Doubles, pelau and corn soup have a place on the menu at Rumhouse in Annapolis, Maryland, where Trinidadian executive chef Natasha de Bourg is bringing the food she knows to an American dining audience. Now, the restaurant has been included in Food & Wine’s feature, “7 Standout New Caribbean Restaurants in the US”, published on 8 October 2026.
Natasha de Bourg
The recognition puts attention on a kitchen whose Trinidadian influence is easy to identify. At Rumhouse, doubles are served with curried chickpeas and chutneys, while Trini corn soup brings together split peas, root vegetables, dumplings and Caribbean herbs. A pelau for two sits alongside crab and dumplings in coconut curry sauce and Trinidad lo mein.
For readers at home, those names carry their own associations with family meals, roadside stops and the food shared after a long day. In an American restaurant, they also give diners a way into Trinidad and Tobago’s culinary identity through dishes they can order, taste and ask about.
De Bourg’s cooking draws on experience that began with her grandmother’s food and expanded through international kitchens and travel to more than 50 countries. Rumhouse’s own account of her journey places those early lessons alongside her experience in Michelin-starred restaurants, connecting the food of home with the techniques she developed abroad.
Her professional biography includes work at Mirazur in Menton, France, and qualifications in culinary arts and international business from the University of Derby and César Ritz Colleges Switzerland, together with a hospitality and tourism diploma from the Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute. Her career has also included working as a chef aboard luxury yachts.
Television brought her to a wider audience through season two of Bravo’s Below Deck Sailing Yacht in 2021. Caribbean viewers have also seen her on Maggi Food Court Caribbean and her own Cooking with the Classy Chef series. At Rumhouse, diners encounter her work through the dishes leaving the kitchen.
The menu moves between familiar preparations and new combinations. Oxtail appears in croquettes and pappardelle, while dry-rubbed jerk lamb is glazed with house-made jerk syrup and finished with a pistachio and herb crust. The range allows Caribbean ingredients and flavours to appear in different forms without limiting the region’s food to a single style.
That approach fits a restaurant built around shared hospitality. Located in Annapolis’s Eastport neighbourhood, Rumhouse occupies the converted first floor of a residential home. Its name refers to the sugarcane spirit associated with the region, while its dining experiences include a communal six-course tasting table.
The business also operates without tipping. Its published menu states that prices account for better wages, healthcare benefits and paid time off for employees, making the treatment of its team part of the restaurant’s approach to hospitality.
For Trinidad and Tobago, the story offers a specific example of how culinary talent travels. A chef trained at home and abroad is leading a US kitchen where recognisable Trinidadian dishes remain visible, giving diners another way to encounter the country’s culture.
For 11 months, Rumhouse also earned recognition including the readers’ choice award for Best New Restaurant in What’s Up? Media’s 2026 Rumhouse is located at 422 Sixth Street, Annapolis, Maryland. Menus, reservations and dining experiences are available at rumhouseannapolis.com. More information about de Bourg’s career and work is available at theclassychef.co.
Dining and Cooking