Haitian chef’s Brooklyn restaurant gets boost from food influencer’s viral review

BROOKLYN —  A Haitian American chef whose new restaurant received hundreds of reservations for Mother’s Day after a food influencer’s secret visit is now preparing for a possible repeat as Haitian Mother’s Day approaches.

“This guy changed everything for me,” Eva Volmar, owner of La Cachette du Coin, said after the glowing review from New York Turk went viral. 

“Our restaurant went from getting maybe 100 views a week on social media to over 8 million overnight,” she wrote on her Instagram post, apologizing for being “unprepared” on Mother’s Day.

Located at 625 Rogers Avenue, La Cachette is a years-long dream turned reality for the 37-year-old Haitian immigrant, who left a career in nursing to follow her passion for cooking. After studying at the Institute of Culinary Education to become a chef and gaining experience at other restaurants, Volmar planned to open “La Cachette du Coin,” which translates to “the corner hideaway,” as an upscale Haitian-French fusion fine-dining establishment. 

She leased a corner spot on the ground floor of The Rogers Residences, a sleek new six-story condominium building in Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Her brother had urged her to pick that neighborhood, telling her the area needed more high-end Haitian cuisine. Although she lives one hour away in Queens, she agreed, hired contractors for the buildout of her raw space and opened just before Christmas.

When Volmar opened her restaurant this past December, she fully staffed it.

“I had two bartenders, two servers, one sous-chef, two line cooks, two dishwashers and one floor manager,” she said during an interview by phone Wednesday. 

But no one showed up. “One week, I was open for six days. I only had two customers.” 

Among her challenges in attracting customers, Volmar has been fighting with her landlord over a dispute over the buildout.

Eventually, Volmar said, “I had to let practically everyone go.” 

Food influencer plus Mother’s Day equals recipe for success 

Enter Ertan Bek, the cab driver known as New York Turk who films himself at restaurants and posts his reviews on his Instagram and TikTok. He arrives unannounced at eateries that range from Michelin-starred hotspots in exclusive Manhattan zip codes to overlooked gems in the outer boroughs. With over 1.2 million followers, his reviews can make a huge difference.

Bek said he chose La Cachette after receiving messages from fans who said they felt sorry for the woman-owned restaurant that was “always empty.” Disguised with a curly brunette wig, a fake mole and special glasses that film his visits, Bek made his initial walk-in earlier this month. 

His visit coincides with Haitian Restaurant Week, which lists La Cachette as a kick-off location.

In the video Bek posted later of the visit, Volmar had only one other person on hand that day. After she seated him, she said, “I’m going to be your server, your bartender and your chef,” with a laugh.

Bek later asks Volmar, “Are you a mother?” She smiled and replied, “Yes, I’m a mother of two.” He praised the “sweet and bubbly” chef for her Haitian-French dishes, like the guinea fowl, giving it a “five out of five” rating.

After leaving the restaurant, Bek told his followers on camera, “Let’s bless this sweet mother, she deserves it,” he said. “Hopefully the community comes out.” 

Hundreds responded. They went on Yelp to make reservations, a dormant feature that Volmar said they never used before since they barely had customers.  

“Yelp took over 200 reservations,” Volmar said, explaining each reservation represented seating for three to five people, which would total over 800. 

One woman from Connecticut even called to ask if she could send a donation.

When she arrived on Mother’s Day to open, there was already a line out the door. Volmar said some showed up at 10 or 11 that morning and waited until the doors opened at 3 that afternoon. 

Prepping for an encore  

Since she couldn’t accommodate them all by herself, Volmar apologized and posted a note on her Instagram channel — whose follower count skyrocketed to 10,000 in about a week. Then, she closed for four days to hire and train new staff. 

Volmar plans to be prepared for Haitian Mother’s Day, traditionally celebrated on the last Sunday in May in Haiti.

Meanwhile, Volmar is gearing up to reopen La Cachette Tuesday to Sunday, with brunch added on weekends, and is grateful for the free publicity and the outpouring of support. 

Several days after the first viral video, Bek returned with a bouquet of roses while filming an update. 

“Happy Mother’s Day,” Bek said to Volmar — who smiled, teary-eyed and said that before he came, “no one ever showed up” but after, “it’s been crazy.” 

Behind her, sat patrons at tables and at the bar. Bek pulled out a wad of bills totaling $1,000, “a boost,” to help pay off expenses. 

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