Guyanese food enthusiast to launch cookbook ‘Caribbean Paleo’

Sep 03, 2023 Features / Columnists, News, Waterfalls Magazine

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By Renay Sambach

Waterfalls Magazine – Born and raised in Georgetown, Guyana, Althea Brown, a mother and a wife, is gearing up to launch her cookbook, ‘Caribbean Paleo’ which focuses on cherished Guyanese and Caribbean dishes.

Brown is popularly known for the Metemgee a blog about Guyanese (Caribbean) recipes and traditions.

During an interview with The Waterfalls, Althea shared that she started Metemgee in 2013, as a way to capture her mother’s recipes with actual measurements.

On metemgee.com you will find authentic Guyanese recipes as well as some recipes with tweaks for specific dietary needs and restrictions. Caribbean Paleo Cookbook includes Guyanese recipes with a paleo focus.

“It’s the best of both worlds for me. I get to enjoy the food from my childhood with ingredients that nourishes my body,” she said.

Althea is the creator and voice behind Metemgee, she is also a Whole30 Certified Coach and was named Whole30’s Coach Innovator of the Year in 2022.

When asked what inspired her to start her business, she shared, “I started blogging to stay connected to my culture. I got married in 2011 and moved away from my family to a State in the US with almost no Caribbean presence. Suddenly, I found myself calling my mom and asking how to make my favorite things. I always loved cooking and experimenting but now more than ever I wanted a taste of home (Guyanese) food and the only way to get it was to make it myself.”

“I started sharing my posts with family and the blog metemgee was born. My most popular recipe on metemgee.com is my easy roti recipe. It is a Guyanese oil roti recipe that uses a few tricks to make it beginner friendly. It has helped many people nail roti on their first try. I wish my first roti came out as good as the first time rotis this recipe produces,” she said.

Now, the Guyanese-American blogger is ready to take the next step; launch her very own cookbook.

After struggling with acid reflux for years, Althea said she tarted exploring the possibility that the way she ate was making her sick. She noticed that gluten was the main cause of her acid reflux and that gluten, dairy and refined sugar triggered the frequent migraines she had suffered from since adolescence. She started recreating her favorite Guyanese and Caribbean recipes to be gluten-, dairy- and refined sugar–free.

Later she took the leap and started eliminating grains from her diet and noticed significant changes in her overall health. She hopes that she will continue to inspire everyone to try Caribbean food, even if it’s through a slightly different lens.

Althea noted her favorite recipe in Caribbean Paleo now is my gluten free potato roti.

“Now I have a cookbook, Caribbean Paleo with some of those recipes and I am excited to keep sharing,” she said.

She added that, “It is amazing and when I finally got this recipe right I ate two at once. It was that good.”

Althea is currently home in Guyana for the launch of my cookbook ‘Caribbean Paleo.’

“I am happy to return to Guyana to celebrate this book that is already a best seller. I want to get it into the homes of as many Guyanese people as possible.”

The book launch will be held at Herdmanston Lodge, Queenstown Georgetown on September 6, from 18:00 hours. Althea now lives in Colorado with her husband and three children, while continuing to share her love for her Caribbean roots.

Althea said it has been a long journey. She said that even though she started her food blog in 2013, it wasn’t until 2019 that she took the leap and made it a full-time business.

“Shifting to a business also required a shift in mindset. It was hard but worth it. Blogging as a hobby was not as structured as blogging as a business,” she said.

Althea’s goal with her business is for it become as popular as Chinese food.

“When I saw my book in Barnes and Noble for the first time, I had such a sense of pride that this Guyanese girl from Campbellville was making making Guyanese recipes accessible to so many people,” Althea said as she vowed to keep sharing Guyanese recipes in the best way, through the best media.

You can often find Althea on her social media sharing stories about traditional Guyanese food and culture, and how she remixes dishes to fit her dietary needs.

You can also visit her social media accounts: @metemgee (Instagram) @metemgeeblog (Tiktok) facebook.com/metemgee or @metemgee on Youtube.

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• Althea Brown, cookbook, Georgetown, Guyana, Renay Sambach

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