Food Chefs
A FAMILY AFFAIR: WITH THE HELP OF SPECIAL GUEST CHEFS, CHRIS VIAUD BRINGS A TASTE OF HAITI TO NEW HAMPSHIRE The ‘Top Chef’ star’s farm-to-table restaurant Greenleaf shows off his classical French training, but his monthly Ansanm Sunday Dinners dive deeper into his Haitian heritage By Nick Dauk
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Chris Viaud with his mother, Myrlene, the inspiration— and chef— behind Ansanm’s menus.
romas of citrus, garlic, and herbs waft through the Sunday evening air as Caribbean steel drums set the mood for a night of homecooked Haitian cuisine. As diners sip fruity cocktails and nibble on plantains, they can be forgiven Poule nan sos— for forgetting they aren’t on a chicken tropical getaway. marinated in epis, a Instead, they’re sitting in an old bank building in Milford, New staple Haitian seasoning Hampshire, nearly 1,700 miles base, and slowfrom Haiti’s shores. cooked in a More specifically, they’re at- Creole sauce of tending an Ansanm Sunday Din- tomato, peppers, and onions. ner at Greenleaf, an award-winning restaurant owned by James Haitian pate, Beard-nominated chef Chris Via baked puff aud, who competed on season 18 pastry with a of “Top Chef.” Though his time savory filling. on television included wowing judges with a creative yet classic grilled cheese sandwich—and winning $10,000—Viaud set his culinary ambitions on introducing Milford’s mouths to home- Age: 31 made favorites from his own From: Randolph, childhood. Mass. “Ansanm Sunday Dinners are Lives: Milford, really my mother’s dinners,” Vi- N.H. aud said. “Unlike the menu for Caribbean Greenleaf, all of the Ansanm dishIngredients es are those she prepared when He Can’t Live we were growing up. On Sundays, Without: she’s the chef in the kitchen—I’m Rice and just the student.” plantains Viaud, a first-generation Hai- Best Meal for tian American, graduated from First-Timers to Johnson & Wales University’s Haitian Cuisine: prestigious culinary program and Griot (marinated honed his classical French cook- twice-fried pork) ing skills at Boston’s Deuxave. If He Could Only From Tuesday through Saturday Eat in One City at Greenleaf, he showcases his tal- Forever: Chicago ents with tasty takes on familiar Most Underfoods like duck rillette and roast- rated Chef: ed New York strip. Byron Gomez But one Sunday each month, he
Chris Viaud, chef and owner of Greenleaf and Ansanm—meaning ‘together’ in Haitian Creole—in Milford, N.H.
CHRIS VIAUD
rooms straight from Haitian soil. His hope is that the area embraces not only the cuisine, but Haitian culture as well. Viaud views each pop-up dinner as an opportunity to educate diners about Haiti’s diverse dishes—and provide Milford’s small Haitian community with a taste of home. “It’s been quite the journey and opportunity to share our culture with people who might have never experienced anything similar,” Viaud said, “to show them that Haitian cuisine can be as wellknown and respected as French and Italian dishes.” Nick Dauk is an Orlando-based writer whose work has been featured in BBC News, Insider, Fox Business, and The Telegraph.
THIS PAGE: COURTESY OF ANSANM, JENNIFER BAKOS PHOTOGRAPHY
66 I N S I G H T June 10–16, 2022
opens the restaurant’s doors to Ansanm’s menu of authentic Haitian dishes, prepared with love by himself and his parents, Myrlene and Yves. “We curate the menu with different Haitian foods each time, so new and returning guests have a full opportunity to expand their knowledge of what Haitian cuisine is,” he said. “It’s a beautiful evening offering a taste of our ancestry that you can’t find in this area.” Whether it’s poule nan sos (stewed chicken in a Creole sauce) or a side of pikliz (spicy vegetable slaw), every meal is rich enough to bring warm Caribbean vibes to the Granite State—especially when Viaud imports djon djon black mush-
