Picture: Sharon Benjamin
Prepare your tastebuds for a taste of the Caribbean! Peachy’s Pantry has been delivering delicious Caribbean flavor to the public since 2015. Behind the apron is Sharon Benjamin. Born and raised in St. Croix to Antiguan and Kittian parents, Benjamin’s love for cooking came at a young age. “As the eldest, I was responsible for all the cooking in the family,” said Benjamin. “I would gather recipes from books or watch others prepare dishes and practice making it in my head with my personal twists before trying it out!” After relocating back to St. Croix from Atlanta, Georgia in 2018, she began making some of her favorite homestyle dishes and selling them to the public. During the height of the pandemic, she became a master at preparing dishes in the morning and delivering them to her customers before lunch time. “Cooking the dishes of St. Croix while living on the island again made me feel like part of the culture I grew up in, part of the tapestry.” Benjamin met many people on her deliveries and loved presenting them with their meals. “With food deliveries, it felt like I was part of something important.”
Top-notch customer service paired with fresh and delicious foods and drinks, Peachy’s Pantry has built an impressive clientele that swears by her dishes! Many that visit the island over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays often hire Benjamin to prepare a holiday feast fit for royalty. She combines the nostalgic comforts of holiday foods with Crucian flavors. Guests can receive a whole baked turkey, candied yams and mashed potatoes and gravy and pair it with local dishes such as Crucian potato stuffing, baked macaroni and roast pork.
Don’t forget the sweet treats! Benjamin’s baked goods and sweet treats is where she truly got her start and made her mark in the culinary landscape on St. Croix. Think Cruzan Rum cakes, carrot cake and banana breads and local fruit cheesecakes like passion fruit, soursop and mango. For those wanting locally known sweets, Benjamin makes tamarind and gooseberry stews, tamarind balls, coconut and peanut sugar cakes and the sweet treat the U.S. Virgin Islands is known for – fruit tarts in coconut, guava and pineapple flavors.
To get a taste of Peachy’s Pantry, you can visit her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/PeachysPantry where you can purchase her cookbooks, order local treats for shipping or arrange for catered services delivered to your home.
Written by Anquanette Gaspard agaspard@cruzanfoodie.com
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