According to the esteemed chef, the restaurant business is a reflection of society, and sustainability is important for the industry. He states that the least that can be done is an individual’s personal effort to reduce the carbon footprint and find ways to improve it. For Merriman, the first step in his mission was to understand how the restaurant’s current functioning was affecting the environment. Through 35 years of business, he has made changes at his restaurant to make it more sustainable and eco-friendly. He has also teamed up with GreenPlaces, an organization that works on helping businesses in becoming more sustainable.

Some modifications for this cause have been functioning for a long time, like local sourcing, on-site cultivation, and solar panels. Through these steps, Merriman’s has been working with local vendors and farmers to make 90% of their raw materials sustainable. The most extraordinary way of cutting down on the restaurant’s carbon emissions that the food joint has taken up is coming up with ‘carbon-friendly’ goat cheese using milk from goat herds from Hawaii Island Goat Dairy. The peculiar diet of limu kohu seaweed given to the goats at the institution cuts down on the methane emissions from goats by 85%. Another sustainability measure taken up by Merriman is reducing the weight of beverage bottles used in the restaurant. He has also been working on replacing glass bottles altogether with biodegradable packaging along with a whole new functioning structure.

Dutch Caribbean cuisine is a complex cuisine because of its very diverse history. The island’s cuisine was influenced by various people, with Spanish being the first to visit the country. Creole dishes or Pelau dish – which is a unique combination of rice, meat, and peas are made using many ingredients with Spanish origins. The different types of roots and vegetables used in the cuisine were brought by African slaves. Even India and China had a significant impact on the island’s cuisine. The cuisine is a reflection of the great mix of cultures existing on the island. One of the most famous dishes in the country is Funchi, a porridge made out of maize flour. Balck cake (bolo pretu) is one of the most popular sweet dishes.

Tutu

One of the most famous dishes. Tutu is traditionally eaten in Curacao, Bonaire, and Aruba. The dish’s main ingredients include cornmeal, butter, garlic, black-eyed peas, nutmeg, onions, and coconut milk. The ingredients are mixed with a lele until the dish becomes thicker and has a stiff consistency. Tutu is actually eaten as a side dish along with cheese or codfish.

Funchi

It is one of the easiest to make dishes from the Caribbean. It’s prepared with only three ingredients – cornmeal, salt, and butter. It’s like a porridge. To make this dish – cornmeal is cooked in boiling water. It is stirred continuously to make sure there are no lumps. The texture of the final dish is thick and stiff. Once cooked, butter is added to the dish. Funchi can be served with multiple ingredients – and it’s generally eaten as an accompaniment to soups and stews. It is sometimes even sliced and eaten as fries.

Orange Curaçao

Orange Curacao is originated from the namesake island. The original version of the drink was flavored with Laraha oranges. The original recipe makes for a colorless and clear drink. The coloring was added later on for decorative purposes. However, many times there are different ingredients mixed with the oranges to create different flavor profiles.