Bahamian Dreamers - A Unique Food Find

BAHAMIAN DREAMERS...

A Unique Food Find By Nikia Wells Photographs courtesy of Bunappétit It all started with a dream…

Chef Harold and his wife Sade Pinder had a simple but passionate vision. They wanted to share big, bold, decadent, and delicious flavors with Grand Bahama food lovers. Their dream was to take the humble, yet beloved, hamburger and transform it into something unique, something special, something unforgettable that ignited diners’ senses and piqued their imagination.

As a culinary professional, Chef Harold was used to fast-paced restaurant kitchens. He has been treating the palates of Grand Bahama diners to robust flavors for many years, while honing his craft to be able to rework simple ingredients into palate-delighting works of food art. While he loved working with his culinary colleagues, like all creative minds, he wanted to craft something that was truly his vision. After a great deal of thought, planning, and the nudge of ingenuity that 2020 gave many creative minds, Bunappétit was born.

Bunappétit (which is a play on the pillowy soft buns that the restaurant serves and the French term ‘bon appétit’ which means “enjoy your meal”) was initially launched as a home based business. While Sade oversees much of the restaurant’s backend and marketing efforts, Chef Harold creates the signature burgers. The duo’s hard work has proven to be so popular, that Bunappétit quickly went from a home based word-of-mouth hidden gem to a brick-and-mortar location at the Ruby Golf Course.

Their menu, since day one, has included options like their juicy Black Out Burger, which features a flaky panko fried snapper filet, tender shrimp, and a creamy homemade dill and caper lemon sauce, all nestled between a pillowy soft, freshly baked, black charcoal bun. Other menu items include their Korean Chicken Burger which infuses the flavors and techniques reminiscent of South

Black Out Burger with Panko Fried Snapper and Shrimp

Korea to create a memorable fried chicken sandwich that is a little sweet, a tiny bit spicy, and topped with a gochujang aioli and nappa apple slaw.

Not only are the flavor profiles and presentation of each Bunappétit burger unique, but each component is handmade with the utmost care and passion that can only be birthed from a dream woven into reality. Fresh and juicy pineapples are grilled for their Frugal Gourmet burger. Their tangy pickled onions are made from scratch. The bacon is house cured. Their bacon-jam is all their own. Their buns are made fresh. Their fries and wedges are handmade. And each of their patties, aiolis, sauces, and burger components are meticulously crafted in the Bunappétit kitchen.

Burbon Bacon Jam Burger Bunappetit Signature Burger With Onion Rings and A Fried Egg

The Signature Bunappetit Charcoal Bun

The world influences of the Bunappétit menu can be attributed to Chef Harold and Sade’s world travels, the mentorship of other exceptional chefs, and the couple’s passion and love for exceptional foods. They each wanted to share with others the flavors that they often craved.

“We found inspiration in our love for food, specifically for a good ole burger. My wife and I are the ultimate foodies,” Chef Harold noted. “...Everyone loves the flare and class of a gourmet meal, but nothing beats the nostalgic feeling you get from a homemade burger, like momma used to make on weekends. So, we decided to combine class and nostalgia, thus Bunappétit was created.”

When Bunappétit launched, Chef Harold and Sade were committed to creating their entire menu from scratch, providing quality, fresh ingredients and consistency. They also went for big, bold flavours and menu items that perhaps had not been seen on Grand Bahama menus before. “Everything about Bunappétit is unique! Our buns are freshly made, daily, and we have a unique variety, [including our] activated charcoal bun, and our seeded whole wheat buns. We salt brine our fries for additional crunch and flavor, our pickles are made in-house, and all of our sauces are homemade…. All of our meals are made to order, nothing is precooked, which improves food quality.” Chef Harold also notes that his goal was to create burgers that were so “rich” but balanced, that there would be no need for additional condiments.

To see the dream-turned-reality of Chef Harold and Sade, you can visit them Tuesday-Sunday at the Ruby Golf Course.

The complete Bunappétit menu can be viewed on the restaurant’s Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/bunappétit _burgers UA