Cream Ridgewood
“When customers come in, they see that the employees are close like family, so they feel like family.”
Chef Diablo knew when he was young that he wanted to open a restaurant. As a child he often pretended to run one, creating a menu and serving to his older siblings. He dreamed of a place where everyone could hang, with good music, great food, and a welcoming environment.
With the help of his wife, Diablo pushed himself through culinary school, and opened Cream in 2019. After starting out with American dishes, he eventually found a way to fuse Caribbean and Latin food in a way that was authentic to his own cultures. Today Cream serves dishes such as Birria Empanadas, Cajun Shrimp Tacos, and Coconut Curry Mussels (see recipe below). They continue to experiment with their menu, and customers keep coming back for more.
Chef Diego (left) and Chef Diablo (right) in Cream Ridgewood’s pantry
Describe the moment you knew you wanted to open a restaurant.
“I’ve wanted to open a restaurant ever since I could pick up a pot. I’ve dabbled in many things…but my passion always and forever will be the restaurant world. I love it. Even through COVID, I did not give up the passion that I had. I could never give up, I had to fight through it.”
Cream Ridgewood’s talented bartender serving their signature cocktail “Aurora”
What is the hardest thing about running your restaurant?
“Time. There’s not enough time. You want to do all of these things in the day, you want to work all of these shifts, but by the time you blink your eye, it’s time to open.”
“There are so many things in the restaurant you have to do. Being a chef, being an owner, it’s also the cooking, it’s also the menu designing, it’s also the cocktail designing, it’s also the décor of the restaurant. Everything has to blend together.”
Watch the rest of the interview here.
Chef Diablo talks about how his West Indian background helps inspire his recipes, his favorite dishes on his menu (which you can view at creamridgewood.com), and his favorite thing about Queens.
Coconut Curry Mussels
Instructions
Clean the mussels with cold water to make sure any hairs are gone.
Heat a frying pan on medium-high heat. Pour the canola oil in the pan once it reaches temperature.
Sweat the garlic in the pan with the oil. You don’t want any color on the garlic, you just want the flavor to infuse into the oil.
Pour the mussels into the pan. Toss to coat with oil and garlic.
Sprinkle the curry powder over the mussels. Then add the butter to the pan and toss the mussels until the butter is melted.
Add the white wine to the pan and continue tossing. Allow the alcohol to reduce.
Add the fresh basil and scallions to the pan, toss to combine. Then add the coconut flakes. Add your coconut cream.
Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt to your liking.
Pour in the vegetable stock and the heavy cream. Let the sauce reduce. Once the sauce has reduced, plate in a bowl and pour the remaining sauce over it. Serve with toasted rye bread.
Ingredients
1 oz canola oil
1 tsp freshly minced garlic
2 cups fresh mussels
2 oz cold butter
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp coconut flakes
1 ½ tbsp coconut cream
3 oz white wine
¼ cup vegetable stock
½ cup heavy cream
4 leaves fresh basil
1 tbsp scallions
Pinch of salt
Pinch crushed red pepper
Toasted rye bread