By Duane Watson

When the University of New Brunswick’s MBA program in entrepreneurship recruited Naz Ali from Trinidad and offered him a scholarship that would see him picking up and taking classes in Fredericton, you can understand his hesitation.

At the time, he wasn’t aware that he would eventually open an award winning, casual fine dining Caribbean restaurant in the Maritimes. Six strong years later, Caribbean Flavas has served countless Frederictonians and notable celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Russell Peters, opera singer Measha Brueggergosman and Canadian icon Leonard Cohen.

Easy it wasn’t. Part of Ali’s school project for his business degree was to develop a product or service for New Brunswick. After cooking for his study groups, working in the mess halls on campus and developing a reputation for his culinary skills, his proposal was to offer Fredericton a Caribbean dining experience.

“My professors didn’t really think the idea was great and I got a C+,” says Ali. “Their experiences with Caribbean restaurants were what they saw in Trinidad. While it’s somewhat shoddy, that’s our culture and they thought that’s what I was bringing to Fredericton.”

With a grade bringing down his GPA, he turned to the government officials and business development organizations that were encouraging international students to stay in Fredericton. While they were more than happy to invest in a Tim Horton’s, they weren’t interested, either.

Undeterred, Ali picked up the phone and called his family in Trinidad. “I told my folks I had a thorough business plan on how to open a Caribbean restaurant in Fredericton and asked them to help me start it up.” Ali’s mother asked how the weather was in September. “It’s sunny,” he responded.

His business forecast was also bright. Contrary to initial beliefs, Caribbean Flavas was met with instant success. “There was nothing like it in Fredericton,” Ali says. “People here are more open to culture and are very accepting of it. We have a lot of regulars.”

Voted New Brunswick’s Best Restaurant, Top 10 in eastern Canada and nominated for a Tourism Excellence Award, Caribbean Flavas’ hospitality, service and food are its keys to success. While popular dishes include curry chicken, jerk chicken and sorrel salmon, Ali emphasizes its uniqueness. “It’s a Caribbean fusion restaurant, but you still have those Caribbean flavours,” he says. “You don’t feel out of place as a West Indian coming to a fine dining restaurant. And you don’t feel out of place as a Frederictonian coming into a Caribbean restaurant.”

Now, in addition to the family-owned restaurant, Caribbean Flavas has extensive catering contracts that see Ali providing his takeout sandwiches and mini wraps to Irving, Petro-Canada and Ultramar gas stations.
While Ali travelled a challenging road to open Caribbean Flavas, it’s one journey that he admits without hesitation he would gladly take all over again.

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