Haitian food is having its day on Youtube, thanks to Lamise Oyugi, a Haitian-American food vlogger on Youtube. Based in North Dakota, the zealous foodie breaks down the intricate steps of Haitian cooking down to well-constructed videos on the platform. She also features the cuisines of other Caribbean countries, as well as some parts of Africa.

Kreyolicious: Tell us about how cooking came to be such a big part of your world?
I started cooking at the age of ten. My mother would have me sit next to her while she’s cooking dinner and I would imitate her cooking but using a can. That’s how my passion for cooking started. I learned to cook watching my mom and aunt. They loved to cook, and for the most part, we prepared meals at home instead of going out to eat.

Above: A griyo dish prepared by the Haitian-American foodie for her Youtube channel. [Photo Credit: Lamise Oyugi]

Kreyolicious: You moved from Haiti to the USA when you were little. And moved to Fargo, North Dakota as opposed to a U.S city like Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Newark, Miami where there is a much bigger Haitian population. Do you think you had a different acculturation experience then peers who moved there?
My parents made that decision to move to North Dakota when I was a young girl, so I didn’t have much input into it. But that decision turned out to be a good one, since I have enjoyed my life here while keeping my culture in tact.

Kreyolicious: What was it really like growing up in Fargo?
Fargo is a pretty lively place to grow up in and it is one of those cities that you have to visit to see first hand. There is a mix of cultures and among them is a nice size Haitian community.

A Lamise Oyugi creation! Photo Credit: Lamise Oyugi

Kreyolicious: What made you start your Youtube channel?
I wanted to teach people about Haitian cuisine because I felt that Haitian cuisine is not well represented.

Kreyolicious: When did you realize you were getting somewhere with all the hours and effort, time and money that you were putting in your channel?
I started realizing this is getting somewhere when the subscriber list started getting bigger and bigger and people began leaving positive comments. This fueled my passion to continue.

Above: Okra stew prepared by Haitian-American food vlogger Lamise Oyugi! Photo Credit: Lamise Oyugi.

Kreyolicious: What are the challenges that come with being a food vlogger?
Making sure you deliver what your audience want can sometimes be challenging. This is because some ingredients can be hard to find in my area.

Photography Credit: Lamise Oyugi

CLICK HERE to watch Lamise Oyugi cook her Haitian, Caribbean and African dishes! CHECK OUT this fabulous foodie on her Instagram channel as well by CLICKING HERE!

Haitian food vlogger Lamise Oyugi is putting Haiti’s cuisine right where it belongs on Youtube—right alongside the other international cuisines that cooking enthusiasts salivate over. What started as a hobby of sorts has turned into a full-pledged business, as the Haitian-American foodie is being approached by brands, winning fans and subscribers for her channel, and not to mention expanding her brand off-line.

Since Haitian cuisine has much in common with other cuisines from parts of Africa, and the Caribbean, as well as the USA, the food entrepreneur now offers a variety of recipes and tutorials on her channel.

If you missed part one of our interview, CLICK HERE!

Kreyolicious: The African dishes you prepare are mostly from Uganda. How did you learn to prepare those dishes?
My husband is from Uganda, a country I visited a couple of times recently. While I was there, I learned to cook local dishes such as pilau food because I enjoyed it. I cooked that over and over for my family when I returned to North Dakota, and I have made that part of my YouTube videos.

Kreyolicious: What’s the best compliment you’ve gotten from a viewer?
A subscriber, who is not Haitian, told me that she made a fathers dinner day for her Haitian husband, after watching my video and she said that her husband said that was one of the best meals he has had thus far. That made feel good.

Another scrumptious dish from Haitian-American foodie Lamise Oyugi. Diri kole!

Kreyolicious: That’s awesome…If there was a food ration, and you were given the choice of choosing only one of these spices for a year and no other…which would you choose…Garlic…bell pepper and black pepper.
I would choose garlic, because you can crush it to infuse more flavor or you can chop for less.

Spaghetti cooked Haitian style by foodie extraordinaire Lamise Oyugi. Photo Credit: Lamise Oyugi

Kreyolicious: Have you ever thought of creating a cookbook to go with your channel?
I have thought about. I am working on it and will unveil it in the future.

