Grandchamps
Grandchamps is a great many things. It’s a Haitian restaurant serving hearty staples such as griot (pan-fried pork), legume (stewed eggplant and squash), tassot cabrit (marinated goat) and djon djon (black mushroom rice). It’s a market with a curated selection of specialty products from Haitian and Haitian-American companies. And it’s a community gathering place that holds monthly artist, author and musician spotlight events.
Sabrina Brockman, who’s been running Grandchamps with her husband Shawn for almost three years, works overtime to make the space bustling, multi-purpose and community centered. “Opportunity looks different for Black people than it does for white people,” says Brockman, who also hires locally from the restaurant’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood. “So when we have it, we have to figure out ways to multiply that. Now that I’m doing this, I’m very focused on making it as big and rich as possible.”
Grandchamps, by the way, is Sabrina Brockman’s maiden name. The family influence further extends to the menu, which includes her mother’s Haitian recipes (meticulously studied by Shawn, who heads the kitchen), and the bucolic black-and-white family photos dotting the walls.
“Having a space that’s casual, where people feel comfortable and can move around, was important,” Brockman, 35, says of the airy, sunny decor. Grandchamps also features original signage from the previous tenant, Archie’s Grocery, which served the community for nearly five decades. (Archie and his wife still live in the apartment upstairs and share business advice with the young Brockmans.)
Instead of groceries, however, the shelves of their market are stocked with unique products including Kreyol Essence Haitian black castor oil, Mandba spicy Haitian-style peanut butter and Dorpare craft ginger tea.
“Opportunity looks different for Black people than it does for white people. So when we have it, we have to figure out ways to multiply that.”
We recently enjoyed brunch at Grandchamps: a savory, deeply comforting blend of African and French influences. (Don’t come looking for basic pancakes.) Try the griot hash made from chunks of fried pork and potatoes, topped with fried eggs and served with mayi moulin and sos pwa (cornmeal with black bean sauce), as well as the codfish ak bannan — stewed saltfish with boiled plantain and avocado. Also, the rich, freshly roasted coffee is just $1.
197 Patchen Avenue, 718-484-4880, grandchamps.nyc
