Caribbean cuisine climbs NYC
Caribbean cuisine is breaking into NYC fine dining — chefs Paul Carmichael (Kabawa) and India Doris (Markette) are being cited as leaders of the movement. (robbreport.com) New openings like Double Knot NYC and quirky concepts (including a themed ‘haunted’ restaurant with 20 historical ghosts) are mixing youthful energy with upscale dining. ( )
Paul Carmichael is Barbados-born and returned to New York after a seven-year run as executive chef at Momofuku Seiōbo in Sydney, launching Kabawa at 8 Extra Place in the East Village in late March 2025. ( ). (momofuku.com) Kabawa operates as a prix‑fixe set‑menu concept with a focus on pan‑Caribbean recipes and courses that begin with roti bread service and feature items such as fried sweet plantain, according to the MICHELIN Guide entry and coverage of the opening. ( ). (guide.michelin.com) India Doris of Markette was named MICHELIN Guide Northeast Cities’ Young Chef Award winner for 2025, and her restaurant Markette is housed in Chelsea near Madison Square Garden. ( ). (guide.michelin.com) Doris, who grew up in London with a Jamaican mother and Scottish father, frames Markette as an “autobiographical” Euro‑Caribbean project informed by her training at kitchens across Europe. ( ). (guide.michelin.com) Double Knot’s New York outpost is the Midtown, bi‑level expansion of Michael Schulson’s Philadelphia izakaya concept, opening for the public in February 2026 at 1251 Sixth Avenue and featuring sushi, robatayaki, and a cocktail lounge upstairs. ( ). (ny.eater.com) The “haunted” dining concept referenced in recent coverage points to longtime Manhattan spot One If By Land, Two If By Sea, which has been associated with claims of up to 20 spirits by a visiting parapsychologist and is repeatedly cited in roundups about ghostly restaurants. ( ). (tastingtable.com) Menu economics and scene signals: Kabawa is listed in the MICHELIN Guide as a $$$$ New York restaurant, Markette’s profile and award have been singled out in Michelin and trade coverage as elevating Caribbean techniques, and Double Knot has been framed by reviewers as a large, nightlife‑driven Midtown destination. ( ). (guide.michelin.com)
