Everything Creole, Belizean Sweets, Treats And More

The Belize from your childhood is here to stay. It is common knowledge that food always been a major aspect of Belizean culture with various dishes becoming a staple in the average household. This included the wide variety of sweets and pastries many grew up making at home or purchasing from the shops in their neighborhoods. In tonight’s episode of Kolcha Tuesday, we stop buy the Belizeans Sweets and Treats shop in Belize City to look at what owner, Sharlene Coooper Williams, is hoping will one day be the one-stop place to find everything creole. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with the story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Belizean Sweets and Treats was launched in 2021 by a mother of eight, Sharlene Cooper Williams after she faced challenges in supporting her family during the Covid-19 pandemic. Using knowledge and skills she already possessed, Williams decided to become and entrepreneur to preserve Belizean culture with her children.

 

Sharlene Williams Cooper, Owner, Belizean Sweets and Treats

“It was herded out of necessity during COVID. I had an existing business that was deemed a non-essential and we had to survive. So my family and I, we were a part of a partnership that didn’t continue and we decided to continue on our own. And my family, my Children, it’s literally a family business. We decided to push it forward. My Children are able to make all of these. So we teamed up and we pushed. We literally only started doing the tamarind and the pepitas and things like that. And slowly our vision expanded so did our product line. One of our main mission is to be the landmark for everything Creole. I represent the Creole culture and Belize is a melting pot. But even though the Creole culture is the majority in Belize, our culture is dying. I really admire the others for promoting their culture. And a lot of our children don’t know the great heritage that we have as Creoles. So one of the other purposes of this food is to promote and preserve that culture through language, through dress, and whatever avenues that are made available to us.”

 

The selection started small for Williams, with just a few sweets that she and her family knew to make at home, but over time she was able to expand the variety of treats she offered and even got other women involved to sell various Belizeans products, such as herbal tea, seasoning, pepper, and honey, alongside Belizean classics such as wangla, tableta, and kaasham.

 

Sharlene Williams

“Like what I said, we started out with only the sweets, and then after us we transitioned into the stew items. We went to the t shirts, the souvenirs, and other women started to get interested. We have, we’re a part of a group eleven including myself. We have women in remote villages that sign on to it. They’re not able to sell their items themselves, so they would channel it through us. The handicrafts, the painting the rocks, the t-shirts, the key chains. So it’s a beautiful collaboration and eleven families helps to live because of this. And at the same time, not only live to provide for their family, but live to promote something that’s beautiful.”

 

We ran into some tourist purchasing from Belizeans Sweets and Treats what they were most excited to try form the stall.

 

Britney Gordon

“So what made you decide to stop?”

 

Russ, Tourist

“Well it looked very friendly as we were coming up to it. And it was really the first open thing that we saw along the road today.”

 

Britney Gordon

“Can you tell me what you guys bought?”

 

Breck, Tourist

“We bought some pineapple spices for cooking, habanero, and a keychain, because we like to decorate our Christmas tree with decorations from different places and everything.”

 

Russ

“And don’t forget the big one. Goat shit.”

 

Breck

“Oh, the goat shit. Yeah, we gotta try some goat shit later.”

 

Britney Gordon

“Alright, you guys looking forward to trying some of that?”

 

Jagger, Tourist

“Very much so, yeah. It’s always a huge pleasure and really an honor to try different foods and share in other people’s cultures. So we’re very happy we found this booth today.”

 

Williams explained that growing up, she would visit her grandparents in Cotton Tree every summer where they would teach her and her family members how to make various delicacies. Now, Williams is using her skills not only to promote Belize to the rest of the world, but preserve it for the next generation. She has partnered with the Girl Guides Association of Belize to pass on these skills to a next generation.

 

Sharlene Williams

“We decided to come out at Girl Guides Association. They have given us the privilege of using their yard and also, we have collaborated with them because the little guiders and the Brownies now have the opportunity to start doing these things. And apart from learning these sweets, they’re also learning entrepreneurial skills. And so soon they’re actually working and it’s soon their items will be on display to for sale. We were here monday to friday But we have only cut down now to the tour days and on other days we can be found at thirty-seven Fairweather Street”

 

According to Williams, one of her best sellers is the Belizean classic Wangla. She said that it is a meticulous process, over the years, she has been able to perfect her recipe.

 

Sharlene Williams

“And for us, it’s important, one of the things that we do we always get our Wang Le Seed fresh. We have partnered with specific suppliers at the market that make sure that we always have certain things in stock. You wouldn’t want to have an order or you wouldn’t want to have your booth without because this is one of our best sellers, the wangla seed. If you see our ingredients package, it’s wang la Sweet, sugar, and spices because we do also add a little dash of Belizean sweets and treats flavor.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.