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In 2006 Shottas officially entered the begin screen, now the sequel Shottas 2 is currently in production and officially started filming on Friday April 20. Dancehall entertainer David ‘Mavado’ Brooks, joins the cast, Writer-director Cess Silvera confirmed via Twitter that, in addition to Mavado, the cast will include Ky-Mani who reprises his key role of Biggs. According to Silvera, everything is now in place to bring the long-awaited sequel to life. Shottas was considered the Jamaican version of "Scareface" about organized crimes in Kingston about two young men, Wayne (Spragga Benz) and Biggs (Kymani Marley), who grow up together on the tough and dangerous streets of Kingston, Jamaica. As young boys, they begin a life of crime, eventually moving to the U.S., where they begin a ruthless climb from the bottom to the glittering top of a criminal enterprise in a Miami filled with fast cars and gorgeous women. The two men remain fiercely bound by their shottas loyalty as they aggressively take control of the Jamaican underworld. The release for Shottas 2 is October 2014

Born in Anguilla, singer songwriter, Omari Banks is on a musical mission to spread messages of love and consciousness with his assimilation of traditional Jamaican Reggae music accentuated with Rock and Blues backbeats, in an adult contemporary fusion that he blends seamlessly with Lovers Rock and R ‘n’ B Since his unexpected retirement in 2012 from a successful, professional cricket career, Omarihas dedi-cated himself to his music and is now ready to unleash his first message to the world with his debut album, Move On. The 10-track album recorded in Jamaica, Houston, Texas and at home in Anguilla, is a melange of Om-ari’smusical influences and what he likes to call his “contribution to a legacy his dad (Bankie Banx) started in the early 70s.” Omari was only five years old the first time he performed on stage with his father at a concert in Italy. Thus, in many ways he has come full circle and is now able to forge ahead on his musi-cal journey. He currently performs four to six times a week around his native land with his band, Eleven, or in simpler acoustic sets. Like most of the album, Omari wrote both the lyrics and the music on the title track, which was produced by Stanley Stevens. Renowned musicians Junior Jazz, Glen Bowne, Robbie Lyn and Sly Dunbar accompany Omari on this autobiographical song about his transi-tion from cricket to music. Locally, the soft release of the single, Move On, gar-nered airplay on all of Anguilla’s radio stations in-cluding 92.9 Klass FM, 95.5 FM Radio Anguilla, 97.7 FM Up Beat Radio and 103.3 Kool FM. On February 22, 2013, Omari Banks returns to the Caribbean’s largest privately owned music festival, Moon Splash to perform songs from his debut album. Omari Banks is a man with a message and the desire to succeed; his brilliant cricket career is a testament to Omari’s drive and determination, but his musical journey has only just begun. “I want to take my music to an international market because I have an opinion based on knowledge and information. I want to use the gifts I’ve been blessed with to have a positive influence on people. Being someone who has already travelled the world with sports, I’m able to have a broader perspective than a lot of other people. I can communicate to all levels of thinking from a child to an adult and my music is ageless and really touches lives because the stories are true and talk about what’s really going on.” Such tracks include Still The Youth, Oh Africa and Jehovah’s Message. His music is food for the soul. His narrative ballads tell stories about society and relationships that convey lessons learned while others, filled with inspiration and hope, support his musical recipe where love is always the key ingredient. “It’s message music and I speak through the song” explains Omari, “once I’ve decided on the concept (something I’m passionate about), I go within myself to paint the best picture about what I’m really feel-ing…the music also has to fit the concept of the song. The chords need to convey the right attitude to evoke the right meaning. I’m very honest, very genuine and very personal, and I think that’s what people connect to because I say things that people are afraid to say. I’m not afraid to say how I’m truly feeling and I put my emotions out there.” Although he dabbles with bass occasionally, Omari’s instrument of choice is the guitar and unlike his con-temporaries, Omari plays, sings, and writes his own songs. He also writes, arranges and produces the mu-sic that is filled with rich horns, snare drums, heavy bass and electric guitar chords and melodies, that bring Omari’s words to life, setting Omari Banks apart from most contemporary Reggae artists. In his own words.......... “I want to take my music to an international market because I have an opinion based on knowledge and information.”

