If you ever happen to be in the Lone Star State, and the city of Plano is among your stops, be sure to stop by at City Hall to say hello to the mayor of that city. Be sure to make an appointment, because the man holding that position—Mayor Harry LaRosiliere—is a busy—very busy—man. In addition to being responsible for the operation of the ninth largest city in Texas (population of well over 265,000), he is the father of two teen LaRosilieres and husband to the City’s First Lady, Tracy LaRosiliere.

Mayor LaRosiliere was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and moved to the state of New York when he was three years old. His family settled in Harlem, and after graduating from Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, he attended the City College of New York. After earning a degree in Geology, he didn’t go off to a mine, but went into the finance industry. In the mid-1990s, he left New York for Texas.

In May of 2013, he made history by becoming the first Black mayor of Plano, and the first Haitian-American to hold that position. Prior to his election, the city had figured figured on the Best Run Cities in America, list, as selected by 24/7 Wallstreet, and he strives to keep it that way.

But, how did the Mayoring One get to where he is? What is the secret of his success? Kreyolicious.com reached out to the mayor, and he graciously made time out to give a glimpse into his life, as well as some insight into his success. He are some snippets.

You’re not related to Pè Demeran from the movie I Love You Anne, the actor Fresnel LaRosiliere, are you?

Yes, I am related to him. Anybody with the LaRosiliere name is a relative, but I’ve never met him. Most of my family live on the East Coast…in Montreal, but we do have some extended family back home.

What do you like most about living in Texas?

What I love about living in Texas is the quality of life. I’ve been a resident of Plano, Texas for nineteen years. It’s funny, I told people I had a 3-year plan, and here I am, 19 years later, the Mayor of Plano. It’s a great community, and I love being here. It’s a bit more laid back and at an easier pace than what I was used to, growing up in New York. How is Texas like Haiti? Texas is like Haiti because there are times when it can get pretty hot.

Were you always an achiever?

You know what? I never consider myself an achiever. I think life is a journey, and you just set up goals along the line. Achievement is something someone else will determine. You set goals, and you take the steps along the path. I always move forward and I just keep moving towards that goal.

Prior to becoming the Mayor of Plano, you were City Councilman, and before that, a financial advisor. Do you have any tips on how to handle finances?

My suggestion for people on handling finances is to, first of all, get into the habit of saving. Saving is a habit, just like being in debt is a habit. And having an actual long-term plan to execute, so that you can move towards the goal.

You are a graduate of City College of New York. With all the talk about the educational bubble, do you think that going to college is worth it?

Going to college is well worth it. My sister and I were the first college graduates of our family. And what I found is that education—college education—prepares you with skills that are much above and beyond what you actually learn. The skill of being independent, meeting deadlines, doing presentations—all those are things are transferable skills you’ll use in real life and beyond.

When was the last time you went to Haiti?

The last time I went to Haiti was in 1989. I went for my grandmother’s funeral. I was supposed to have been there for five days. The night before I left, they were trying to topple the government. I was stuck there for two weeks. It really taught me what freedom is all about.

Our parents practically mold us. What would you say has been the most important principle taught to you by your parents?

Work hard. Put in a honest day of work every day. Make education the cornerstone of your life.

How is your Creole?

It’s functional. To use a Haitian term, it is—Kreyol mawon—which means, if you translate it—brown Kreyol, which means, it’s bad. [Laughter] Comme ci, comme ça.

Along your journey, what have you learned about success and leadership?

Success is a journey, not a destination. I don’t ever call myself successful. I see myself succeeding at goals, but the minute I reach a goal, it’s really a stepping stone to the next goal. Leadership is something that is synonymous with responsibility for me. So, taking a leadership position means you’re accepting responsibility. The true essence of leadership is to bring other people along and create a shared vision.

Was moving to Texas from New York the scariest thing you’ve ever done?

Moving to Texas from New York was not the scariest thing I’ve ever done. Living in New York, there’s a lot of scarier things that occurred for me. Coming to Texas was actually very empowering because I came to join my then-girlfriend and now-wife, and it’s been the best decision I ever made.

Mayor Harry LaRosiliere and his wife Tracy and their two daughters.

And speaking of which, change is good. But how can one tell when one is about to make a disastrous change and a beneficial change?

You know, you don’t know when a change is going to be disastrous or beneficial. But risk is part of life. I think, ultimately, we all have a voice inside of us that lets us know when we are really going to do something wrong. I think if you listen to that voice and take its guidance, you’ll always be on the right path. Reality is, even if you listen to that voice, you will not be to able to avoid mistakes. By listening to the right things, you’ll be in the right direction, and you’ll be on that journey, towards success and your true path. I feel good about where I am in my life because I have a wonderful family. I have a beautiful wife. Two healthy daughters that are thriving in school. My success will be something—someone else will decide—when I’m long gone. I’ll know that I have succeeded in life if I’ve had a true positive impact on my daughters. That’ll be the ultimate measure for me.

[Photos: Provided by the City of Plano; family photo Gittins. Special thanks to D.D. Falls and Ethan of the City of Plano TV, for making this interview possible. ]

Be sure to check out Kreyolicious.com’s Yap Mennen/They’re Balling section.

A group of Haitian-Americans were aware that Houston and several major cities in Texas were growing more and more attractive to Haitian-Americans. They, which includes co-founder James Pierre, decided to launch an organization to help keep Haitian culture and traditions alive. Houston Haitians United have mixers, cultural nights and other culture-driven events. They’ve even taken part in relief drives to help members of the Haitian-American community (and others) affected by Hurricane Harvey. The organization even sent a representative for Haiti at the Houston Caribbean Queen Pageant.