Kreyolicious: What else is next for you?
Currently doing cooking classes. I also want to continue to produce more videos for my YouTube channel.

Photography Credit: Lamise Oyugi

CLICK HERE to watch Haitian food vlogger Lamise Oyugi cook her Haitian, Caribbean and African dishes! CHECK this fabulous foodie on her Instagram channel as well by CLICKING HERE!

Love For Haitian Food is easily one of the most popular Haitian-American food blogs. Created by Manie Chery, a Haitian-American foodie, the vlog has thousands of views on Youtube, a highly-trafficked website, and an Instagram account that gets reposted by lovers of Haitian food. For the video recipe tutorials the vlogger presents traditional and non-traditional Haitian cooking recipes with a Haitian-American touch. Follow your fave chick Kreyolicious as I interview the mind behind this foodie venture.

Kreyolicious: Tell us about yourself and your childhood memories you have of food and cooking.
I was a skinny kid…still pretty slim. They used to have to force me to eat a lot unless it was something I liked, like chicken and banann peze… P.S. My older brother and I called every meat chicken [Laughter]. I was not interested in cooking as a kid. My mom would be in the kitchen and I’d be watching cartoons. But at about age twelve, I learned how to make spaghetti—Italian style).

Kreyolicious: Who was instrumental in making you the cook you are today?
Definitely my mom, as I grew older when she was in the kitchen she would say, Vin aprann fè manje [come learn how to whip together a meal]. I honestly didn’t care at the time. But I did notice that my family always asked her to cook for family functions and then they would rave about the food. I was impressed by that, and figured if I wanted people to rave about my food, I’d better learn from her.

Kreyolicious: What made you start your vlog?
Well, in my mid-twenties—I’m thirty something now—I realized that I couldn’t cook anything else well enough besides pasta. I figured there were other young Haitian-Americans who also didn’t know how to cook their favorite Haitian dishes. While searching for recipe videos, I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for. So, I decided to create it. Recipes for Haitian food with visuals that the cooking-challenged could easily follow.

This concludes PART I of the interview with Love for Haitian Food vlogger Manie Chery. Be sure to watch out for Part II. Meanwhile…

CLICK HERE to visit Manie Chery’s I Love Haitian Food vlog| CLICK HERE to visit the I Love Haitian food website | I Love Haitian Food on Instagram |

CLICK HERE to read more articles related to Haitian cuisine.

CLICK HERE to read interviews with other Haitian-American food vloggers!

Haitian American food vlogger Manie Chery is the woman behind the Love for Haitian Food website and vlog. Haitian cooking is pretty laborious, but to also have a vlog about Haitian cooking! Well, that’s a pretty huge load. But Manie Chery is up for the challenge and more. Here she is discussing the challenges that she ran across as she tried to launch the blog, and her plans for its future.

Kreyolicious: It’s one thing to start a vlog, but keeping it going is another matter. What are some challenges you’ve had, and how did you bypass and solve them?
Challenges that I’ve faced with keeping my vlogs going is basically being a one-woman team. I write the recipes, cook, film, edit, create the blog posts, photograph the pictures etc, etc. It gets hard doing it all by myself, but I wouldn’t quit, even if I take long breaks in between posting I would never quit cause I realize that it helps a lot of people. To solve those issues it takes a lot planning and giving myself the needed time to get things done. I struggle with that but I am definitely a work in progress.

Kreyolicious: What are some of the best things that have happened to you since you started your food vlog?
Some of the best things that have happened to me since starting my vlog is first learning how to cook Haitian food, that is a skill/gift that I’m proud to say I finally have, and I’m still learning. I’ve been contacted by a publisher who inquired about me writing a cookbook. Also, the love that I receive from all over the world is great and seriously makes me so happy and gives me the necessary push to move forward. Another thing that has happened is getting interviewed by awesome people like you which helps me to be more visible on the internet, I appreciate that a lot!

Kreyolicious: You’re so gracious…Where do you see yourself and your blog three years from the date of this interview?
Three years from now, my cookbook is still doing very well. I’m working on it. I see my blog having very heavy traffic from visitors all over the world. I am one of the first people that comes to mind when someone is looking for a recipe. Life is great and will continue to be so! I like to speak things into existence.

