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It’s well-known that visitors from around the world visit our shores to get a taste of our local cuisine—from food critic Anthony Bourdain to travel vlogger Nicholas Nuvan, foreigners have become admirers of our native dishes.
But what of Trinis travelling and living overseas, taking our culinary traditions to introduce them to the people in those countries? This isn’t unusual in the United States and Canada, where a large contingent of the Caribbean diaspora resides, but in non-anglophone spaces, it’s fairly less common.
This is what Carla and Justin Audroing had in mind when they launched Trini Bites in their home of the past five years, Paris, France.
Carla Audroing spoke with Loop News about moving to France with her husband and two young daughters, her passion for Trinbagonian cuisine and her drive to share it with others.
Settling in and starting small
Born and bred Trinbagionians, the couple decided to take advantage of Justin’s French citizenship to broaden their options for where they could raise their two young daughters and expand their respective careers.
​“When we had our kids, we wanted to settle down somewhere,” she shared. “It was a decision I questioned a lot in the first few years [but] we’re now settling down properly into the life and culture.”
Audroing spoke of the rough start when the young family first moved to Paris back in 2019, getting adjusted, along with some less-than-pleasant interactions before eventually finding her tribe.
A maritime consultant by profession, Audroing enjoys cooking for her family and for others and began sharing her food with her colleagues at work.
“I used to cook for my coworkers,” she shared. “During the pandemic, when everyone was making doubles, we started to do it too. I took for my coworkers to try Trinidad food [and] everyone really, really liked it.” She mentioned that her Indian colleagues were particularly fond of the doubles, saying that it reminded them of food from back home.
The positive reviews from her colleagues, a relatively international bunch, encouraged the couple to start thinking about expanding their reach and developing their Trini cooking into a concrete business idea.
In December 2021, they rented their apartment building’s recreational area to host a tasting for the other residents, this time, adding sweet treats such as coconut fudge and black cake to the menu. The couple used the event as market research to gauge responses from the public and to get an understanding of what flavours they may have to adjust to adapt to the French palate without watering down the authenticity of the dishes. Soon after, they launched into doing Trini-style lunches for their neighbours.
While the responses were mostly positive, Audroing mentioned that many of the older residents weren’t too fond of the fact that they had to eat the doubles with their hands whereas the younger crowd were more open to the idea of non-Western concepts of street food meant to be eaten in this way. Taking this into account, they began offering cutlery.
Red beans and rice, stewed chicken, stewed pork and curry dishes were among some of the meals on the Audroings’ menu, which quickly became a hit with their customers.
Justin being a gourmet chef, this venture gave him the opportunity to put his culinary training to use, experimenting with local flavours and using the ingredients found in Europe to mirror that of the local products for maximum authenticity.
Venturing into the event space
Ever eager to make Caribbean connections in her new environment, Audroing came across an ad for Paris steelband group Calypsociation’s 30th anniversary event in July of last year and saw it as an opportunity to offer their services.
“We contacted them and told them we do Trini food and said ‘Could we come and do doubles?’” The response was an instant yes, as the organisers thought the pair would help to give the event more of an authentic feel. “It was very, very successful,” Audroing said. “People were lining up—long, long lines.”
The event offered an excellent networking opportunity, allowing the pair to begin making their way into Trinbagonian and other Caribbean spaces with requests to appear at other events.
“Word began to spread among the French pan community,” she said, and she soon became known as “the doubles woman” among the community of Trinbagonians living in Paris.
By May, the couple found themselves taking the business outside of Paris for the first time, to Nantes, for Panfest, an all-day steelpan festival organised by the city’s resident band, Calyps’Atlantic—coached by our very own Duvone Stewart—which saw some six bands from various French cities come together for a full day of steelpan music and good vibes.
The event itself was a first, the massive undertaking of uniting several bands in one venue. As with the Paris event the previous year, the Audroing’s doubles would be the perfect culinary touch.
Once again, Trini Bites was well received; the couple crossed paths with a handful of other Trinbagonians while in Nantes, including one homesick Trinbagonian who travelled from a nearby town to get her fix of local culture.
