Walking into Good Samaritan Community Haitian Cuisine restaurant is a lot like walking into a good friend’s house. The greetings are big smiles and a big welcome.
Owner Harry Augustin is upfront that he wants to feed everyone who walks in to the recently opened restaurant at 3030 Milledgeville Road, next door to the church where he serves as the pastor, Saints Sanctuary First Haitian Church of Augusta.
It’s part of this ministry and a way of providing healthy, comforting food for the growing Haitian community in Augusta, said his daughter, Neph Atalie, who manages the restaurant.
Atalie explained that her father’s ministry involves all aspects of the Haitian community, including food.
“People come in and are so glad to have familiar food,” she said. “I’ve had people crying when they tasted the food,” they had missed after leaving Haiti. “The sense of community is restored.”
Many had been driving to Florida or Atlanta for authentic Haitian food. And with the ongoing unrest in Haiti, the restaurant has become a haven that brings the community together, Atalie said.
It’s Haitian home-cooking-comfort-food, but there’s a big difference, she said.
Her father is “adamant about it being healthy.” That means finding creative ways to avoid frying foods and adding more vegetables. It’s part of the ministry, she said. The slogan for the restaurant is eat well, live well, be well.
And no one is complaining, Atalie said.
For example, a Haitian staple is griot, which is fried pork. Augustin has developed a baked pork that tastes like the griot to which his customers are accustomed to in Haiti. He uses combinations of vegetables to make healthier versions of staple dishes like relish that goes with many typical foods, she said.
“He’d also working on a pseudo chicken dish that tastes like fried chicken.”
Another example are the pâtés, or fried patties similar to empanadas or turnovers. Augustin servers his pâtés with a side of vegetable to add a healthier component to the meal, she said.
Augustin provided several samples from the menu. Red beans and rice, stewed chicken, griot, pâtés with codfish or chicken, black mushroom rice, salad, and plantains. Relish is a staple dish in Haiti, he said. He served one made from mixed vegetables, eggplant, chipotle, and cabbage.
Another Haitian favorite is the legume. It’s a hearty, traditional stew often made with a protein and a mix of vegetables like eggplant, chipotle, and cabbage. Atalie said it can take hours to slow cook the legume.
The legume this day was served with codfish and chicken cooked in a sauce. The addition of the relish took the dish over the top.
Good Samaritan Community Haitian Cuisine is open Monday through Saturday at 7 a.m. It closes at 7 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, and at 9 p.m. other days. The restaurant is closed on Sunday.
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