A Belfast businesswoman has spoken about opening her own restaurant in east Belfast and bringing authentic Caribbean food to the city.
Letecia Robinson has just opened Island Spice, a new takeaway located on Grampian Avenue, just off the Newtownards Road.
Letecia moved from Guyana to Belfast 7 years ago and worked as a nurse here. But after giving birth to her children two years ago, she decided to take on a new venture.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Letecia said: "I'm from the Caribbean but I've been living here for seven years.
"In my time here, I just realised that you can go to places like London and get good Caribbean food, but here it's very difficult. I'm a nurse by profession, but during the pandemic, I thought a lot about starting my own business and I thought a lot of people here would welcome a Caribbean restaurant."
For those who aren't familiar with Caribbean food, Letecia said that dishes are typically spicy and packed with flavour.
"In the Caribbean, it's a lot of spicy stuff, a lot of grilled stuff, a lot of curries. The thing that makes Caribbean food a bit different is that its dishes you might be used to, but normally with a lot of spices.
"So the likes of our chicken, it's similar to chicken here, but with Caribbean, it involves a lot of seasoning and a lot of marinating. Jerk chicken is one that many people have heard of - and it's a good example, lots of authentic spices and unique seasonings."
Asked whether there's an appetite for Caribbean food in Belfast, Letecia said that many people have welcomed the restaurant as an alternative to their normal takeaway.
"People who have been coming have been saying, 'Finally something a bit different to fish and chips.' I think people are curious about something like this, which is new.
"Then there have been a few customers who have been to the Caribbean before and who know the food but haven't had the chance to have it since. Then other people whose families are from countries on the Caribbean and who come to get authentic food."
For Letecia, opening up Island Spice marks a new chapter in her life in Belfast.
"I moved here 7 years ago from Georgetown, Guyana, when my ex-husband was coming here to do a Masters at Queen's. Then whenever he went back, I stayed on because there were some emerging opportunities here. And now I've been here since.
"I'm a nurse originally, both in the Caribbean and here. Then I was off nursing for a bit whenever I had my twins two and a half years ago.
"After the pandemic came, I thought that I'd try this out as something different to what I'd been doing before. I did a bit of research and noticed that Caribbean food was getting very popular in London.
"Then, like everyone else, I was also doing my own takeaway research at home during lockdown, and because I"m used to lots of seasoning on my food, I was quite disappointed sometimes when the food wasn't seasoned to the way I'd like it.
"So with all this, I thought, 'Maybe people here will like something different' and I decided to set up Island Spice."
