Caribbean Chef Featured in Nissan’s Hispanic American Month Celebration

Award-winning Chef Digby Stridiron from St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands was recently selected to participate in a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month by automobile manufacturer Nissan.

Chef Digby StridironLos Angeles-based Mercedes Rojas from Venezuela, and Jonathan Pérez, who holds Guatemalan-Mexican roots, joined Chef Digby for the culinary celebration in “The Nissan Flavor Garage”, which recognized the history, culture and influence of Hispanic Americans.

“That’s why we decided to bring together three talented chefs from the Latino community to our Nissan Flavor Garage, so they can show us that with creativity, collaboration, community and passion, you can create new flavors and open new culinary paths,” read a statement on Nissan USA’s website.

Chef Digby, who prepared roasted red snapper with tostones, was billed in the promotion as an “Afro-Caribbean chef, with Puerto Rican roots”, who specializes in what many call today ‘slow food’, which consists of fresh, locally harvested, ingredients and proteins gathered from the sea.

A significant segment of St. Croix’s population has strong ties to Puerto Rico and many residents speak both English and Spanish.

Chef Digby is an award-winning Caribbean chef and community leader who has worked closely with World Central Kitchen and other aid organizations. On social media, he commented: “As a Virgin Islander and Puerto Rican it was an honor to be selected to represent my region of the world! A lot of ppl might not know it but our Hispanic heritage in stx [St. Croix] is a part of our DNA!”

In the feature, Rojas, who has a restaurant in a local farmers market, prepared arepas, while Pérez, who collaborates with his community through food programs for lower income families in downtown Los Angeles, served up oxtail and tasty tacos.