COFFEE TO SOMERVILLE. COFFEE. THAT CAFFEINE KICK THAT STARTS OUR DAY TRAILS ONLY WATER FOR DAILY CONSUMPTION NATIONALLY. HOW MANY CUPS OF COFFEE DO YOU DRINK A DAY? IT CAN BE LIKE FIVE CUPS A DAY. DRINKING COFFEE IS PART OF THE JOB FOR RWANDA. BORN FRANCOIS TO YASHIMA, FOUNDER AND CO-OWNER WITH HIS WIFE FATUMA OF RIGO COFFEE IN SOMERVILLE. JUST THE WORD YIRGA MEANS YES, IT MEANS YES. IN KINYARWANDA AND IT’S A SIGN OF POSITIVITY AND A SIGN OF AFFIRMATION. FRANCOIS DRIPS POSITIVITY AND PRIDE FOR HIS FAMILY BUSINESS. NOW IN ITS THIRD GENERATION. MY GRANDFATHER WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE TO GROW COFFEE IN RWANDA. NOW IT’S ME AND MY BROTHERS WHO ARE NOW DOING COFFEE BUSINESS. MY BROTHERS ARE DOING IT IN RWANDA AND I DO IT HERE IN SOMERVILLE. FRANCOIS ROAST IN-HOUSE DAILY USING RWANDAN BEANS FROM HIS NATIVE FARM. CAN I SMELL? YEAH, YOU CAN SMELL. IT’S HOT. WELL, LET ME ASK YOU THIS. IS IT UNIQUE TO HAVE A ROASTER IN-HOUSE AT A COFFEE SHOP? VERY SPECIAL. AS ROASTED BEANS DROP INTO THE COOLER, I GET TO EXPERIENCE HOT COFFEE IN A WHOLE NEW WAY. IT’S ACTUALLY IT. IT FEELS NICE. I WILL TAKE YOU TO RWANDA AND I SHOW YOU COFFEE FIRSTHAND. WHAT IS IT ABOUT RWANDA THAT MAKES THE BEANS SO SPECIAL? MOST OF THE COFFEE GROWING REGIONS IN RWANDA ARE VOLCANIC SOIL, WHICH MAKES IT A PERFECT SOIL TO GROW. AND SECOND, PEOPLE, PEOPLE WHO GROW COFFEE ARE VERY COMMITTED PEOPLE AND VERY RESILIENT PEOPLE. THAT RESILIENCE WAS TESTED IN APRIL 1994, WHEN ETHNIC HUTU EXTREMISTS SLAUGHTERED AT LEAST 800,000 PEOPLE WHO WERE MEMBERS OF THE COUNTRY’S TUTSI MINORITY. IT IS NOW KNOWN AS THE RWANDAN GENOCIDE. WE LOST FOUR OF MY UNCLES AND TWO OF MY GRANDPARENTS. IT WAS NOT JUST A NORMAL DEATH. THEY WERE KILLED BY OUR NEIGHBORS. FRANCOIS WAS JUST A CHILD DURING THE GENOCIDE, HE SAYS. IN THE 30 YEARS SINCE THEN, HIS COUNTRY HAS EXPERIENCED A REBIRTH. NOW YOU CAN GO AROUND RWANDA 24 HOURS, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, FREELY AND PEACEFUL. AND WE YEAH, WE ARE THANKFUL FOR THAT. MANY PEOPLE FROM MEDFORD LOCALLY, CUSTOMERS HAVE EMBRACED FRANCOIS AND FATUMA AS MUCH FOR THE COMMUNITY THEY’VE CREATED AS FOR THE RWANDAN COFFEE. THEY SERVE. RECENTLY, THE COUPLE WELCOMED A BABY GIRL, SHAMI, REPRESENTING THE POSSIBILITY OF A FOURTH GENERATION IN THIS FAMILY BUSINESS. SO SHE’S THE NEW CEO HERE. SHE IS DEFINITELY. YEAH, IT’S THE AMERICAN DREAM. ONE FAMILY FINDING SUCCESS THROUGH HARD WORK WHILE SHARING A TASTE OF THEIR CULTURE. ONE CUP AT A TIME. HOW IS IT? OH MY GOD. THAT IS TRULY DELICIOUS CANDY. DORCHESTER’S FOUR CORNERS NEIGHBORHOOD COULD WELL BE CALLED FOUR CULTURES AS ITS RESIDENTS INCLUDE FAMILIES FROM CAPE VERDE, PUERTO RICO, JAMAICA AND HAITI. I FEEL LIKE IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO SEE ALL THOSE BACKGROUNDS REPRESENTED IN RESTAURANTS, AND THAT’S DEFINITELY WHAT MORALES KITCHEN PROVIDES. MORALES IS A JAMAICAN TAKEOUT RESTAURANT IN SHANTI RAMEN IS ITS DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS. HOW DID THE RESTAURANT GET ITS NAME? IT’S PAYING HOMAGE TO THE MATRIARCH OF OUR FAMILY, MARLENE ROWLAND. SO SHE WAS AN AMAZING COOK, AND IT REALLY IS PAYING HOMAGE TO ALL THE FOOD SHE WOULD COOK FOR US, AND ALL THE WAYS THAT SHE WOULD NURTURE AND CARE FOR US. WHILE MISS MERLE HAS PASSED AWAY, HER SON, OWNER AND CHEF CHENILLE WALKER IS KEEPING MAMA’S MEMORY ALIVE IN THE KITCHEN. WHAT DEFINES JAMAICAN FLAVORS? BOLDNESS. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT JAMAICAN FLAVORS AND MAKING CULTURE, YOU HAVE TO BE AUTHENTIC. YOU HAVE TO BE BOLD, AND THAT IS DEFINITELY WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU COME TO EAT. EMERIL’S KITCHEN YES, MA’AM. WE GET A FIRSTHAND VIEW OF THOSE FLAVORS AS SHANTE PRESENTS A SPREAD OF THEIR BIGGEST HITS FRIED SHRIMP, OXTAIL, AND MAC AND CHEESE. BUT THE ONE DISH MISSING IS THE ONE I’VE HEARD THE MOST ABOUT. SO I HAD TO ASK FOR MERLE’S JERK MAC AND CHEESE PLATE. WOW. THERE’S A LITTLE KICK. YEAH, A PASTA YES, IT’S SO GOOD. IT’S FLAVORFUL, IT’S CREAMY. IT’S NOT TOO HEAVY. THAT’S WHAT YOU NEED TO FEEL THAT LITTLE KICK. THIS IS THE REAL DEAL RIGHT HERE. MORALES. KITCHEN. MERLE’S KITCHEN. HELLO. AND WHILE MERLE’S CURRENTLY IS FOCUSED ON TAKEOUT, AS YOU SAID, THAT’S ABOUT TO CHANGE BECAUSE THEY WERE RECENTLY GRANTED A LIQUOR LICENSE. YES. ONE OF 37 ISSUED THROUGH A NEW PROGRAM THIS YEAR HOPING TO HELP BOOST THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY IN UNDERSERVED BOSTON NEIGHBORHOODS. NOW, MERLE’S IS ALSO SCHEDULED TO OPEN A FULL RESTAURANT AND BAR LATER THIS YEAR. AND THAT JERK CHICKEN