Keeping the culture alive overseas
Audroing spoke of the sense of pride she is able to draw from preparing these meals on a larger scale and sees expansion as a way forward, aiming to launch the first Trinibagonian food spot in France.
“I’m amazed that there isn’t one already; French people love to try new food and different restaurants,” she said. “I want people to experience Trini culture—I think we’re so underrepresented here.”
For Audroing, preparing her native cuisine in a foreign place is not only a side hustle, but a means of staying rooted to her culture, not only for herself, but for her daughters, who, apart from visits back home here and there, won’t have an attachment to Trinidad and Tobago as strong as the ones their parents do.
“I see the food business as more than a means to money,” she explained. [My daughters] eat the food [but] they don’t connect to Trinidad in the way that I do and Justin does. Food is one of the ways that they make that connection. For us, this is keeping our culture alive.”
Check out Trini Bites on Facebook for more information.  (Source: The Loopm October 20m 2024)

TWO iconic calypsonians will be honoured by the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) on October 25, to herald the official start of the third instalment of the Tobago carnival.
McCartha Linda Sandy-Lewis, also known as Calypso Rose, and the late Winston Bailey, stage name The Mighty Shadow, are two of eight icons, five posthumously, set to be honoured for their contribution to nation-building, culture and leadership.
At a post-executive council news briefing on October 23, Assistant Secretary of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation Niall George said the THA will celebrate the icons by renaming prominent streets and landmarks.
The other six icons are legendary football coach Bertille St Clair; former chief administrator Allan Richards; the late politician and pharmacist James AA Biggart; deceased anthropologist Dr Jacob Delworth Elder; Aloysius Morean and Edna Morean (education), both deceased.
Secretary of Infrastructure Trevor James said it is important to pay homage to those that have inspired Tobagonians over the years. In a media release on October 23, he said, “Tobago does not only have a proud heritage but also a collection of legends that have made their marks on the international stage and psyche of what it means to be Tobagonian. We are a great people deserving of honour, and as an Executive and citizenry, we owe it to them to recollect, recognise and celebrate, as a joint expression of gratitude, and for younger ones to see and be inspired as well.”
The event is set to take place at the Scarborough Esplanade. 
As the carnival festivities began on October 23 with the Soca Titans competition, George predicted a bumper carnival season, set to culminate on October 27 with the parade of the bands. He said he has received reports from hoteliers that occupancy is at 100 per cent.
“We’re also receiving reports of an increase in costume sales. I know there would be late persons trying to get on to the island, in that sphere, we are hoping that we receive the support that we asked for from both Caribbean Airlines and the Port Authority.”
He said the theme of this year's event is mud and revelry, as he called on those who intend to patronise the events to make it unprecedented, whilst also making prioritising safety.
“We would have done our last safety checks on last week Friday which would have been a tabletop exercise. We would have been presented with many scenarios and how they would be solved.”
​He added: “We are saying to Tobago, have fun, have clean fun and know that the background work would have been done so as to ensure that we have a very safe and successful carnival. I am saying to each and every one, let us enjoy the festivities to the best of our ability, let us come out, let us make the best of it.”
He encouraged the patrons to make use of the spots after the festivities to take photos.
“Enjoy the beauty of the island, enjoy the cuisine of the island, the warmth of the people on the island and let’s make it the best as we take this step in continuing to make Tobago the greatest little island on the planet.” (Source: Newsday, October 23, 2024)

MEMBERS of the Surinamese First Peoples participate in the Water Ritual, part of Heritage Week activities hosted by the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community at the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Road on October 12.
The Santa Rosa First Peoples community held its annual Water Ritual at the river, celebrating their cultural heritage and spiritual connections. The ritual brought together members from various tribes, including the Trio Tribe from Suriname, who adorned themselves in traditional costumes and sacred body paint. According to Ricardo Bharath Hernandez, Santa Rosa First Peoples’ chief, the tribal garments are crucial for honouring the spirits and ancestors, allowing participants to seek direct messages through their connection with nature.
The ceremony featured offerings made to the water, emphasising the community's deep respect for the environment and its role in their spiritual practices. Elders and leaders of the various tribes, including Bharath Hernandez, played pivotal roles in guiding the rituals, ensuring sacred traditions were upheld, and fostering a sense of unity and reverence among participants. The event not only highlighted the community's rich cultural heritage but also reinforced their ongoing with the spiritual world.
