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Hey there, I'm Celeste and my love for cooking started when I was eleven years old. Instead of watching Saturday morning cartoons, I watched cooking shows on "WGBH" TV. I was born and raised in Roxbury, MA. in a community with a melting pot of different cultures. I had a lot of friends from the West Indies and always loved the amazing smells coming from their kitchens. While I attended Boston Latin School, class of '88, I had friends from many cultures and was introduced to Caribbean, Asian, Cape Verdean, Latin, Italian, Irish and Greek cuisine.
I have been cooking for years for my family and friends who told me I should start a catering business. In May of 2006 I took the plunge and established Lyndigo Catering. Then the recession hit some years later and everybody started doing potluck. Go figure!
My love for Ethnic food especially Caribbean and Indian is the inspiration behind my line of Artisanal products at Lyndigo Spice.
I began making the Pineapple Chutney to cool down the heat of my Jamaican Jerk Chicken that I would make for my clients and their guests. Not Everyone can handle Jerk! They would always ask me if they could purchase the chutney in stores. My response was always "not yet". At every event most people would be leaving with Pineapple Chutney on a small plate to enjoy later. Now several years and many recipes later I have created a line of chutneys, relishes, fruit spreads, and spice blends for you to enjoy!
Croxton-Tate has been featured in Chowhound, Edible Boston, Boston Voyager, Boston Globe, Boston Magazine and PBS’ WGBH, and The CREATE Channel. She lives in Boston, MA with her husband and her two sons.
Proudly Owned by
Celeste Croxton-Tate
Locations
196 Quincy Street
Dorchester, Massachusetts 02121
Contact Info
617-276-8097
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Lyndigo Spice Products
Pineapple Chutney
You get the sweetness from the pineapples, sweet onions and the organic evaporated cane juice. A hint of fresh ginger, chile spice, organic curry and ginger powders give it the spice. It pairs well with spicy food, sharp cheese, cream cheese and bagels. Or, how my son Lake likes it, straight out the jar. At one of my catering events my clients even put it on stir fried collard greens!
Fennel and Fig Chutney
Even if you are not a fan of the black jellybean, you will enjoy this chutney. The anise flavor from the Fennel is not as strong but rather sweet from being cooked down with the sweet onions, figs and currants. This pairs well with that holiday turkey, ham or leg of lamb, a nice brie or just on toast.
Smokey Peach and Cherry Chutney
Peaches in the summertime! What’s not to like? But when you put them on the grill and smoke them, watch out! The tartness from the dried cherries gives it a nice balance. It is savory and pairs well with a funky cheese, pork, chicken, salmon and deli sandwiches. I refer to this as summer in a jar.
Celeste Croxton-Tate owner of Lyndigo Spice recently published her long-awaited cookbook titled, The Lyndigo Spice Cookbook: Full of Flavor with a Spicy Attitude, a Culinary Memoir. The proud Roxbury native and family cook turned food entrepreneur launched Lyndigo Spice, an artisanal small batch line of chutneys, relishes, fruit spreads, and spice blends brand, in 2014. Celeste Croxton-Tate is also a twenty-four year veteran of the Boston Police Department.
Croxton-Tate artfully weaves her life story with recipes that reflect her zest for good company and good food. Her tales of growing up in Boston include learning from her diverse neighbors and cooking cuisines from cultures spanning the Caribbean, Africa, and her own African-American roots. They are familiar and endearing. “Every recipe has a story,” says Croxton-Tate, who has cooked and pleased the palates of customers, family, and friends for years. Croxton-Tate says she got her start cooking with an Easy Bake oven as a kid. We learn about Croxton-Tate’s summers visiting family in Albany, NY, reinventing family recipes, watching cooking shows on WGBH, and reading Elle magazine and experimenting with new recipes. Those memories from her youth are still present with her, as is her forty-year-old garlic press, which she’s had since her days as a budding home cook.
The cornish hen recipe in Croxton-Tate’s culinary memoir is an example of how food can be a balm in easing the pain of grief and loss. It’s a recipe which carries special meaning for Croxton-Tate. In her teenage years, cooking Sunday dinner became a cathartic ritual after her beloved older sister, Rachel Lynn, tragically died as a result of domestic violence. Croxton-Tate poured herself into cooking as a way to cope; it became her therapy. The Lyndigo Spice brand is a tribute to her late sister, Rachel Lynn. Ever curious to test new recipes, Croxton-Tate says cooking in layers is her way of savoring the fresh, in-season ingredients she produces in every jar of her sought after vegan products.
Her culinary memoir captures her love of food, family and memory. The Lyndigo Spice Cookbook is available for purchase, to obtain signed copies please visit her website.
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