At the 26th staging of the Miss Jamaica UK 2015 pageant 17 year-old student Jasmine May beat out 11 contestants to capped the title. May , whose parents hails from the parish of Portland in Jamaica will be an ambassador for the annual beauty pageant for a year. Second place went to Rica Kelly , 29, a teacher whose parents are from Westmoreland, while third place went to Chrishauna Champagnie , 19, a law student whose parents are from the parish of Kingston. Chreena Miller , 26, won the most sectional prizes as she won Best Talent, Best Body Tone and voted Best Model for Positive Runway. The hosts for the evening were Andrew Clunis and Deneez Peters and entertainment was provided by reggae sensation S avanna, Hali I and The McKoy Family. Miss Jamaica UK is beauty pageant open to women in the UK of Jamaican heritage, between the ages of 17-27. Each year, contestants from across the country compete to win the coveted title.

TORONTO, Canada – Trini Author, Jennylynd James, Ph.D . who was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago is excited about her latest memoir entitled, Dérivé: A Trini Expat Comes Home . Dérivé (pronounced Dreevay) is French for drift, go off course, or gallivant. At nineteen, Jennylynd James drifted for the first time from her home in Trinidad and Tobago to attend university abroad. It was the start of a lifelong passion for travel and adventure. This expatriate’s quest to find balance between the need for adventure and the desire to return home is described in a witty collection of stories of nostalgia and mad risk-taking. With a mix of humour and colloquial sayings of Trinidad and Tobago, the reader is drawn into the lifestyle and culture of this Caribbean melting pot. Jennylynd now lives in Toronto, Canada where she has embraced self expression in art, music, and writing. Dérivé: A Trini Expat Comes Home makes for great reading during the holidays and is available on Amazon.com and illustrated e-books on Amazon Kindle. Get your copy today!

The Miss Caribbean Queen 2015 pageant was recently held at the prestigious Shaw Theatre on the Euston Road, London. Amy Harris-Willock , who represented Antigua & Barbuda won the title from a field of sixteen other Caribbean representatives. She was also awarded the best dressed with AgyeFrance. 1st Runner Up went to Jamaica representative Selina Chippy , who also won the People’s Choice award. 2nd Runner Up went Nicole Renwick represented Trinidad and Tobago. While the Miss Personality award went to Rochelle Barrett , another Jamaican representative. The pageant was launched last year to showcase and promote the Caribbean countries. With its logo ‘Positively Promoting the Caribbean’ the event aims to raise awareness of issues relating to the Caribbean people in the UK and the wider Diaspora by inspiring, informing and uniting both those taking part and the UK audience.‎ Organisers Clayton and Jacqui Brown aim to use pageantry to unify, inspire, educate, entertain and celebrate the historical and cultural impact of the Caribbean.