In Part I of our interview, we discussed the beginnings of the organization. In this last installment of the interview, Pierre shares his vision for HHU (as the organization is fondly called), and his perspective of Haitian-American population growth in the State of Texas.

Kreyolicious: Besides the popular cities like Houston, Dallas, Fort-Worth, Plano, Desoto, where in Texas do you anticipate a Haitian-American population increase?
The aforementioned Killeen Texas has grown exponentially, there are a lot of active military that relocate there and bring their families to Fort Hood which is the nearby military base. There is now a Haitian Restaurant in Killeen as of this year.

Kreyolicious: Do most Haitian-Americans who are in Houston go back to their state of origin after a while, or are they pretty much permanent in Texas?
It varies I’ve been here fourteen years and I’ve seen folks come and go, and this was before the restaurants, Kompa promoters and the conception of HHU as a hub for all things Haitian in Houston. Before that most people would get homesick and move back before interacting with the community. More than often people stay because of Houston’s of jobs, economic stability, and very affordable cost of living.

Above: Houston Haitians United sent these beauties to represent Haiti at the Houston Caribbean Queen Pageant this past summer!

Kreyolicious: Where does HHU see itself as an organization five years from now?
Houston Haitians United: Our plans for HHU are to continue to promote and uplift Haitians and our culture by creating and providing resources for the well-being and advancement of Haitians in Houston and everywhere our organization can reach. We want to continue to highlight Haitian culture and provide an avenue to which local Haitians, Haitian Businesses and Haitian organizations can network. We’re hoping that the buzz and locality of this organization will help a lot of relocating Haitians feel at home here in Houston, as well as be the driving force to help those Haitians who have been here for a while.

This concludes PART II of the interview with the co-founder of Houston Haitians United. CLICK HERE to visit the organization’s website| Houston Haitians United on Instagram |

The next time you’re in Texas, and feel like having some Haitian food, your intestines won’t have to suffer much. Gou Lakay, located in the heart of Killeen, Texas and its wonderful staff—which includes co-owner Mario Sense—will be more than happy to cater to your Haitian cuisine cravings. Born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sense moved to the Lone Star State a few years ago. Be attentive, dear readers, as he tells the story of how he brought Haitian food to Haitian-Americans and other Texans.

Kreyolicious: How did you come to be involved in the food business?
I moved to Killeen, Texas in 2013. The cost of living here had opened my eyes on starting a few businesses. A year later, May 2014, I met Yann and Laura, my two business partners and co-owners of the restaurant. We became close friends, and one night out in early 2016, we were talking about different businesses in the community and the ideal of Haitian restaurant came up. We were so excited about it that we jumped on the idea and worked tirelessly, and opened our doors on January 6, 2017.

Kreyolicious: How did you settle on the name Gou Lakay?
It wasn’t that difficult. We had several names with Gou and several names with Lakay and one day we just combined Gou and Lakay. Voila…Gou Lakay.

Kreyolicious: What is the Haitian-American community like in Texas?
Base on the nonprofit Facebook page Laura already had, we figured with a little over a hundred people on the page and being that it’s a military town, we would create an atmosphere where everyone would feel welcomed. Little did we know, the Haitian-American community here is a lot larger than we could have imagined. Some people have been in this area for over 30 years and never knew there were five [other] Haitians here, let alone the [number] they saw on grand opening night.

Military patrons enjoy a meal at Gou Lakay in Texas.

Kreyolicious: When did it occur to you that starting a restaurant in the area would be a good idea?
I’m all about business, so the idea was always there. But, it was set a few months after I met Yann and Laura. They are very business-minded people. So the feeling of having the right partners made starting any business with them the right time.

Kreyolicious: From what you have observed, what’s the most popular dish with your clients?
I’m not sure if it’s because people miss their home cooked meal so much that surprisingly this is a deadlock between griot, diri djo ndjon [fried pork with black mushroom rice] and tasso kabrit [fried goat], diri djon djon [rice with mushrooms].

A Gou Lakay dish!

Kreyolicious: Do you find that you have to make certain adjustments to the cuisine to make it appeal to some of your patrons?
Definitely. Every month we make adjustments to appeal to our patrons…whether it’s on the menu or our hours of operations.

Kreyolicious: What’s it like running Gou Lakay day-to day?
It’s definitely a challenge. We are all still fully-employed. So, we definitely thank God for the smoothness of the day-to-day operation, and it has a lot to do with our amazing cook/chef Eugenie Chery. Without her, we don’t know how successful Gou Lakay would have been.

Kreyolicious: Hindsight…hindsight! What do you wish you had known before starting out?
Had we known there were that many Haitians around, we would have pulled the trigger sooner. [smiles widely]

Kreyolicious: Is Haiti a place you travel to often?
Since 2003, I’ve only been back twice and unfortunately. It’s been for my grandfather’s then my father’s funeral. However, we all have upcoming travel plan to the motherland within the next year.

Kreyolicious: Where do you see Gou Lakay going? A franchise perhaps?
Not to brag, we have already received several inquiries to open Gou Lakay in different States…Some from people who’ve never even been to the restaurant, just based on what they’ve seen on social media.

CLICK HERE to visit the Gou Lakay restaurant website! CLICK HERE to visit the restaurant’s Facebook page.