Isha’s Story

Isha Gutierrez-Sumner was born and raised along the northern Caribbean coast in San Juan Tela, Honduras. She identifies as Garifuna, which is a demographic of people whose ancestors relate to West African and Carib-Arawak lineage who originated from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and were exiled to the coast of Honduras. You can also find Garifuna communities in Belize and Guatemala.

Isha emigrated to the U.S. at the age of 12, and the foundation of her Garifuna culture and community remains a major role in her life. Isha was a member of both the International Folkloric Garifuna Ballet of Honduras and Wanichagu, a Garifuna dance company based in NYC. Isha’s passion for performance transitioned to acting; she was a guest star (speaking Garifuna) in Law & Order: SVU in 2007, and graduated the Acting Program at William Esper Studio in NYC, where she studied the Meisner Technique. You can find articles being written about her cooking from some amazing people and magazines such as Cuisine Noir, Christopher Kimball (Milk Street Magazine), Andrew Zimmern (Bizarre Foods) and the late, incomparable Anthony Bourdain. Most recently, Isha has been part of the committee for the NYBG African Diaspora Gardens, where she demonstrated how to make a delicious stew for Juneteenth celebration. You can catch her periodically giving presentations about Garifuna food & its ingredients at NYBG events. Most recently, Isha and her team were delighted to be invited & participate in the Creole Food Festival NYC, July of 2024. They loved sharing Garifuna food with the guests and meeting the chefs who also shared their food culture.

Like many who live in NYC, Isha has experienced delicious cuisines from around the globe. She found that the distinctive taste of the Garifuna foods she grew up eating aren’t as readily available to other foodies, unless you are somehow directly connected to a Garifuna person. So, to honor the cultural continuity of her mission, Isha has dedicated the past 10 years to creating a comprehensive cookbook that provides context about the food and culture of the Garifuna community. The Garifuna culture is rich in tradition, which is expressed through language, music, dance and cuisine.

Isha shares her Garifuna cuisine and heritage with food lovers (and food adventurers…and even the not-so-adventurous) to connect us all with the joy of food.

Weiga, Let’s Eat!

-Isha Gutierrez-Sumner-