WATCH: It’s Caribbean American Heritage Month — a time for cassava, callaloo and curry

NEW YORK — June is Caribbean American Heritage Month, an 18-year-old observance that came out of a proposal from U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, a Democrat from California. It’s a time for the country to absorb the cultures brought to the United States by the 13 million Caribbean Americans from 26 countries counted by the census. Food is a big part of this observance. It’s this kind of celebration of Caribbean culture that led William “RanDe” Rogers on a path to run Sisters Cuisine, a Caribbean restaurant in Harlem, New York, first opened by his mother, who is from Guyana, and her sister and cousin 28 years ago. ​Rogers was born and raised in Harlem and Sisters Cuisine has always been one of his greatest connections to a culture he has mostly learned about anecdotally. Each spice, every dish, and every Caribbean customer in the restaurant offers a glimpse into one of Guyana’s most cherished treasures – its food.& ​The experience of connection to culture through food isn’t unique to Rogers. For many, food serves as a cultural bridge connecting immigrants and successive generations to their homeland. ​“I have been back to Guyana a couple times,” Rogers said. “They were all...