"This is what I grew up with, and what I’m trying to do is share what my mom cooked — it's a tribute to her," Gouvia says. "It's simple things, simple food and I want to share that food with everyone." 

He also notes that the flavors of Trinidad are influenced by a range of cuisines from the island's colonizers like the French, Spanish, Dutch, and English. Even Chinese populations made their way through the Caribbean and left their prints on some of the recipes. 

So while you might know Jamaican callaloo, you might not know the soupier Trinidadian style that Gouvia prepares. Some of the menu items on Norma G's menu aren't totally unfamiliar to Detroit. Callalloo, chicken pelau, jerk chicken, curry goat — these are plates you'll find in some of the city's other Caribbean eateries.

Still, what Norma G's owner/chef Lester Gouvia is doing and preparing is something new in Detroit. Though he's billing his Jefferson-Chalmers eatery — which hosts a soft opening on Thursday — as a Caribbean restaurant, Gouvia was born in Trinidad, and he's offering "Caribbean" dishes as they're prepared there, rather than in Jamaica, for example. 

"There are similarities in the names [of Caribbean dishes], but not necessarily the taste," Gouvia tells Metro Times. Even more specifically, he describes his dishes as comfort food like those recipes that his mom — Norma G — prepared in her kitchen when Gouvia was a boy. ​His chicken pelau is a jumble of rice, chicken, house seasoning, squash, pigeon peas, and peppers that Gouvia "bakes to a golden brown." Jerk chicken gets the comfort food treatment in the jerk chicken pasta, in which the bird and peppers are mixed in a sauce of cream and blended cheeses. 

Oxtail sliders or jerk chicken sliders can be paired with mac and cheese or Trinidadian potato salad. Norma's also offers a list of four vegan options, including melongene -- diced eggplant and sweet onion sautéed in a homemade marinara sauce and served with jasmine rice. 

Among the appetizers are codfish balls made with dried codfish that's sautéed with herbs, vegetables, house seasoning, and mashed potatoes. It's blended together into a ball, fried, and served with a garlic or chipotle or garlic horseradish mayo. Doubles are "classic Trinidadian street food" with chick peas sautéed in house spices with onions that's all served between housemade fried dough. It's accompanied by a tamarind sauce and mango chutney. 

Norma G's offers a full bar along with a selection of pops and a sorrel beverage along with coffee and tea. Desserts are made with Wally's frozen custard, and includes the Trini Trifecta with vanilla frozen custard, Trinidadian rum and cinnamon. 

The other thing that sets Norma's apart is the vibe. It's a sit-down restaurant, and it's casual and colorful, but also tasteful. There really isn't much like it in Detroit. 

"What was in my head was the bright colors — when you think of the Caribbean, you think of bright colors and Carnival, and that's reflected in here without being crazy," Gouvia says. "There are no seashells or palm trees ... you can do things tastefully and be colorful and it doesn’t have to be cheesy."Gouvia was born in Trinidad but moved to Brooklyn as a young boy. A job in the financial industry led him to metro Detroit where he only intended to stay a few years, but he loved the area and never left. Jefferson-Chalmers appealed to him more than downtown, Midtown, or other neighborhoods because he feels that Norma's will have a greater impact there. 

Gouvia worked with SWOT City to pull together funding for the roughly $450,000 project from a variety of sources, including a $60,000 Motor City Match Grant. He's leasing the building from Jefferson East, Inc. 

Norma G’s is located at 14628 E. Jefferson Ave. in Detroit. 
Source: Detroit Metro Times, August 2018