CLICK HERE to visit Haitian American food blogger Manie Chery’s I Love Haitian Food vlog| CLICK HERE to visit the I Love Haitian food website | I Love Haitian Food on Instagram |

CLICK HERE to read more articles related to Haitian cuisine.

CLICK HERE to read interviews with other Haitian-American food vloggers!

Haitian-American food vlogger Chef Land Land (yes, that’s right two Lands) is one of the most-followed chefs on Instagram, and she has one of ther fastest growing urban food channels on Youtube. Perhaps you’ve watched one of her Haitian cooking or soul food tutorials? Or perhaps you’ve seen one of her worth-salivating-over photos of her cooking on social media platforms. But how did she get her start? If you love cooking, you should read this interview. If you just love to eat, you should still read this interview! And if you’re an aspiring foodie, you can learn from her…

Kreyolicious: Tell us about some of the earliest memories of you have of food and cooking?
I remember this like yesterday. My grandmother made a meal that I was not used to and could not bring myself to eat. She unfortunately became offended, said that I was rude and the reason I did not eat was because it was from an elderly woman. She said she was throwing in the towel and we would need to prep our own meals. So she showed me the basic…chicken wings.

Kreyolicious: So…Who taught you how to cook?
My mother who started from the very beginning and my oldest sister who stayed by my side for the remainder of my journey.

Kreyolicious: What motivated you to start your cooking channel?
My mother, she was a woman who could light up your heart with her cooking and she passed it down to me. While I am devastated from losing her recently, I want her legacy to go on forever. It’s no secret in the recipes, it’s just about how things are done. I want to share what I know with the world and do the things she didn’t have the chance to fulfill.

Kreyolicious: What are some of the challenges you ran into in the early stages of your venture?
A challenge that I came across was baking. There is science behind baking. The measurements must be precise, and not to mention you must have all of the proper ingredients, especially if you are starting from scratch.

Okra goat stew made by Chef Land Land. [All photos courtesy of Chef Land Land]

Kreyolicious: What’s the most heartwarming compliment you’ve received from a fan?
Whenever I see the Chef Land Land name populate in my notifications, I just know it’s something good”.

Kreyolicious: What would you like to say to aspiring vloggers?
I would tell them, “follow Your heart”. Everyone goes through trial and error. You are not expected to be perfect the first time around. Don’t give up. You just have to practice and stay focused. Always remember, it is tough in the beginning.

Kreyolicious: What’s next for you?
I want my channel to expand, get more followers and one day become a top chef. I have plenty of recipes that I am willing to share and a world full of people who are willing to learn.

Watch one of Chef Land Land’s cooking videos below!

Be sure to visit Chef Land Land’s channel for more video tutorials! CLICK HERE!

Ashley, the vlogger behind the immensely popular Youtube channel My Full Figured Life, bounces with so much energy, she’ll infuse you with extra manpower. Her channel has more than 15,000 subscribers, and that doesn’t include the lurkers who come on her channel to follow her life, enjoy some of her sassy talk, and get some much-needed confidence. Confidence! Now, that’s something that Ashley definitely has. She’s not the full-size woman stereotype who walks around with her head down, promising herself to start living when she gets skinny. She’s living now, baby, and she’s an inspiration to other full-sized women, and non-full-figured women.

She’s not above sharing her personal pain with her viewers and airing her innermost thoughts. She’s done vlogs about depression, jealousy in romantic relationships, rekindling family ties, even her health.

This is why brands like Zaabox, My Makeup Brush hound her, eager to establish work relationships with her, and expose their products to her loyal fans.

Kreyolicious: What was your Haitian-American experience like?
Ashley-My Full Figured Life: For me, my experience was a great one. Although I was raised by my mother, when I would visit my father, I enjoyed the whole cultural differences. It was almost like living two different lives. Both rich in their own accord but very different. I always try and embrace my Haitianess.

Kreyolicious: Lots of people ponder on becoming Youtubers and the idea just remains in the pondering stage. You are among the ones that up and did it. What led to it?
Ashley-My Full Figured Life: What led me to start my channel was me wanting to be a voice to other young plus sized women out there. I felt like I didn’t have many women like me to relate to and wanted to be that for other women.

