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Chef Nathalie Lecorps grew up in the kitchen of her parents’ Miami restaurant pressing plantains and smelling the savory Haitian spice mixes frying with each dish. Now she’s spreading her love of Haitian cuisine to Boston with the opening of her first brick-and-mortar restaurant Gourmet Kreyol in Mattapan.
The Gourmet Kreyol brand launched in 2021 as a food truck and catering company dishing out chicken stew, rice and beans and fried pork. The brick-and-mortar celebrated their grand opening on May 24 hosting community members for an extravagant, and flavorful, outdoor party. Mayor Michelle Wu and City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune attended.
For both the food truck and the restaurant, Lecorps adapted classic Haitian recipes to make them accessible to many different diets. She sources Halal poultry, uses gluten-free flour and crafts vegetable-centric vegan stews.
Lecorps adapts Classic Haitian recipes to make them accessible to many different diets. “I want everyone to be able to eat Haitian food,” she says. PHOTO: COURTESY OF GOURMET KREYOL
“People really took to having Caribbean food this way,” says Lecorps. “With everyone’s dietary restrictions, I wanted to make sure that I can cater to as many people as possible. I want everyone to be able to eat Haitian food.”
The structure of Gourmet Kreyol also operates differently from traditional Haitian restaurants. Lecorps says it’s common to get a dish with rice and plantains or possibly salad. At Gourmet Kreyol, diners build their plates, choosing from a selection of sides that range from string beans and carrots to potato salad, as well as the traditional offerings.
Gourmet Kreyol is located at 1210 Blue Hill Ave. in Mattapan and offers takeout Tuesday through Saturday. Lecorps will also continue offering catering and running the food truck.
But this brick-and-mortar is just the first step on her expansion plan. Lecorps is also working on opening a sit-down restaurant called Doune & Pepe in Dorchester, slated to open in fall 2025. Named for her two grandmothers, the restaurant will showcase Dominican, Haitian and Creole family recipes.
Gourmet Kreyol is located at 1210 Blue Hill Ave. in Mattapan and offers takeout Tuesday through Saturday. PHOTO: COURTESY OF GOURMET KREYOL
Gourmet Kreyol too is a peek into Lecorps’ family history. As a child, Lecorps grew tired of rice and her mother would make her plantain sandwiches. Bostonians can order those very sandwiches with thick slices of chicken or pork and crisp tomatoes assembled between sweet plantain strips.
The restaurant has been community centric from the start. Since 2023, Gourmet Kreyol has donated 800,000 meals to local shelters that are supporting Haitian migrants and others in need in the Boston area. Lecorps emphasized what a difference cultural food can make for folks in an unfamiliar place.
“I have a passion for cooking, but I feel like my biggest passion is giving back,” says Lecorps. “And who better to give back to than people I can connect with through my own heritage?”
After the success of the grand opening celebration for Gourmet Kreyol, Lecorps is ready to get cooking for the neighborhood.
“We’re excited to serve the community,” says Lecorps. “This is the first of many Gourmet Kreyol restaurants.”
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