Last year a historic event prompted me squelch my aversion to commercial cruise ships and get on the boat: the inaugural Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise on the Norwegian Pearl, featuring five nights of performances by the biggest names in Jamaican music and helmed by one of today’s most exhilarating artists, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley —yes, Bob’s son (see my NPR coverage of it here: http://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2014/12/04/368256462/a-supposedly-irie-thing-ill-most-certainly-do-again ). This month I couldn’t resist getting on the boat yet again; memories of stellar performances, lively after-parties, Jamaican film screenings and a stunningly diverse, uber-irie crowd proved too potent a lure. On day one I ran into actor Malik Yoba , known for starring roles in the TV shows Empire and New York Undercover and films like Cool Runnings and Why Did I Get Married? Explaining that he too, wouldn’t dare miss the boat, the actor, philanthropist and reggae lover volunteered to chat with Damian Marley about the evolution of the Welcome to Jamrock cruise as a formidable global brand Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley onstage Malik Yoba at the LA premiere of “Empire” MALIK: I gotta say, right off the bat, this boat is a really good time, an incredible experience. I’ve never been on a cruise before, but I came on this one because I wanted to see what the hype was about. DAMIAN: Me neither, before I started this one. MALIK: So how did the idea come to be? DAMIAN: Well, other genres of music have been doing cruises, so the idea of musical cruises is not original. But there has never been a reputable reggae cruise. Yet it makes such sense: warm weather, Caribbean vibes, traveling to Jamaica, reggae music. So the idea itself is not the achievement as much as executing the idea, which proved to be more of a challenge. MALIK: What was the challenge? DAMIAN: One of the challenges is what reggae music faces in general, which is that the music is popular all over the world, but we don’t have the structure, the investors–the business side of it has always been kind of wild west: not organized. So because of that we haven’t had the chance to prove our worth and our value, and prove to investors that we are worth the investment. A lot of promoters, people who charter cruises and so on, didn’t think that reggae fans have enough disposable income to come and enjoy a cruise. But check it out—here we are, one of the fastest selling-out in all of the cruise business, so much so that this year we had two boats instead of one, back to back—this is the second. MALIK: How quickly did it sell out? DAMIAN: The inaugural one sold out in months. This one is sold out; the one before this was short just a few percentage. And the original one, last year, was only promoted on my Facebook page—no advertising. Next year will be even better because we’ll have a bigger ship, with another company, Royal Caribbean. MALIK: This boat is a serious business move, selling not just reggae culture but the brand of Jamaica—the “Welcome to Jamrock” concept. I know how a culture can impact an economy; I remember, after filming Cool Runnings, how that Disney film about the Jamaican bobsled team drove up tourism. Even on a simple, local level, we filmed onsite in Jamaica and someone moved into the shack in the country built for my character in the film! So considering this could be a huge economic driver for the community, what does that look like to you? DAMIAN: How you see it look now, which is a scenario where everyone benefits. This boat sails from Miami to Jamaica and back, so we are bringing 2000-odd people to Jamaica, a lot of whom have never been there, to experience Jamaica and hopefully want to return. Eventually we might partner with the right Jamaican brands, too, once it’s something beneficial to the economy of Jamaica. Marcus Garvey would be proud: We are owning our culture and our economy. And for the music, it all speaks volumes about our value as a genre. Artists who are performing are getting to expose themselves to new fans—there’s people from 52 different nations on the boat. For Jamaican artists without visas, this is their opportunity to perform before an American audience, which is huge for them and their fans. And we just want to keep doing things that are an example of what our value is as reggae music, which I am very proud of. It’s a bigger than just Damian Marley—it encompasses everyone, it’s a unity. And again, that speaks volume in terms of how unity is strength. MALIK: Great point about the power of unity. Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley DAMIAN: This is a true example of one love, which my father sings about. There are different races, different religions, different cultures, but they have a common love for reggae culture. There’s a common thread through everyone on the boat. The artists all brought their A games, top performances. A lot of people share the opinion that these are the best shows from these artists MALIK: I definitely have been hugely impressed by the quality of performances, and I’m a huge fan of so many of these artists, from Barrington Levy to Tarrus Riley. Tarrus and I actually had the opportunity to record a track together at Tuff Gong studio in Kingston, Jamaica, last year, which will eventually appear on an album I’m working on that’s heavily reggae influenced. DAMIAN: I didn’t realize you sing. MALIK: It’s a huge love for me, many years now. So where is this cruise going, in terms of the future? DAMIAN: A bigger boat, as I mentioned. More fans. And for the first two years we kept it strictly Jamaican in terms of performers, but next year we are trying to start embracing the international community of artists; we definitely want to make a statement about the root of the culture being Jamaican but at the same time we don’t build fences so we will open it up to artists like Collie Buddz from Bermuda and J Boog from Hawaii. We will make sure we have current acts and also pay homage to the root of the music and pay homage to the elders. MALIK: I’ve been amazed at how deep people want to go into reggae music—so many conversations about reggae history and more. DAMIAN: Yes. I would personally like this cruise to influence people to get deeper into the music of the artists onboard. So if we introduce a young artist, people are schooled on that artist and we have a whole community of people being schooled. MALIK: So it becomes a career launching pad. DAMIAN: Exactly. And in terms of education about the music—more seminars and educational programming about reggae history and culture. And on a behind the scenes note what I think would also be cool is to have a gathering of managers, producers: The industry people who are on the boat can have a conference to speak about how the music is developing and moving forward. MALIK: One thing, too, is the philanthropic perspective. This is the music that has always preached love—this is gospel music, essentially. DAMIAN: Absolutely. MALIK: Love of god, love of purpose: this is what reggae is. So to that end, I’m quite invested in the idea of infusing a space like this with purpose and meaning—my company, iconic32, is all about connecting pop culture with social good. You had a book drive for Jamaican schools onboard this year; any plans to amplify the social good aspect of this cruise? Actor Malik Yoba at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund 27th Annual Awards Gala at the Washington Hilton DAMIAN: Definitely. We are looking at ways to involve more causes that allow people to give back to Jamaica, which they love so much—it will be part of the future experience for sure. MALIK: I’ve got to thank you for the experience. It really is special, like a secret: all these vibes going on in the middle of the ocean that no one else is a part of. DAMIAN: Like our own country. Our own reggae country. Welcometojamrockreggaecruise.com Source: Forbes ........................................................................................................................... Baz Dreisinger I am: writer, globetrotter, professor, culture-hound. Born and raised in New York City, with one foot fixed in the Caribbean, I have written about travel, the arts and identity politics for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal and many more; I produce on-air segments about global music and culture for National Public Radio (NPR). I am ceaselessly curious, fearless in my journeys, relentlessly ravenous to see and learn more. My global routes marry luxury with local, which is the essence of this travel blog: Welcome to a place where wanderlust meets culture-lust, where otherworldly high-end meets rootsy down-home.

Just hours after announcing on Instagram that God spoke to her, former dancehall artist Lady Saw got baptized in a private at the Emmanuel Apostolic Church on Slipe Road in Kingston. (Photo: David Wright) The 43-year old on Monday afternoon made an announcement that God spoke to her at J Capri’s funeral and she’ll be cancelling all her Dancehall shows. "The Lord has been speaking to me for years and I have been dodging him," Hall told the Observer. She also that she was previously baptized at the age of 12 but admitted that she had no idea what she was doing then. Today I was at J Capri's funeral and God spoke to me again and I said to myself, I want to be a servant of God,” Hall told OBSERVER ONLINE. “I was always worried about money and how I would survive without music, but God said to me 'I have people and I will make a way'." Bishop Thomas and his wife Jillian have indicated that they are willing to support and help the newly converted deejay in any way they can.

Known for her raw and rauchy lyrics Lady Saw whose real name is Marion Hall took to instagram to announce her decision to serve God. “God has just spoken to me,” Hall wrote. “He did so at J Capri service and finish it off in my house.” "I'm now a new servant of the Lord," Hall said. Lady Saw at J Capri Funeral Service She stated that she will be cancelling all her dancehall shows because God has called her to work for Him. “All my dancehall shows will be cancel cause God has call me to work for him now,” she continued in her post. “Glory be to the most high.” This is the second time Lady Saw has been on the spiritual quest for God.

