A pie a day...

For over 20 years, Carlton Brown, has been selling his home-made pies and other pastries on the streets of Port-of-Spain. He became a pie man even before the term became fashionable and was in the business long before others followed in his footsteps. Dressed neatly, he is often seen dishing out, slicing and dicing his tasty delicacies around lunchtime on Abercromby Street. Brown, 79, is agile and fleet-footed as he flits back and forth over the make-shift wooden stand. His sense of humour and easy-going nature helps in pushing sales.

Many can be seen standing on the pavement gorging themselves with his food. “I do everything,” he said, when asked about how he puts his stuff together.  He goes to bed by about 2 am but is up by about 6 am to start the day. He is ably assisted by Lorna Fraser, a woman who moves like a surgeon when the pies are in her hands. “Nothing stays back,” she said, referring to the menu that includes pies, mini-pizzas, arepas, crab backs and and currants rolls. They often fill orders from customers who have family going back to the US and UK. “We put a lot of love into what we make,” she said.