MAVIS FOODS, LLC

In many ways our family is no different from any other big immigrant family. We love, we laugh, we dance and most importantly, we EAT! For many immigrant families, food is the bonding element that retains our roots and our culture while we forge new lives in countries far away. As such, the ingredients and the preparation of these foods take on a special significance.

Although I am an only child, I grew up in a large West-Indian and South American family – my mother was one of 12 siblings who were born in Venezuela and in Trinidad. My daughter has dubbed me a Trini-zuelan to honor my Venezuelan birth and Trinidadian upbringing – it feels right! In a large family of passionate an hot-blooded Trinizuelans you never know what’s coming next but you do know the music and the food will be great!

MAVIS FOODS, LLC is named after the middle sister of the Davis brood – Mavis Davis (yup, that’s a real name) but in actuality, the idea was to pay homage to my mom and all of her sisters. They have fed this family for years – both literally and figuratively, and as they are getting older this company was formed to honor them and more importantly to bring the delicious, accessible foods that they have created for us and to share them with the world.

As you visit this site, we will share recipes and we will share our family with you – you will see new recipes and we will highlight different family members. Oh yes, that’s another thing about many immigrant families – we are focused on achievement and we celebrate anybody making their way in the world!

 

AUNTIE MAVIS

Auntie Mavis is that aunt who exists in every family – she is the best family cook! Don’t get me wrong, we are a very maternal family and ALL of my aunts are awesome cooks – and yes they sometimes silently battle over who does the best oxtails or the most delicious callaloo (later) but the unspoken truth is that auntie Mavis has some of the most treasured recipes!!

Auntie Mavis and I are close and I have been trying to learn her kitchen tricks for years. What I learned is that she does not own a measuring cup or spoon and never actually uses ‘recipes’. Instead, she cooks almost by instinct – dancing around the kitchen adding a bit of this, a dash of that and some of that “to taste”. Her approach to food is that seasoning is everything and patience pays off. It has taken me the better part of 2 years to create commercial versions of some of her amazing recipes that I can now share with you. We are starting first with the basics – the seasoning and the complements – we will gradually move up the ladder! It has been a painstaking task of creating the recipes after following her around the kitchen and filming her every move. Then finding the ingredients and holding to no preservatives and keeping them without all the things that are traditionally thrown into our food supply to make things cheaper and last longer.

I have used every bit of my 35 years of experience in the food industry to create and launch this business. These products really are from auntie Mavis’s kitchen to your table! Enjoy them and come back for more!

Bazodee®

How did we come up with the name? The story is too long to share here but I wanted a name that was unique and fun and symbolized our heritage. Bazodee® is a Trinidadian word that means many things but essentially it means crazy, head over heels in love with something or someone. We literally go Bazodee® when auntie Mavis cooks her stewed oxtails, her bhagi and rice with pigtails or her bull jhol (salted cod salad) and (fried) bakes – and don’t worry, we will share some of these as we go along.