“The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.” Brother Bob made some riveting statements during his time, all which have lived on as part of his legacy. The words he spoke held a truth that could not be explained any other way. He was a wise man who made a deep impact in the country of Jamaica, taking his songs and teachings worldwide. In a city saturated by the deep cultural heritage of the Jamaican people, Kingston has found itself unappreciated by tourists travelling to Jamaica. On more than one occasion I have had people tell me of the beautiful turquoise seas and white sand beaches in the popular tourist locations of Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, but no one has ever mentioned going to Kingston. As the capital city of Jamaica, you would think there would be more of an excitement to travel there and immerse yourself in the country’s history. While arts, culture and entertainment are a prominent part of the city, there is one attraction on top of the list of must-sees in Kingston. Even if you are headed to the beach, take time out of your schedule to head down to Kingston Jamaica to visit 56 Hope Road the home and residence of legendary reggae singer Bob Marley. When you first enter the compound the walls are covered in mural style photos and paintings of some of the most well known highlights in Bob’s life, while living at the house and touring the globe with the Wailers. Everywhere you look there are vibrant bursts of color. Most prominent of them all is the yellow house dominating the center of the property. At the front of the house standing tall is a statue in Bob’s likeness, with his finger pointed towards the heavens in his signature one love pose. On either side are two lions and painted at the base of the statue is a portrait of his three little birds and the prophet Sir Marcus Garvey Jamaican Civil Rights leader and activist. Miss Susan Maxwell, a bubbly ball of energy conducted the tour of the house with such a refreshing and engaging presence, it left little room for distraction as we listened to her prattle away recollecting the stories of Bob’s life. Bob purchased the Marley Home, which currently serves as the Bob Marley Museum in 1975 from Island Records Boss, Chris Blackwell. In 1986 Bob’s widow Mrs. Rita Marley implemented the Museum, which is currently being managed by their eldest daughter Cedella Marley. On May 31, 2001, the Government of Jamaica declared the museum a protected National Heritage Site. When you enter the house there is an over whelming presence of memories and inspiration throughout the air. Every room has a unique personality hosting various displays of photographs and all of his Gold and Platinum Selling albums. In various rooms of the house you can find Bob’s Lifetime Achievement Award which he received in 2001, his Order of Merit medal from 1981. In his recording studio there hangs a genuine Lion’s tail that he received as a gift during his tour in Africa and an exhibit of some of his favourite items of clothing like his trademark denim shirt and khaki pants. The tour of the main house concluded with a glimpse into the legend’s bedroom. Unable to pass the threshold of his dwelling, Bob’s room was staged just as he had left it all those years ago, his bed made up in his favourite denim sheets and his bible open on the nightstand keeping some of his ‘special herb’ safe for when he returns. After the tour of the main house Susan took us down to the first floor kitchen around the back of the house where an attempt on Bob’s life had taken place. The area is now furnished with newspaper clippings of the event, and the walls are marked from the deadly bullets that almost took his life. Walking over the ground where a legend once stood is truly a humbling experience. To know that he once sat on the marble steps in front of his home smoking his special herb, or sat under his favourite tree in the yard rolling a splif, grounds him as a symbol of hope and freedom to the people of the world. Bob’s music has become the signature soundtrack to the lives of people worldwide and the experience standing in that house leaves you feeling nothing less than ‘irie’. Source: Torontocaribbean.com

