There may be fewer booths than at previous editions, but the atmosphere remains unchanged. The aromas of grilled and fried foods, as well as cocoa, coffee, and local spices, fill the air. The tables overflow with color: hot sauces, cereals, artisanal cookies, chocolates, local rice, and roasted nuts. Chefs and restaurateurs offer reimagined dishes and traditional recipes, reflecting HAD’s determination to place Haitian cuisine at the heart of its gathering, edition after edition.

Among the exhibitors, Vanessa Talabert does not go unnoticed. A trained civil engineer turned entrepreneur, she represents ODN Naturelle, a brand she built around the riches of Haiti’s local products. Cap-Haïtien nuts offered as butter or roasted, cocoa, chocolate, and the famous cassava bread from the Greater North fill her booth. “I was the first exhibitor to offer this category of products at HAD,” she says with measured pride, while acknowledging the presence of new competitors this year. It is competition she welcomes without concern because, for her, what matters most lies elsewhere. Participating in Haïti à Déguster means reconnecting with loyal customers, winning over new ones, and maintaining the direct contact with consumers that social media cannot quite replace.