be compostable instead of plastic,” she said. “Mattapan and Dorchester having a huge litter issue, if people were to throw out containers on the floor at least it would be compostable and good for the environment.”
With the grand openings coming soon, we asked Lecorps what would be on the agenda.
“We are going to close down the parking lot and have an Eventbrite for people to RSVP. We are expecting close to 400 attendees. It'll be a fun family day with face painting, a DJ, Radio Stations, Live Cooking classes, and just a fun filled packed day with prizes, games and lastly the ribbon cutting. This is a historic moment for Gourmet Kreyol as this is our first brick and mortar space here in Massachusetts. My parents had their first brick and mortar years ago in 1989 in Miami so it feels great to follow after them.”
Lastly, Natalie shared this advice for fellow entrepeneurs looking to enter the food business.
“If cooking is your passion, that's a great reason to jump into this business,” she said. “I didn't know that I would also be doing payroll, admin and running to city hall learning about permits. There is so much to learn, so once you create systems to control each aspect of your business, there's nothing you can't do. Passion is a great way to start, but also think about what it takes to run a business.”
Sherri Cajuste is the founder of the Haitians of Boston platform. The Reporter and Haitians of Boston share content through a media partnership. Follow her on Instagram.
