Meet Ronide Pompe | Caribbean Caterer and Restaurant Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ronide Pompe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ronide, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
After leaving a difficult work environment in the health industry due to an injury, Ronide Pompe was left unemployed. Moreover, because of her age (63 years), it was difficult to find a new job that would accommodate her energy and recognize her experience despite her age. In turn, she was left unfulfilled and isolated. This was intensified even further by the pandemic. So she turned to what she knew how to do– cooking. She knew she had both a love and talent for making Caribbean and Southern foods, so she thought to try her hand at giving the Houston community a taste of her twist of Haitian food, and by God’s grace they embraced KizinRonide with much love.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
KizinRonide is a Haitian Catering and Restaurant business that seeks to provide the Houston community with a poignant taste of Haiti. We offer several platters which all include a different part of Caribbean cuisine- rice, spiced veggies, aromatic meats, and of course our beloved plantains. The business started with what we call “Griot du Samedi Soir” which featured Haiti’s “fritay” or fried food stuffs. Now, our menu has expanded to include fried, baked, and roasted meats that we offer to the community for an affordable price. We also sell one-of-a kind patties with a fresh, flaky crust. One can purchase our items online via our social media pages (Instagram and Facebook) or by phone. We currently only offer pick-up options because we are still a homefront, but we hope to expand to a food truck or a business location where we will be able to commune with our customers as they eat our food.

It’s not hard to see what sets KizinRonide apart from other businesses. Or I guess we should say it’s not hard to taste what sets us apart. We are most proud of the fact that KizinRonide makes all of our spices and seasonings by hand. That means everything from our goat to our pork to our fish to our patties to our rice are all seasoned with handmade spices that marinate over time. We take time in our craft and make sure that each plate gets a taste of a different part of Haitian Cuisine.

We want the world to know that our story is one funded by the American dream, but moved by Haitian roots. We seeks to mend the ocean between the two countries to provide everyone with a new idea of what it means to have the human experience- which is opening our minds to new traditions, new possibilities, and new ideas both local and worldwide.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
-Hermann Park -The Breakfest Klub
-Sugar Rush
-Torchy’s Tacos
-Cool Runnings
-KizinRonide 😉
-Almeda Rd
-Pearland
-Jinya
-Silveys Kitchen

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I must give thanks to Haitian Houstons United. This organization has and continues to give me a platform to expand my business and get my name out into the Haitian community. They have been very supportive and continue to invite me to serve at important events such as Haitian Flag Day and the Constitutional Referendum where Houston hosted several important officials of both the Haitian and United States Government. I would not be here without them, and I hope the young people that serve on their board continue to create spaces for people like me to serve our community. In that, I would like to thank all of my customers, especially my loyal followers on Instagram. They put their trust in my vision, and have not failed in sharing my business to the surrounding community.

I would also like to shout my friends- Ipromene Cameau and her family for being a great help to me during this time.

Of course, I have to shoutout my children, for my vision would not have been realized without them. When I told them about my desire to self food, my youngest, Ruth, immediately jumped on board with creating our social media platforms including all the visuals and graphics associated with them. She did this all the way from her school in Chicago where she studies French. My son, Max, was the first to provide both financial support and a physical hand in buying and building al the equipment and supplies needed to perfect my craft. While swamped in medical school studies, Jenny lent a hand in preparing many of the sides that complement the main dishes of our platters. An of course, my son Isaac continues to work as the man power behind our restaurant. He is often seen carrying and transferring equipment, supplies, and orders on delivery days. The work of these four only represents the support I’ve had from all seven of my children as KizinRonide continues to prosper.

Instagram: @KizinRonide

Facebook: @KizinRonide

Youtube: Ronide Pompe

Other: email: kizinronide@gmail.com

Image Credits
Great Scenes Creative