Guyanese Chef Puts Local Cuisine In Global Spotlight with Backyard Café

News Americas, Georgetown, Guyana, Sat. Jan. 4, 2025: Recently, I had the chance to check in with one of the most prolific repatriated Guyanese who has made his mark putting Guyanese cuisine on the world map. What is Guyanese cuisine you may ask? To the common Guyanese you may hear, it’s cook-up rice, metemgee and pepperpot, but to Chef Delven Adams, it’s a fusion stamp for all palates that engages the heritage of the multi-ethnic make up of the small English speaking South American CARICOM nation.

Guyanese Chef Adams of Backyard Cafe, Guyana. (Contributed image)

Ten years ago, Chef Adams returned to Guyana to build on a dream he was cultivating for many years in his adopted New Jersey home in the US. He returned with a dream and a vision to do something that no other self-taught or Michelin awarded, or French and American trained culinary big name has done in and for Guyana. Adams returned and created a niche for himself and now boasts a treasure trove of supporters from near and far, using his own instincts and incorporating instances and flavors with his own mixed heritage influences.

He’s turned his dream into a vision called the Backyard Café – Guyana’s Original Backyard Café, situated in West Ruimveldt, Georgetown. The intimate venue offers the warmth of true Guyanese hospitality and its authentic cuisine. He has catered to international dignitaries, visiting and returning Guyanese and notable culinary giants from the Caribbean region and abroad including Chef Gordon Ramsay. Guests must provide advance notice as Chef Adams prepares meals to order on the day of your visit. On this visit, I had coconut duff as well as fish with rice and vegetables. Also a hit is his pepper pot and egg balls that are served with a sweet and tangy sour.

In 2021, internationally acclaimed Chef Ramsay of the UK enjoyed a trek through the jungle learning to hunt and fish with Amerindian Guyanese, touring the local market and challenging Adams to make a native dish as well as crediting him with the opportunity to help put Guyanese cuisine on the map.

The visit was recorded for Ramsay’s television show ‘Uncharted,’ on National Geographic, and has helped open doors for many other aspiring Guyanese heritage culinary chefs and caterers, whether in Guyana or abroad, including Guyanese-born Tavel Bristol Joseph, whose restaurant in Texas is named Canje, after Guyana’s national bird, the Canje Pheasant.

In the 10 years since his return, Chef Adams has further developed his vision with a respected Market Tour excursion for visitors to Guyana, where the locally grown produce that he uses in his cooking are sourced. He has developed his own sauces and seasonings and has a hit social media platform that takes supporters along on the tour and other events, where his food and skills have been showcased across the Caribbean and close to home in Suriname as well.

Chef Adams has also begun mentoring young and eager Guyanese who show an interest in the culinary world. He’s helped sponsor attendees to the Carnegie School of Home Economics in Georgetown and welcomes other supporters who are willing to also sponsor upcoming young culinary students. Chef Adams is now looking forward to helping others achieve their goals and will continue to promote the fusion soul of Guyanese cuisine that reflects its Amerindian, African, Asian, Indian, European and mixed ethnic blend of flavors and spices that create a one-of-a-kind dynamic for your tastebuds.

As he puts it: “Every dish I create is a tribute to Guyana – the warmth of our people, the richness of our spices, and the stories woven into every bite.”

By Allison Skeete