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Take a journey through Belize with Chef Sean Kuylen (pronounced kwee-len) and learn about the different cultural dishes that make up Belizean Cuisine. A young Sean Kuylen was the lead drummer and one of the founding members of the highly popular Griga Boyz band in Belize. He credits his experiences on the band as one of the main things that exposed him to the various cultures and food in Belize. When that era came to an end, he ventured into the culinary world and was formally trained in San Francisco. He returned home and after stints at various resorts in Belize and throughout the Caribbean, he eventually started his own company,
Sean Kuylen Catering.
Today Sean is by every measure the most well known chef in Belize and is notable for his enthusiasm and passion for promoting Belize through food. Sean travels the world to represent Belize and has become an unofficial cultural ambassador of Belize by promoting Belizean Cuisine and sharing it with the world. But what is Belizean Cuisine? This is something that is not yet well defined, but Sean leads the way and is identified as one of the country’s primary advocates of Belizean Cuisine.
He is Belize’s equivalent to Anthony Bourdain. Sean Kuylen is a household name among Belizeans, mostly from his work with Channel 5’s
Great Belize Cooking show which showcased local cuisine and techniques from every region of the country. You can find the episodes on Youtube. Sean is also featured in the Flavors of Belize cookbook, a highly successful publication that showcases and documents the best of Belizean Cuisine. As part of that effort, he also recorded various videos that you can
watch on youtube and learn how to prepare some of the recipes from the cookbook. He can also be see on a local show on Facebook called "
Belize Mek We Go" which showcases different cultures, food, and attractions throughout Belize.
Sean takes a very unique approach to Belizean Cuisine by combining influences from the different cultures throughout the country. He is passionate about his "No Barcode" movement which is a philisophy that is rooted in his pride as a Belizean and advocating for using local produce in a true farm-to-table approach.
In this conversation on The Belize Travelcast, Chef Kuylen takes us on a historical and very informative journey through Belize and gives us some insights into the inspiration behind the different food that you can enjoy in Belize. Tune in to learn why coconut is his favorite ingredient and how it is one of the common ingredients used by different cultures in Belize.
Follow Chef Kuylen on Instragram to follow his daily journey through Belize where he showcases culture and food in Belize. Sean reminds us that you can’t have culture without food and you can’t have food without culture.
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Stay tuned for a future episode with Chef Kuylen where he talks about destination weddings in Belize and how food can make or break your special day.