The Water Ritual is part of the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community Heritage Week celebrations from October 12-18.
Other events include a film screening at the Arima mayor’s temporary office on October 15, a ceremony remembering the ancestors at the Red House in Port of Spain on October 16, and a cultural and social mixer at the Heritage Village, Arima, on October 18.
(Source: Newsday, October 15, 2024)

Trinidad and Tobago's Dylan Carter placed fifth in the 50m butterfly final at the Swimming World Cup in Shanghai, China on October 20.
Carter, 28, touched the wall simultaneously with Australian Matthew Temple. Both athletes were timed at 22.53 seconds and earned 899 points.
Taking the gold was new world record holders Noe Ponti of Switzerland, who clocked 21.68 seconds. In second place was Netherlands' Nyls Korstanje (22.00) followed by Germany's Marius Kusch (22.26).
Ponti broke the world record in the prelims with a sensational 21.67 performance to collect the US$10,000 bonus. The previous record was 21.75 shared by Nicholas Santos of Brazil and Szebasztian Szabo of Hungary.
It was the first world record set by a Swiss swimmer since 1985.
Carter, who won gold in the 50m freestyle on October 18, is currently ranked 12th overall. He was sixth in the 100m freestyle on October 19.
The Swimming World Cup makes its next stop in Incheon, South Korea, from October 24-26, before the finale swims off in Singapore (October 31-November 2). (Source: Newsday, October 20, 2024)

NOT many can boast of placing in the top three in a global competition. But the members of Presentation College, Chaguanas’ robotics team sure can. The students placed third in a joint effort with three other countries at the First Global Challenge in Athens, Greece.
The seventh edition of the competition, held from September 26-29, featured students from over 190 countries. Its website says the idea behind the challenge was for one team from each country to “participate and focus the world on the amazing things that happen when kids from every country work together to solve problems through STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).”
This year’s theme was Feeding the Future, which focuses on sustainable food production.
“This year’s theme challenges teams to learn about and address the obstacles and opportunities to provide the global population with equitable, safe, nutritious, and environmentally responsible food,” the website adds.
Trinidad and Tobago’s team travelling included Xavier Blache, Kovid Capildeo, Xavier Edwards, Sameer Badree, Justin Basdeo and Sarmad Singh.
What they call the “ground team,” which also contributed to their efforts, included Vasudev Rampersad, Adam Baig, Naveen Singh, Avesh Ragoonath, Jamian Leopold, Vivek Bahadur Singh, and Aidan Singh.
Every year, the event provides teams with a kit in their home country, with parts such as steel rods, aluminium channels, motors, wheels, etc. The students then have to build a robot that meets specific criteria like size and ability to rise to a certain height.
There were 12 qualifying matches at the competition, from which 32 countries were selected for the semi-final rounds. For the finals, the qualifying teams were then split into alliances.
The challenge/game this year was a two-and-a-half-minute match in which one “alliance” battled another. An alliance in the challenge consisted of four different countries’ teams joining forces. Trinidad and Tobago teamed up with Estonia, Singapore and Guam, forming alliance eight.
The aim was to conserve water and energy and produce food. Then all six teams worked together as a “global alliance” to secure food and balance global resources to make a sustainable food system.
Coloured spheres were used to represent different elements – blue for water, green for energy, and orange for food. The robots, as well as selected human players, assisted in the process.
Blache, the team’s captain, told Newsday the experience was “a mix of excitement and education.”
“The excitement came from seeing so many different people around my age from different countries who have the same passion. And then for education, the event is not just about competing but learning about new technologies and hearing all the different ideas people have on solving a world challenge.”
The 18-year-old upper-six student is an aspiring software engineer. He said he got into robotics when he was in standard five after doing his first coding course. He currently studies pure and applied mathematics, physics, computer science and IT.
He recalled long days at nights at the school, even during vacation time, in preparation for the event. In fact, he said, practice began about a year ago.
“We entered the competition last year, too. So (afterwards) we started practising with the parts from that one.”