Kreyolicious: Through your platform, you encourage people to embrace themselves and their size.
Ashley-My Full Figured Life: I wanted them to see through the way I carry myself and the life I live that you can be confident, beautiful and curvy all at the same time. I want women to stop putting limitations on themselves. Society does that enough. Live your life. Be happy and ‘Do you boo’!

Kreyolicious: Through your sheer professionalism, Youtubers like you make things appear so smooth and easy. Are there challenges behind the scenes?
Ashley-My Full Figured Life: There are sooo many challenges. The one that comes to mind the most is time management. With me owning a catering business here in NYC as well, things can get kind of hectic. But when I can, I’ll just take a day and film as many videos as I can do that I will have content to put out when things are crazy.

Kreyolicious: Why do you think you’re so popular?
Ashley-My Full Figured Life: I think I’m becoming popular because people enjoy my realness. They like that I’m positive yet honest. That’s so hard to find on social media now of days.

Kreyolicious: What are some of the feedback you’ve gotten from fans?
Ashley-My Full Figured Life: The majority of feedback has been positive. What struck me the most was one subscriber telling me to just be myself and never change. That meant a lot to me because it’s hard to stay true to yourself when you’re putting yourself out there and want people to like you and watch your videos.

Kreyolicious: How do your parents view you and your career?
Ashley-My Full Figured Life: My mother watches and is proud of me. My father loves to be on camera when I’m filming. All in all they’re very supportive. Both with YouTube and my catering.

Kreyolicious: What’s the best thing that’s happened to you since you begun your career as a content producer and influencer?
Ashley-My Full Figured Life: Hands down, it’s the feeling I get when I get those 3 a.m messages from young ladies telling me how I inspire them to come out their shell or I help them to feel better about themselves. Or even grown women. I’m here for everyone. Those kind of messages mean everything to me!

Kreyolicious: What are five books you feel are must-reads for every female?
Ashley-My Full Figured Life: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, True to the Game, The Coldest Winter Ever, Flyyy Girls, Starting a Business for Dummies.

Kreyolicious: If you were launching your channel this month and year, what would you do differently?
Ashley-My Full Figured Life: I’d be more open and transparent from the start.

Kreyolicious: Where do you hope to take your brand?
Ashley-My Full Figured Life: I hope to of course grow my channel and branch out to more humanitarian projects, start an accessories line, and maybe a couple [of] books!

CLICK HERE to get a glimpse at Ashley’s My Full Figured Life. GO HERE to visit Ashley’s Etsy Store |

Folks watch and comment on her videos know her as the bold and outspoken voice behind The Frustrated Haitian. They often wonder about the young woman who is a one-stop soap box for social topics about Haiti. Where does all that boldness come from? How does she decide what to discuss?

Here’s one question they won’t have to wonder much about: Why are her videos so popular? She speaks her mind in a way that some of her viewers wished they could. And there’s the authoritative way she expresses her views when she’s discussing everything from the exorbitant price of living in Haiti, to corporal punishment to single motherhood in the Haitian-American community, to language use among Haitian-Americans—among other topics. What started as personal outlet has grown into a respected brand with 2K Youtube subscribers, and with Olina Brice—better known as The Frustrated Haitian—as head-vlogger-in-charge.

Kreyolicious: Tell us about The Frustrated Haitian.

Many think I’m just a little girl behind the camera. However, I’m 34 years young. I born and raised in Little Haiti, Miami Florida. I’ve seen the up’s and downs of the Haitian Community. I feel we should be so much further, one of the most progressive Caribbean countries but we are like an expensive car with a great engine that’s isn’t moving although we’re pressing the gas pedal. What is the missing link?

We have millions of people that are available and eager to work but with no true job creation plans and the constant interference from the Haitian elite, the United States government, the poor infrastructure and education system many days are lost and so is the opportunity to improve the country. The leaders of the Republic of Haiti have kept the citizens generationaly uneducated—which have also led to many other issues within the country and our community today.

Kreyolicious: What made you decide start a vlog?

I wanted to vent my frustrations and find a community of people that may feel the same way. I wanted to connect with the under 50, and get them thinking and talking. My motto is you cannot talk about all the great parts without talking about the bad parts. I wanted to be the grey area that can actually look at the Republic of Haiti for what it really is. Many from the diaspora want to disregard the true issues and only talk about the beauty of the country and or talk about who is Haitian in Hollywood. However, I wanted to be different.

