PROGRAM SUCCESS – AUGUST 2010 PAGE 9
HAITIAN CELEBRITY CHEF RON DUPRAT AND ÉBÈNE FOUNDER
FAYOLA NICAISSE ESTABLISH HUNGER ALLEVIATION PROGRAM
FOR HAITI EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS
Finding Deplorable Post-Earthquake
Conditions in Homeland
Hollywood, Ft Lauderdale, FL — Recently, celebrity chef Ron
Duprat and former model Fayola Nicaisse visited Haiti to examine
conditions six months after the devastating January 12, 2010
magnitude 7.0 earthquake centered near PORT-AU-PRINCE.
Overcome by the deplorable post-earthquake living conditions and
hunger still rampant in their homeland, Duprat and Nicasse became
more determined than ever to do something to address the still
existent near famine conditions. Chef Duprat has partnered with
Bergeron Land Development, Inc. to establish a culinary center in
Haiti in an effort to help alleviate hunger in affected areas.
Duprat teamed up with Nicaisse - who is the founder of the highlysuccessful
ébène organic skin and hair care line - shortly after the
earthquake in a common love for their country and their eagerness to
contribute to relief efforts. To meet their collective goal they are also
currently working on expanding her line of skin care products. A
percentage of the products’ proceeds will benefit their continued
relief efforts in Haiti.
“Ron is an amazing chef,” Nicaisse commented. “I asked him to
develop new flavors for my product line. Chef Ron and I will
collaborate and build from there by borrowing from his culinary
expertise to add flavors and scents to soaps and lotions in my ébène
Skin and Hair Care line.” She continued, “The idea is to incorporate
extracts and spices from different Haitian cultural dessert dishes to
share a little taste of home with our customers, while contributing to
a great cause.”
While in Haiti, Duprat prepared a dinner at Caribe Hotel; visited
shelters; met with young entrepreneurs from the Pan American
Development Foundation (PADF); and served meals at the Food for
Celebrity Chef Ron Duprat
the Poor feeding center.
Extremely disturbed by
what he found, Duprat said
“We went to L’hopital
general [Haitian
community hospital] and
cite soleil [Sun City, an
extremely impoverished
and densely populated
commune located in the
PORT-AU-PRINCE
metropolitan area] it’s
inhuman.” He also visited a
chicken farm as he plans to
partner with Perdue, one of the nation’s leading poultry companies, to
obtain training for Haitians to learn to raise chickens for their own
consumption, but most importantly to establish businesses and create
jobs. Duprat explains, “This effort is a marathon, not a sprint.”
ABOUT CHEF RON DUPRAT:
A fierce competitor on Bravo TV’s sixth season of “Top Chef,” Chef
Duprat has cemented himself as an expert in exotic flavors - often
incorporating his own Haitian Creole influences with French-Asian
Fusion cuisine. The Celebrity Chef chose the culinary profession as
an outlet passion, and also for the tradition that fills the storybook of
world cuisine.
The community-minded chef is a board member of FLIPANY
(Florida Introduces Physical Activity and Nutrition to Youth), an
organization that provides affordable physical activity and nutrition
programs for youth. Duprat is vice president of the
Black Culinary Alliance (a nationwide non-profit,
educational and networking organization of
hospitality and food service professionals); a
member of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s
Move! initiative that addresses solving the challenge
of childhood obesity; a member of No Hungry Kids;
manager of Real Men Cook Miami, a subsidiary of
Real Men Charities, Inc.; and a member of Basil
Magazine’s Chef Council.
ABOUT Pan American Development Foundation
(PADF):
Created in 1962 through a unique agreement
between the Organization of American States (OAS)
and the private sector, the Pan American
Development Foundation is an independent, nonprofit
organization 501(c)(3) that creates publicprivate
partnerships to assist the least advantaged
people in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Having worked in every country in the region, PADF
see HAITI page 10