Panou Kitchen was founded in 2024 by Nadine and Zach Niles, blending a love for Haitian food, music, and culture into every jar and bite. Born and raised in Cité Soleil, Port-au-Prince, Nadine grew up helping her mother in the kitchen and selling manba (Haitian peanut butter) at a young age. Even when food was scarce, her family’s ingenuity transformed simple ingredients into flavorful, nourishing meals. At an early age she discovered her talent and passion for music. This led her to sing with Haiti’s top gospel groups of the time and eventually to be recruited to sing with legendary artist Boulo Valcourt. 

In 2011, she met Zach, a Vermont native, when he traveled to Haiti to record musicians for a project that became the celebrated Haitian roots band Lakou Mizik. United by their love of Haitian culture and storytelling, they toured internationally with Lakou Mizik before eventually marrying and settling in Vermont. But something was missing—Haitian flavors. So Nadine started cooking and sharing her favorite dishes at concerts and community events.

When her mother, who had joined her in Vermont, suddenly passed in December of 2024, cooking and sharing the food that they had always made together helped Nadine get through some difficult times. The joy of cooking and the connection it created with her mother became the spark that led to Panou Kitchen—a way to bring Haitian tastes, traditions, and memories to this place and help others in the diaspora reconnect with the flavors of home.