CALYPSO Queen of the World Calypso Rose (McCartha Linda Sandy-Lewis) was specially invited by the Mustique Company to perform at its 50th anniversary party at Basil’s Bar last month.
Rose’s manager Jean Michel Gibert who attended the party said it was quite an experience.
He said Rose went to the popular Basil’s Bar with her full band and gave a concert performance that had approximately 200 guests from around the world – but mostly British – dancing throughout her performance.
Gibert said, “It was a vibrant private party that had fireworks!”
Among the guests were Prince William and Katherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and close to the stage were Mick Jagger and his daughter Jade, who invited Rose to her shop in Mustique. Jagger’s granddaughter was also on stage with Rose.
“The show was extremely well received, as Rose told guests short back-stories on the songs she sang which they related to. Songs like Abatina, No Madame, Calypso Queen and Back to Africa. Then towards the end of her performance, everybody came on stage with Rose as she ended with Fire Fire and Tempo. She was very happy with that. It was a good promotion for TT and Rose,” Gibert said.
As a lagniappe, he said, Rose gave guests an unplugged version of Rivers of Babylon, which they sang along to.
Bar owner Basil Charles attended William and Kate’s wedding in 2011 as a guest of Princess Margaret, and has since became the couple’s personal friend. The Mustique Company, which owns the island in the Grenadines, was featured together with Calypso Rose and the royal couple in the British celebrity magazine Hello on August 13.
The story spoke of Kate’s paradise party during her tropical island date with William, cocktails and calypso in the Caribbean.
It said William and Kate joined locals and holidaymakers at the famous bar for the 50th-anniversary celebrations of the Mustique Company, the consortium of residents that runs the island, where the dress code for the party was “a splash of gold.”
“The royal couple opted for an ‘island chic’ look, with Kate wearing white while William sported a shirt from the local brand Pink House Mustique. They were there for the cocktails segment and kept it rather classy,” a source told Hello.
Rose’s band comprises a number of Caribbean musicians including Corey Atheleny Wallace (TT/UK) on bass; Gregory Louis (Guadeloupe/France), drums; Fabien Kioka (Martinique), horn; and Audrey Rose Gbaguidi (Grenada/France) on vocals, as well as Silvain Barvieu, horn; Patrick Goraguer, keyboard; Cali Kamga (Africa/France), vocals; and Jean Mba (Africa/France), guitar. Also providing entertainment were the Rolling Stones’ touring keyboard player Matt Clifford and his band.
Source:  Newsday, August 2018

Read the full article here 

​THE Devil's Woodyard mud volcano erupted this afternoon almost at the same time a 6.9 magnitude earthquake shook TT, Venezuela, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent and Guyana.
Councillor from the Princes Town Regional Corporation for Hindustan/St Mary's, Michelle Benjamin, told Newsday that residents reported hearing a loud sound coming from the volcano at the same time the first tremors from the earthquake began.
Benjamin said residents fled their homes, seeking open ground, and saw the volcano spewing mud several feet in the air.
She said no one had reported any structural damage to their homes and there were no reports of further cracking of the earth around the volcano.
In a 47-second clip posted to social media, residents are heard exclaiming over the sound the volcano made while erupting. In the video, gas can be seen shooting up.
Source:  Newsday, Aug 2018

Trinidad and Tobago experienced a 5.9 aftershock Wednesday morning, just 24 hours after a 7.3 earthquake rocked the area, the University of the West Indies (UWI) Seismic Research Centre confirmed.
The UWI Seismic Research Centre confirmed on Wednesday that the aftershock occurred at 9:27 a.m. local time at a depth of 80 kilometers (49 miles). The quake was felt in areas like Carúpano, Venezuela; Maturín, Venezuela and Porlamar, Venezuela, according to the center. Areas in Trinidad also felt the aftershock.
There is no tsunami watch in effect following the aftershock. The center is asking anyone who felt the shock to report it to the research center.
The Trinidad Express reported on Wednesday that electricity, water and communication systems were all working following the aftershock.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed on Tuesday that a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck near Venezuela. The quake hit around 5:31 EDT and was 30 miles away from Guiria, Sucre, Venezuela. There were reports of people feeling the quake in Trinidad and Tobago, as well as Grenada, according to the USGS.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) announced there was no tsunami threat from the earthquake at 6 p.m. The center had sent out a preliminary report following the quake that “hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 300 km of the earthquake epicenter.”
“Minor sea level fluctuations up to 30 cm above and below the normal tide may occur in coastal areas near the earthquake over the next few hours and continuing for up to several hours,” the PTWC said.
Buildings in Caracas were evacuated during the quake, the Associated Press reported. The Trinidad Express reported on Tuesday that people had left their homes while buildings shook. The last strongest earthquake to hit the country was in 1968, according to the research center.
The interior minister of Venezuela, Nestor Luis Reverol, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday authorities were ready to help in case of an emergency. 
"We call all the people of #Venezuela to remain calm," Reverol wrote. 
Source: MSN Aug 2018