Chef Ed Harris Jr’s first visit to Canada was memorable. The St. Lucian-born American resident won the International Iron Chef title last Monday at the 18th annual Hot & Spicy Food Festival competition at Harbourfront Centre. He was among four chefs in this year’s competition who were challenged to use local and sustainable ingredients from their homelands. Harris has been cooking for most of his life. When most of his peers were playing sports, Ed Harris Jr. was quite satisfied to be indoors helping his mother in the kitchen. “My mom, uncles and grandfather loved to cook and I relished watching them seasoning and preparing food,” said Harris, who represented St. Lucia in last weekend’s event. “Growing up, I always wanted to help my mom in the kitchen and I stuck with cooking.” The son of a St. Lucian father and Guyanese mother whose entrepreneurial exploits took them to several Caribbean islands while their son was growing up meant that he was exposed to a wide variety of Caribbean dishes. Edward Harris Sr., who is based in St. Lucia and was counting on his son becoming a fashion designer because he was the only male student enrolled in sewing class in high school and Faye Harris, who resides in New York, spent time in Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada, Jamaica and Barbados before returning to St. Lucia. “I must have gone to about a dozen schools in the Caribbean and my favourite food back then was cook-up rice, pepper pot and all that good stuff,” he said. Migrating to New York in the late 1990s, Harris completed his high school education and graduated from the Art Institute of New York culinary arts program. He worked as a sous chef at Vong and Michael’s in Manhattan, a chef tournant at The River Café in Brooklyn and an executive sous chef at St. Lucia’s SunSwept Resorts before landing a job as a chef at Buddakan, an awe-inspiring restaurant in Manhattan’s meatpacking district that combines the serenity of Asia with the flamboyance of 16th century Paris. Opened in March 2006, the upscale restaurant’s menu includes crab sui mei, Cantonese spring rolls, tuna tartare, spareribs, black cod, snapper, tea-smoked chicken, mao poe tofu and fried rice with scallop congee. “I have always loved Asian food,” said Harris. “After school, my uncles took me to Chinese restaurants in the Caribbean. I also watched a lot of Kung Fu movies. When I moved to New York at age 16, I gravitated even more to Chinese food and culture and I told myself I had to learn how to make fried rice and steamed dumplings. So I was extremely excited to spend five years at Buddakan with a Master Dim Sum Chef who taught me everything I needed to know. I perfected the art of making dumpling, Asian sauces and friend rice.” While at Buddakan where he also learned about menu planning and development and food costing, Harris won the US$10,000 top prize five years ago in the American reality based television cooking series, “Chopped”, aired on the Food Network. In each episode, four chefs are required to take a mystery basket of ingredients and turn them into a dish that is judged on their creativity, presentation, and taste with minimal time to plan and execute. Married to a Nigerian who is expecting their third child, Harris used the monetary reward from “Chopped” and his culinary experience to launch a consulting business. “I always wanted to be my own boss,” he said. “In this role, I do private dinners at residences, consult for restaurants, train staff, prepare recipes and menus and do team-building exercises using food for large corporations.” Earlier this year, Harris launched a “pop-up dinner” initiative in Atlanta, where he resides with his family. “We do from four to six course dinners that could be Asian, Italian or just vegetables at awesome locations once a month,” he said. “It’s a ticketed event with an open bar and people enjoy it. It’s different and something that they will not experience at a restaurant.” On his first visit to Canada, Harris was the second St. Lucian chef to participate in the hot and spicy food festival that explores global cuisine as innovations in food production and preparation advances towards a highly specialized art form. Certified chef Shorne Benjamin, who has a degree in finance and resides in New York, represented the Caribbean country last year. With tourism being St. Lucia’s leading economic sector, emphasis is placed on exposing chefs to international training. Chefs Stephenson Charles and Niguel Gerald of the Sandals Regency La Toc and Sandals Beach Halcyon Beach Resort, respectively, participated in last month Liaison College of Culinary Arts five-day international culinary tour program in Toronto. They were exposed to courses in advanced kitchen management, molecular cuisine, product identification, classical dessert & cuisine and food & wine pairing. Last year, Nina Compton – the daughter of late Prime Minister John Compton – was appointed the island’s first culinary ambassador. She was the runner-up in the 2013-14 edition of the award winning series, “Top Chef”. Source: Sharenews.com

