Reggie Desamour Brings Flavor to the Fox Valley

APPLETON, WI- (WISS) – Immigrating to the United States from Haiti in 2009, Reggie Desamour found himself in a land of opportunity. He took that opportunity to create a business that celebrates his Haitian heritage and gives people a place of community. This makes Reggie Desamour a modern history maker and a featured businessman for Black History Month.

Desamour’s story is one of hard work and dedication. He came to the United States to get his education in radiology.

 I moved to the United States in 2009. I went to Fox Valley Technical College for two years, graduated, and then I went to Haiti and tried to get myself a job, Desamour said. “Everybody was like, ‘What are you doing here? We don’t have a job for you.’ So I ended up moving back to New York City. I lived in New York City for six months and I couldn’t get a job because I did not actually understand how to apply for a job because I never had a job before. I had some friends down in Appleton that could help me get a job. So, I moved back to Appleton and got myself a job.”

In Appleton, Desamour began studying radiology and was accepted into a program that only took 10 students at a time. However, he found that radiology wasn’t the right fit for him.

“I started cooking at my house for friends and family, and I decided I wanted to take that into a business.” Desamour said, “I bought a small little 12 by six trailer. And I have a really good friend of mine who let me use his driveway. We build like a little six by 12 trailer. It wasn’t really the greatest looking trailer, but, we made it work and became a success story.”  

He put the cooking skills he learned as a young boy in his mother’s kitchen in Haiti to work and opened Caribbean Taste in 2019. Caribbean Taste is a food truck that serves delicious food like jerk chicken, pikliz, fried plantain, and more. 

Reggie Desamour and Caribbean Taste

Starting his business was a true labor of love. Desamour said he watched a lot of YouTube Videos on how to build his food truck. He had a friend who allowed him to set up in his driveway. He went to the Habitat for Humanity Restore to purchase sinks and fixtures. And he built his food truck from scratch. He took out no loans to do so.

His first location to set up what he described as a tiny trailer and serve people was a gas station parking lot in Appleton.

“They actually give me a chance because nobody wanted to take a chance on me with that little creepy-looking trailer. And they give me a chance. And then we have a really close relationship with McFleshman’s. They are a brewery down in Appleton,” said Desamour. “They actually gave me the opportunity to set my trailer there. And in the winter, they would actually let me sit inside to keep my business going. That’s why we have that going relationship with them too. 

Then the pandemic hit. But rather than harming his business, like it did for so many, Desamour says the pandemic helped him to expand. 

He said, “ Me and my brother, we were working a lot, putting in a lot of hours, and then COVID hit and stuff. That’s when people started supporting small businesses, looking at the little guy. I got a little bit of attention from COVID. People were helping me. I’ll have people buying sandwich for $7. They’ll tip me a hundred dollars. They said the food is good. They want to see me succeed. Then I ended up buying a red food truck. We, a friend of mine, just started building it. And then we hit the road with that nice-looking truck. And that’s, you know, the difference maker.”

Now, his food truck is a regular feature at the Oshkosh Farmer’s Market during the spring, summer, and fall. He does private events and travels all over with Caribbean Taste. 

Opening Area 509

But that’s not all; Desamour, after running his food truck successfully, opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Appleton called Area 509.  

 We have a cool spot down in Appleton. We do a food truck rally too. It’s called Area 509. I own both places. So we call every other Friday. We do have a food truck rally at Area 509. We bring all the food trucks and stuff. And we do actually have a bar outside. We have a stage for live music. 

The live music at Area 509 comes from a wide variety of artists, said Desamour.

“We do Haitian music. We do all kinds. We do American. We mostly try to support local artists,” he added.

When he was 12 years old, Desamour’s mother taught him to cook to prepare him for whatever might have come his way. 

“Growing up in Haiti – well – we didn’t have a sister. So, my mom always said she’s gonna teach us how to clean or cook and do everything. She said, we never know where we’re gonna end up in life. So that’s, that’s how I learned how to cook.”

Desamour brought those skills and authentic Haitian cuisine to his food truck and to Area 509.

“One thing about Caribbean Taste and Area 509 is just you would not expect to see something like that in Wisconsin. You not expect to see a Caribbean vibe, a Caribbean flair, especially Haiti.” Desamour continued, “But we try to bring that with us and kind of like, you might not have the money to go on vacation, but when you come to our place, you feel like you’re on vacation.

Desamour says if you don’t know Haitian or Caribbean cuisine, he is happy to educate people about the food, the spice, and the culture. But he’s found that his loyal customers are stepping up to educate others about Caribbean Taste and Area 509. 

He gives this advice to anyone looking to start their own business.

“Just go for it and be different! Stand out because it’s going to be hard to stand out. It’s going to be hard to see and not do what everybody else is doing. But at the end of the day, it’s going to pay off.” Desamour said.

Desamour has been a guest on Civic Media’s Maino and the Mayor Show in the “Small Business Spotlight.”