When I started in 2008, Haiti was going through a food crisis. My mother called me with panic and distress in her voice. She was calling me about Haiti. She told me, “Timoun yo grangou”—the children are hungry. Have you been watching the news? There is mayhem in the country?” At that moment, I knew the stress of Haiti was about to be pass down to me like a trust fund…That phone call is what changed my life and I still think about it today. So, when I turn on the camera i’m hoping to connect with other people from the diaspora that is going through the same thing.

Kreyolicious: Girl, how do you get the gumption to put yourself on a platform like YouTube and speak your mind like you do?

I’ve always been comfortable speaking up when I needed to. However I’m an introvert, but I was born a fighter. I’ve gone toe-to-toe with people since grade school. I think those experiences made me stronger. I do understand that we live in a time of political correctness. However Haitian and/or Black issues is our responsibility…so staying silent will not get us anywhere. Remember Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” So, I speak up not to offend but to let people know that as a Haitian born in the USA that we’re not ignoring the issues that are going on in Haiti.

Kreyolicious: Out of all the videos you’ve made, which one are you most proud of? Why?

Well, all of the videos I’ve done are my babies. However, it will be Haitian Creole! Poukisa Ou Pa Pale Kreyòl. I was explaining the reality of First Generation American Haitians living in the USA. Communication is important, communicating with Natif Natals (Native Haitians) is a struggle that many go through.

It’s great that we have found an opportunity here in the USA but passing our culture and language to our children is important. We cannot let or our ancestral steps disappear because we’ve moved to another country. We should be building and growing a stronger community no matter where we go and yes, speaking the language is a part of that. If we do not, we are committing self inflicted cultural genocide.

Kreyolicious: What advice would you give to someone who’d like to start a vlog?

I wish I had this advice in 2008. [Laughter] One of most important things to do is evaluate; why you want to vlog? When you become comfortable with that reason. Do not allow anyone to deter you from that. Please understand you will have trolls—internet bullies— and they will say anything and everything to offend you. So, make sure you develop thick skin. You need to be consistent if you would like to build an audience. Your audience becomes really invested in what you have to offer so you cannot leave them hanging.

Become like a TV show and release your content on a schedule so your audience knows when to check your channel for new videos. Lastly remember your brand. Are you doing this for fun and game or are you serious? If so, develop your brand values, build your brand and protect it.

Kreyolicious: Have you been to Haiti?

Mewi, I am the Frustrated Haitian. Although I made a video called “Haiti is Too Expensive”, I think it’s very important that parents expose their children to their homeland. You can represent being Haitian all you want, but the true experience is visiting the Republic of Haiti.

Kreyolicious: Are the videos you make the primary way you remain connected to the culture?

I’m Haitian. My culture walks with me everyday. Being part of a big Haitian family, exposure to the Haitian Culture was non-negotiable especially growing up in Little Haiti. Almost everything I do comes from my Haitian Family. From speaking creole when I see Haitian elders to preparing food. When I need to relax I listen to Rasin music. When I need to get motivated I listen to Kompa and or Zouk. Daan Junior, Jacques Sauveur Jean and Coupe Cloue are a few of my favorites.

I make the videos really to explain what it’s like being born and raised Haitian in the USA. The things that many of us had to go through and still go through today. Also to express my frustration with Haiti and the Haitian Community and provide a platform for people to discuss not only Haiti but things that are going on in the African Diaspora.

Kreyolicious: What should we expect from you next?

Well when it comes to Haiti there are a few projects in the works. At the moment I can only tell you about the Frustrated Haitian T-shirts which will launch [this] summer. I’m building this brand and my exposure as the Frustrated Haitian to later help Haiti any way that I can. Lastly you can catch me on Naturally Olina where I talk about natural hair. Kreyolicious, thank you so much for the steps that you’re making within the Haitian community. It’s taking us a while but the keyword is unity. Thank you for giving your readers and my subscribers the opportunity to get to know me a little better. I really do appreciate it….

CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEOS ON THE FRUSTRATED HAITIAN YOUTUBE CHANNEL.