Former U.S. President Barack Obama has recommended 'A House for Mr Biswas' by the late Trinidad and Tobago-born writer, Sir VS Naipaul, as one of five books for reading over the summer period.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Obama wrote: "One of my favorite parts of summer is deciding what to read when things slow down just a bit, whether it's on a vacation with family or just a quiet afternoon. This summer I've been absorbed by new novels, revisited an old classic, and reaffirmed my faith in our ability to move forward together when we seek the truth."
During his eight years in the White House, Obama turned to books to find balance, "slow down and get perspective."
With regards to Naipaul's book, he wrote: "With the recent passing of V.S. Naipaul, I reread 'A House for Mr Biswas,' the Nobel Prize winner's first great novel about growing up in Trinidad and the challenge of post-colonial identity."
The book was one of many in which Naipaul explored the cultural elements he felt tied to as a man of Indian ancestry, born in Trinidad and raised in England.
The other four books on Obama's list are "Warlight" by Michael Ondaatje, "Educated" by Tara Westover, "An American Marriage" by Tayari Jones and "Factfulness" by Hans Rosling.
Source:  CNC3

Naomi Chin Wing from the twin island of Trinidad and Tobago has taken the modeling world by storm. Her debut fashion show was Yves St Laurent, which created a domino effect opening doors to the catwalks of some of the most prestigious shows in the fashion industry where she walked in shows that featured Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner.
Born in Trinidad, Naomi hails from Malick. Life at high school was a challenge, as she was bullied because she was tall and towered over her fellow students. That said, close friends and family turned the situation around by seeing her height as a positive and told her that she was the right height and build for modeling and she should consider it. Thus the seed was planted and she envisioned a career in modeling.
In 2015, in pursuit of that career at just fifteen years old she at attended a fashion workshop in Port of Spain. It was here that she was discovered by the host – Christopher Nathan the CEO of by Coco Velvet International’s (CVI). As soon as he saw her he knew her height, build and ethnicity were perfect for a career in modeling. She was 5ft 11, with a diverse mixture of African, Chinese and East Indian heritage.
Two years later Naomi at the age of 17 years old she was fashion show ready. Many of us think that two years sounds like a long time to become a model, but modeling consists of so many factors. It takes a lot of character building, especially learning things from within like self-confidence and strength. Confidence is key to modeling; something Naomi initially lacked being a shy individual. She also had to learn how to command a presence while exuding style, elegance and grace with a perfect posture.
She signed a global modeling contract with IMG Models which is a widely recognized agency with offices in London, Los Angeles, Milan, New York, Paris and Sydney. Once signed, IMG Models manages and maximizes Naomi’s career.
Life in Trinidad came to a close and together with her mother, they moved from the community of Malick to the big city of London in the United Kingdom. Then in September 2017, at the age of just 17 years old, Naomi made her runway debut for Yves Saint Laurent during the Paris Fashion Week. In fact, she was hand-picked by Anthony Vaccarello the creative director for Yves Saint Laurent’s spring/ summer 2018 show in Paris with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop!
One of the highlights of her career is to have already met her model idol. After a show for the British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, Naomi got the shock of her life when her idol Naomi Campbell came back stage to meet her.  Campbell even offered a few words of advice by telling her to be the good Naomi.
And the good Naomi Chin Wing is, having a good time on the runways for international designers Rochas Paris, Altuzarra, Giambattista Valli, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Maison Valentino. She has already been a part of the New York Fashion Week 2018, the London Fashion Week for 2018 and the Paris Autumn/Winter 2018 Fashion Week!


While many first time models dream and aspire to make it into top fashion magazines. Naomi has gone on to grace the pages of Elle, Harpers Bazaar India, Germany’s Material Magazine and Britain’s Vogue, POP Magazine, Vogue Spain, Heroine Magazine and Vogue Italia to name but a few.
The future holds a place for her on the runway of Victoria Beckham, Givenchy Haute Couture, Valentino Couture, Carolina Herrera, Givenchy Haute Couture, Calvin Klein and the list goes on.
InStyle, recently recognized her as one of fourteen models who were categorized as ‘a new class of high fashion runway model’ because of their humility and simple beginnings. Instyle noted that Naomi is unlike the handful of models that make it in the industry because of famous parents. They went on to say she is a diverse and empowered woman who is definitely one to watch. Christopher Nathan had this to say, “I am extremely satisfied with her high performance standard, her commitment to give her very best effort at modeling assignments and I look forward to her rising to the top of the modeling industry.”
But for all that she has achieved, in such a short space of time Naomi is the first to admit that she didn’t come from much and wants to make her family’s life better in Trinidad. She also intends to continue her education while pursing modeling. When asked which runway is the one she’d like to grace in the future, she says ‘Victoria’s Secret’ because it reminds her of the flamboyant Trinidad and Tobago Carnival.
In an incredibly fast paced, highly competitive industry, we here at Caribbean POSH wish Naomi all the best, may you be confident and keep up the energy levels, have courage and stamina and impress with your behavior, style, and lifestyle.
Source:  Caribbean Posh, August 2018