Fresh juices from the chief

Some of us who have been fortunate enough to be on Independence Square in downtown Port-of-Spain on a hot day just to come across “Uncle Parrot’s Caf? Punches,” would have met Cesar Jozami owner and manager of the caf?. He doesn’t like being called “Veni,” “gringo” or “Spanish.” He’s Argentinean to the bone, with a deep-seated love for Trinidad and Tobago. Jozami grew up in the riverside town of Littoral, Argentina with his parents and sisters. “I joined the Argentinean military but decided to go in another direction at age 22 because the military life was not my choice,” said Jozami in his unmistakable South-American accent. His interests led him to pursue a BA in Education and a further degree in culinary arts. Jozami displayed newspaper clippings and photos from international newspapers in which his culinary skills have been featured including magazines in Curacao, Australia and the United States.

What made this successful chef find his way to the shores of this little island? “I’ve worked as a chef in Aruba, Curacao, at hotels in New Zealand, Sydney and Washington DC until September 11, 2001. After the terrorist attacks me and my Trinidadian wife decided to come to Trinidad,” he said. Jozami met his wife through a mutual friend while he was studying at NIHERST. The couple has established an organic plantation in Chaguanas where they grow pawpaw, sugar cane, pineapple and other fruits which are considered scarce in Trinidad like guava and barbadine. He has a particular interest in the cultivation of guavas, which he considers to be of great marketing potential on the international market. The customarily earnest and private Argentinean smiled broadly when the topic of Trinbagonian culture was raised. “The most beautiful thing is to land in a Caribbean island. It’s so sweet, so nice, so beautiful. Coming from Argentina, it feels like paradise. Those who live here… have everything,” exclaimed Jozami, passionately rolling every “r” in his responses. Jozami added, “I find Trinidad fascinating because of the number of different cultures and people that live together here. I enjoy the Divali, Emancipation and I am in love with the moko jumbies and the creole dancing in particular. I just love it.” The cafe is packed daily with the health conscious and people who just wish to enjoy a refreshing drink.

When asked what predisposed him to establish a business which specialises in preparing all-natural fruit drinks in Trinidad, Jozami jubilantly replied, “I just love to smell the nature, the fruits, the paw-paw, the mangoes. In all my prior visits to Trinidad I had never had a nice fresh fruit punch or juice. I decided that I would cater to the health conscious, especially as Trinidad basically accepted me as one of its own. I could easily be selling alcohol but I wanted to provide a service that was good for the people.” Why did he name the business “Uncle Parrot’s Cafe?” “There was an old relative on the plantation who used to talk a lot. He was extremely talkative. I had problems pronouncing his East Indian name, so because of how talkative he was, I called him Uncle Parrot. I think it is a funny name, ” joked Jozami. The chef has plans to integrate certain foods such as empanadas to his current menu in the near future.