Emmy Award winner Steve Harvey will host “2015 MISS UNIVERSE®,” it was announced today by The Miss Universe Organization and FOX. The three-hour annual event will air live from Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas Sunday, Dec. 20 (7:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX. “I am thrilled to be hosting this iconic event for the first time ever,” said Harvey. “It’s exciting to be working with FOX, IMG and The Miss Universe Organization to make this year’s MISS UNIVERSE® telecast a huge success.” “Steve Harvey is one of the funniest, most likeable personalities on TV today, and he’s the perfect host for this very special evening,” said David Madden, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “The combination of Steve and the talented, impressive women vying for the Miss Universe title is sure to make this a night to remember.” Steve Harvey is a TV personality, talk show host, actor and comedian who currently hosts two popular TV shows: “The Steve Harvey Show,” which premiered in 2011; and game show “Family Feud,” which he began hosting in 2010; as well as a nationally syndicated radio show, “The Steve Harvey Morning Show,” since its inception in 2000. Harvey began his career doing stand-up comedy in the mid-1980s. His success as a comedian eventually led to a long stint as host of “It’s Showtime at the Apollo,” as well as various acting, hosting, writing and producing roles. Harvey’s television and film career includes roles in “Me and The Boys,” “The Steve Harvey Show,” “Steve Harvey’s Big Time Challenge,” “Love Don’t Cost a Thing,” “You Got Served,” “Johnson Family Vacation” and “Madea Goes to Jail.” In addition, Harvey is a best-selling author. The MISS UNIVERSE® telecast is one of the most-watched events in the world, with distribution in approximately 190 countries and territories. Contestants from more than 80 countries will vie to become the next Miss Universe in this special programming event, which will conclude with current Miss Universe Paulina Vega of Colombia crowning her successor. As previously announced, WME | IMG wholly acquired The Miss Universe Organization in September 2015. Prior to the acquisition, IMG had produced a number of shows for The Miss Universe Organization and will continue to do so with this year’s MISS UNIVERSE® telecast

As the days grow shorter and winter approaches, Mahalo New York Bakery, located at 66-40 Myrtle Ave. in Glendale, provides a much-needed dose of warmth and sunshine on blustery fall days. In the short six months since the bakery first opened, Mahalo New York has gained quite a loyal local following. From the moment they enter the pistachio and pink colored shop, visitors are greeted with a smile and a cheery “aloha” from owner Sunita Shiwdin, who was inspired to open the tropical-themed bakery after honeymooning in Hawaii last year. “In Kauai, no one passes you without saying ‘aloha.’ Everyone there calls each other cousin, instead of miss and sir,” Shiwdin explained. “It made me want to bring a little bit of that aloha spirit back to New York City.” Shiwdin first arrived in New York more than two decades ago as a child from Guyana. Her family settled in Queens, where she attended Richmond Hill High School and went on to graduate from Queens College. It was during her time as a high school history teacher that Shiwdin first realized her desire to turn her lifelong passion for baking into a full-time business. Shiwdin credits her family’s move to New York with instilling in her the desire to dream big, as well as the courage and confidence to pursue those dreams. “Over here, girls are given this equal opportunity,” she added. “If you work hard at anything, I feel you can achieve it over here.” Mahalo New York Bakery’s owner and founder Sunita Shiwdin with her sweet creations Shiwdin honors her family’s culture and heritage by incorporating the natural tastes and flavors from her childhood in Guyana, as well her love of Hawaii, into her large selection of cupcakes and desserts at Mahalo. Her popular mango-mango cupcake infused with mango puree and topped with mango cream cheese frosting was inspired by Shiwdin’s fond memories of afternoons spent climbing the mango trees in her backyard with her brother. The succulent and sweet hibiscus pua cupcake was inspired by Hawaii’s national flower, as well as her mother’s garden back in Guyana. “My mom loved flowers, and I think her obsession with flowers kind of trickled on to me,” Shiwdin joked. “I grew up seeing these tiny little hummingbirds jumping from flower to flower.” Shiwdin’s Guyanese and Hawaiian influences can also be tasted in the pineapple guava cupcake infused with guava jam and topped with cream cheese frosting and chunks of pineapple jam. Her mango passionfruit whipped cheesecake pairs the tropical fruit atop a bed of cinnamon and spiced graham crumb with fresh mango and kiwi garnish. The mango passionfruit whipped cheesecake at Mahalo Baking is a family affair at Mahalo. Shiwdin’s husband Michael created the special Hawaiian sweet bread with a pineapple and ginger twist, and is currently crafting a Hawaiian doughnut. The aromatic rice pudding spiked with cloves, cinnamon and sugar is made from Shiwdin’s mother’s traditional Guyanese family recipe. Seasonal desserts include traditional apple, blueberry and coconut cream pies, as well as the “ono” (delicious) pumpkin whipped cheesecake and pumpkin chai cupcakes. Mahalo also crafts specialty cakes with impressive fondant designs for weddings, showers and special occasions. Source: QNS.com