Elsy Dinvil transformed herself into a culinary mogul after severe food intolerances and medical bills left her homeless. She shares her hometown Haitian flavors through marinades, sauces and cooking classes that all feature ingredients free of allergens, pesticides, toxins and preservatives so everyone can have access to Haitian cuisine.
Dinvil left her small Haitian village at 18 years old when she received a scholarship to study in Portland, Oregon. Having never been to a city in her entire life, she navigated severe culture shock and bouts of depression before graduating and working for various NGOs both in the U.S. and in Haiti.
Dinvil didn't like cooking growing up. She says it was always a chore reserved for the women while men got to do whatever they liked. Now that she has reconnected her relationship with food, she regularly practices Haitian cooking techniques passed on by her mother, including scrubbing raw meat with limes before cooking it.
Dinvil eventually embraced Portland, but developed intestinal issues and became severely ill. Surgery and medical bills left her homeless and she bounced from couch to couch trying to survive. She eventually figured out she had intense intolerances to many major ingredients in American food including soy, corn, gluten and dairy.
She landed a stable living situation with a friend and began cooking exclusively at home with ingredients she could tolerate. Her friends raved about her cooking and she developed a line of sauces and marinades created with clean ingredients and Haitian flair. Regularly selling out at farmers markets, her Creole Me Up products are now supporting her as a successful business.
Living in rural Estacada, Oregon, Dinvil often has to travel long distances to find fresh ingredients for Haitian dishes, such as plantains and scotch bonnet peppers.
With three e-cookbooks under her belt, Dinvil wants to write a printed cookbook and memoir about the challenges she grew up with in Haiti. A survivor of sexual abuse, she wants these books to provide support and healing to others who have experienced trauma.
Dinvil firmly believes that flavor doesn't have to be sacrificed when using clean ingredients. Her dishes are comforting, packed with flavor and her unique Haitian twists.
Haitian Feast
Sarah Arnoff Yeoman
Photographer
based in Portland
Public Project
Haitian Feast
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