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Dr. Yolanda “Yo-Yo” Whitaker is adding some spice to her life in the season finale of her cooking show, Downright Delicious With Yo-Yo. 

In the February 19 episode of her aspireTV series, the Grammy-nominated rapper teams up with her friend Teianna to create a mouth-watering meal full of island flavor. 

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In this exclusive clip, Yo-Yo helps Teianna whip up a meal of curried shrimp served over fluffy basmati rice. 

“I’m putting allspice and nutmeg in here, you guys. This is where the Caribbean flavors come in,” explains Teianna, who posts on Instagram at @creativecreole.

“If you ever get food from Jamaican places and you get that hard little black ball, that’s what  allspice is. Or they call it pimentos in the Caribbean,” she adds. 

Sous chef Yo-Yo chops the garlic and slices up some scallions, which go into the pot along with some grated ginger. 

“Have you ever been to Jamaica?” Teianna aska.

“I have. I love Jamaica,” Yo-Yo replies. “But my daughter’s family is Trinidadian. So I’ve traveled to Trinidad many times. Her aunties love to cook, and her grandmother loves to cook, so I’ve tasted a lot of Caribbean dishes.”

Yo-Yo adds that she didn’t have much exposure to Caribbean cuisine growing up in LA. 

“A lot of people have never tried Jamaican food..,” Teianna chimes in. (Caribbean immigrants in the U.S. are mostly concentrated on the East Coast in cities like Miami and New York City.) 

Curried shrimp isn’t the only thing on Yo-Yo and Teianna’s menu. They’ll serve the main course with traditional Jamaican style cabbage, prepared with care and infused with aromatic seasonings. And of course, a Jamaican meal wouldn’t be complete without a traditional rum punch. Together, these two friends will take viewers on a trip to Jamaica through good food, great flavor, and lots of island energy.

The season finale of Downright Delicious With Yo-Yo airs Thursday, February 19 at 8 p.m. ET on aspireTV. All episodes are available to stream on aspireTV+ and Prime Video.

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