Chef Kwame Williams Presents Proppa Suppa
Anchor Spa
272 College St.
New Haven
Oct. 11, 2026
It was 3 a.m. the other day and I was devouring jerk duck. I think I even dreamed about it.
Somehow, it still melted in my mouth, though I was eating it cold from the refrigerator.
I marveled at Chef Kwame Williams’ masterpiece. The duck was fatty and moist and flavorful with smoky sweet jerk seasoning. Williams paired the meat with string bean and white yam succotash garnished with gingery sorrel.
I understood why he had devotees crossing state lines to come to New Haven to experience this.
By the time this dish came out at Williams’ dinner series “Proppa Suppa” earlier in the evening, I was full to bursting. The little nibble I took convinced me that I desperately needed to take this meal home to enjoy. (And maybe share with my cat.)
(OK, fine, I did share with Sydney because my princess deserves excellence.)
The jerk duck was the main dish in a five-course meal at Williams’ supper club. Sunday was the first time Proppa Suppa ventured out of New York.
Proppa Suppa found a fitting home at pan-Caribbean cocktail bar and restaurant Anchor Spa. Chef Williams and Anchor owner Karl Franz Williams share West Indian backgrounds, the theme for the evening’s fare. Chef Williams is a first-generation American of Jamaican heritage, and he loves mixing those cultures to create his fusion dishes.
Williams, who previously co-owned a restaurant and café, is currently working on two cookbooks: Fourteen Parishes will be a regional exploration of Jamaica’s food and Jamerican will feature the Jamaican-American fusion recipes that he’s been cooking for the past decade. His hallmark is making non-traditional foods with familiar flavors. (This man’s go-to vegetarian dish is curry jackfruit, OK.)
Williams devised Proppa Suppa earlier this year to serve as proof of concept for his cookbooks. Guests at Williams’ intimate dinners get the fortuitous opportunity to provide feedback on his recipes.
Anchor Spa upped its already chic factor on Sunday for Proppa Suppa. Elegant scarlet curtains hung from the ceiling to separate the bar from the dining area. In the dining room, palm-leaf-accented scarves served as napkins on the tables. Menus with a monstera design highlighted the evening’s five courses. Candles graced the tables alongside name cards. Afrobeats and Caribbean music by the likes of Ayra Starr and Byron Messia piped through the speakers. Popular New Haven influencer Bri, of A Bris Thru Town, described the space as the house of a friend you don’t want to leave.
As we waited for the occasion to officially begin, guests were greeted with glasses of rum punch.
Thankfully, the wait wasn’t long. By the time I finished sipping my refreshingly tart drink, the show began.
After Chef Williams introduced Proppa Suppa and the night’s themed beverages, Unc’s Highball and Caribbean Courtesy, the first course came out. I felt comforted as the cold, rainy day faded away at the first sip of his Jamaican pumpkin soup. The creamy orange soup had the perfect silkiness and temperature. I savored the taste of cheese and delicate spices. There was a mini husk of sweet corn in the center. I laughed when I noticed that my tablemates and I were tipping our cast iron pots to get to the last little drops of soup.
As I ate, I sipped on Unc’s Highball, the sorrel drink made with Karl Franz Williams’ ginger beer brand Uncle Waithley’s and Ten to One Rum. It was a delicious shade of pink and tasted of vacation and freedom. The drink’s slight sweetness crept to a boozy burn on my tongue.
The woman sitting to my right was Monica Freeman-Greene, Anchor’s human relations and operations leader. Freeman-Greene proudly shared that Uncle Waithley’s makes three flavors of ginger beer – sorrel, scotch bonnet, and pineapple – with real ginger and no preservatives. You can buy the ginger beer in Whole Foods across the east coast; they’re working on moving west. My other seatmate Juaquadah Cox bought a pineapple Uncle Waithley’s on the spot. Her mission accomplished, Freeman-Greene smiled like a Cheshire cat as she took Cox’s cash. Now, that’s a good businesswoman.
Attendees talked and laughed as plates of rich, briny mackerel and fresh, crisp chayote (a type of squash) and apple salad circulated among the tables. Chef Williams went to each table to chat with guests. All around the room I saw shining, smiling faces.
The fourth course was the jerk duck – the real star of the show. After her first bite, Bri exclaimed, “OK Chef Kwame!”
Let’s take a brief moment of silence for that incredible duck.
Then, the final attraction came out – the guava cheesecake. It was made with a ginger snap crust, and the ginger glaze was made with Uncle Waithley’s. The cheesecake was whipped to perfection with a spongey texture. There were little surprise bites of chewy ginger candy throughout the cheesecake, with a hint of rum and lime. This, too, went in a takeout container for me to savor at home. (I finished it in two bites in the kitchen.)
I left Proppa Club satiated and, even better, feeling aligned. There’s something deeply satisfying and restorative about enjoying exquisite food and flowing drinks with good company.
Someone, give that man a publishing deal! And a restaurant would be nice.
For more on Chef Kwame Williams, visit his website at kwamewilliams.com.