He said while he was part of the travelling team last year, his role was “more minor.
“Then a colleague of mine, Justin Basdeo, came to me and said, ‘Blache, let’s go and experiment with the parts.’ And throughout (last year), we experimented and got accustomed to the parts. So when the actual challenge was released this year in late June, we had a bit more familiarity.
“We created an Omni base that could drive in any direction.”
He said there were times they were still at school practising at 9 pm or even 11 pm.
Capildeo agreed, saying his teammates were “running on caffeine” during the final days of preparations.
“I didn’t stay as late as Blache did, but they really would be there until almost midnight until they were completely exhausted. Then, they would come back to school like normal the next morning.
“They were really giving it their all, physically and mentally, to make sure this robot could be built in time to ship.”
Capildeo, 18, studies maths, physics, chemistry and communication studies and has been on the robotics team for about three years.
He added that once they completed everything in time, it was on to the near 26-hour journey to Greece.
“I think there's a team picture we took when we finally landed in Greece where everybody was just looking really exhausted,” he said, laughing.
“And the competition itself started maybe two days after, and every day, we had to be out of the hotel before 7.30 am.”
Suffice it to say they continued running on caffeine. Capildeo was the human player for Trinidad and Tobago.
Trying his best to explain in layman’s terms what their robot did, Blache said, “It has to place one energy and one water ball within the goal to release a food ball, and once the food ball is released onto the playing field, the robot has to capture the food ball and bring it back to the human player.”
This, he said, was repeated throughout the game.
“...Because the purpose of the game is a physical representation that all countries must work together to combine water and energy to create food, and the food has to be brought back and stored and the stored food gives points to everyone (on the team).”
Capildeo praised Basdeo, the team’s head engineer, who “spent a lot of time going to help out other countries.
“A lot of the other Caribbean countries that came, their robots might have got partially damaged in transit. Justin actually used a lot of his free time helping countries like the US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Bermuda…And this would be from in the morning up until the night.
“Sometimes we'd reach the hotel at 10 pm and try to get as much sleep as we possibly could to go the next day again.”
He said he is certain there were nights they only got one or two hours of sleep.
Robotics is for everyone
Although he knew the team worked hard, Blache was shocked when he heard they had placed third.
“I didn't even know what to feel at that point.
“Because seeing that we, a team of boys who had little experience in robotics before joining, placed third in the world…Something like that is an amazing experience.”
He said this is why he encourages other students to join the team, as many doubt themselves.
“A lot of them feel that you have to be a top, top person in class to join robotics, or you have to have some sort of know-how in tech before you join robotics. But in the end, truly, it's not that. It's really just taking the step to try.”
Alliance number three (China, Moldova, Madagascar, Cook Islands) won the competition with 338 points, and alliance seven (Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Poland, Ethiopia) came second with 333 points.
Trinidad and Tobago’s alliance, eight, got 324 points.
Capildeo said similarly, he was “in disbelief and astonishment” on hearing the results.
“I knew how hard my team had worked, and I was happy that we kind of got rewarded for it all in the end…We showed the world that we are country that's capable of doing these kind of things.”
“I remember right after, we met we all hugged up each other because we just couldn't believe it,” he added.
They also placed first in the category of social media and got a blue ribbon for it. This was based on challenges the competition had from July.
Echoing his captain’s sentiments, Capildeo said, “Robotics is for everybody and everybody should give it a try.
“A lot of the people that came in and helped a lot of the students wouldn't have been as involved in robotics before, and they hadn't studied any of the theory…and they were still really, really good at it.
“Passion and love and genuine desire and drive to keep going and understand it all really helps.”
The students were accompanied by principal Dr Rene Wihby, and mentors Collin Samaru and Tricia Singh.
Singh recalled “not being able to breathe" (properly) during the semi-finals owing to her nervousness looking on.
“(After), the students told me they were also nervous, they were scared, they weren't sure if they could do it…But they said when they looked in the crowd and they saw the red, white and black, they were like, ‘We could definitely do it.’
“Most of the supporters were parents, siblings; we had the current principal and two past principals there from the school as well.”
She said she is very proud of the students and their work ethic. (Source:  Newsday. October 13, 2024)