French-Caribbean restaurant in P.E.I. earns $10,000 grant from DoorDash

Stephen Brun · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 12, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: July 12

Val éry Ladrezeau travelled a agelong mode to P.E.I. from a tiny concatenation of islands successful the Caribbean, but present that he's here, helium wants to nurture some his edifice and Islanders' appreciation of his cuisine.

He precocious got immoderate assistance successful doing that erstwhile the food-delivery work DoorDash awarded him $10,000 to assistance grow his business, Datcha, located successful Founders' Food Hall and Market in Charlottetown. 

Ladrezeau was 1 of 30 crossed the state — and the lone Island-based constitution — to person the grant, which recognizes Black concern owners for their entrepreneurial tone and interaction connected their communities. 

"It's a bully accidental to amusement radical my nutrient is bully to correspond P.E.I.," Ladrezeau said. "The extremity is to crook my concern into a franchise, due to the fact that I deliberation radical request nutrient similar that…. We request much casual food." 

Ladrezeau is from Guadelupe, a French territory successful the Caribbean Sea that's astir one-fifth the onshore country of Prince Edward Island. 

After stops successful Paris, past Toronto, helium yet decided to marque his mode to P.E.I. a fewer years ago. 

He decided helium wanted to amusement locals a caller benignant of cuisine — the French-Caribbean nutrient of his location country. 

'Caribbean vibes'

Ladrezeau said this land reminds him a batch of Guadelupe. 

"The radical are chill. In summer, I astir consciousness similar it's Caribbean vibes," helium said. "The odor of the water, the humidity is the same." 

Datcha specializes successful bokit, a sandwich made with breadstuff that's cooked from scratch astatine the Founders' Hall stall and filled with thing from chickenhearted oregon beef to lobster oregon cod, on with house-made sauces. 

The sandwich is past heavy fried and served up to bare customers. 

Ladrezeau said nutrient successful Guadelupe, and the Caribbean successful general, is influenced by the galore antithetic cultures that unrecorded there. 

"In the Caribbean we person the Latinos, you tin person Chinese, you person Lebanese, you person Indian, you person Black people, you person achromatic people," helium said. 

"The nutrient is for everyone."  

As for the $10,000 grant, Ladrezeau said he'll enactment astir of it toward selling and purchasing caller instrumentality for his Founders' Hall stand. 

While he'd similar to yet spot much Datcha locations that tin bring his nutrient to caller tastebuds, helium besides hopes a larger assemblage of Black concern owners tin beryllium inspired to acceptable up store connected the Island. 

"It deliberation it's a wave. Before america was, like, the Mexican food, possibly the Asian food, the Indian food," helium said. 

"I deliberation the adjacent question volition beryllium the Black food."