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Award winning Bahamian chefs
WELCOME BAHAMAS - NASSAU, CABLE BEACH & PARADISE ISLAND - 2004
Award winning Bahamian chefs
Culinary talents are home-grown
The Bahamas has some of the best weather, beaches and resorts to be found anywhere in the world, so it only seems fitting that the best dining can be found here as well.
But have you ever wondered who was responsible for creating that absolutely divine lobster entrée? Or who could have possibly crafted that melt-in-your-mouth chocolate soufflé?
Behind every excellent meal there is an equally excellent chef. And Nassau has plenty of chefs ? from all over the world. But for all the gourmet foreign meals served, a remarkable number of Bahamian chefs are behind them, and the number continues to grow.
From classroom to kitchen
Cacique Awards? Chef of the Year, Tracey Sweeting, of Radisson Cable Beach & Golf Resort, knows all about the joy of cooking.
Sweeting recalls that his fascination with food began at an early age.
?I used to play around in the kitchen ? it is a natural talent,? he says. ?It?s in your blood? my family can cook but they didn?t pursue it on a professional level.?
Sweeting notes that his interest in the culinary arts carried him through high school and ultimately led him to enroll at the Bahamas Hotel Training College.
Following an intense three-year training course, Sweeting travelled throughout Europe landing year-long internships in Denmark and London.
?It was interesting to learn (about) the different cultures, learn from different chefs, learn from people and their way of life and see how they live. Coming from a small country, I wasn?t really exposed to different cultures.?
Upon returning from his experience in Europe, Sweeting took his culinary interests to the next level and pursued his bachelor?s degree at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.
?I just wanted to further my career,? he explains. ?Everything to me is about learning.?
A lifetime of learning
Fellow Johnson & Wales graduates Jasmine Young and Wayne Moncur agree that a career as a chef can lead to a lifetime of learning.
?This is a career that can be fun,? says Young. ?But it can also be intense and challenging.?
Although only 30 years old, Young, an executive sous chef and culinary trainer at Atlantis, has garnered experience that would take many chefs a lifetime to achieve.
Young recalls her first job in the kitchen ? making sandwiches at Subway after graduating from high school.
?I didn?t aspire to become a chef, I wanted to be an accountant at first,? she says.
But Young found that she enjoyed working with food much more, ultimately making it her career.
Armed with a desire to pursue her new-found passion, Young enrolled in the Bahamas Hotel Training College apprentice chef program where she developed a keen interest in baking and pastry arts. She particularly excelled in that area, winning 12 ACF (American Culinary Federation) medals.
Making history ? twice
Following her training at the College, Young pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University. She made history by becoming the first Bahamian to earn that degree.
While culinary arts was the main focus for Young, after graduating she decided to pursue a master?s degree in culinary teaching.
?I wanted to come back (to The Bahamas) to teach,? she explains.
Young obtained her master?s degree at the age of 23 and made history a second time, as the first Bahamian to also earn that degree.
Like Young, Moncur says he wasn?t sure what he would do after high school. Thanks to the guidance of his food and nutrition teacher, he decided to pursue a culinary career.
After graduating from high school, Moncur enrolled in the culinary arts and gourmet cooking programmes at the Hotel Training College. During his training, he also worked at the Blue Lagoon Seafood Restaurant on Paradise Island.
Following several months of hands-on learning, Moncur enrolled in the apprentice chef programme at the School of Hospitality and Tourism Studies at The College of The Bahamas. There he won several awards, including Most Outstanding Apprentice Chef.
Upon graduating from this programme, Moncur worked as a saucier/prep cook at Atlantis for two years, then decided to pursue a bachelor?s degree in culinary arts.
While at university, Moncur took part in the annual New York Food Show and the Boston Food Show, winning gold medals at both.
Born to cook
For some it takes many years to develop an understanding of the culinary arts; but others are simply born to cook.
Basil Dean, executive sous chef at One&Only Ocean Club, knew from a very early age that he would pursue a culinary career.
?I?ve been dabbling with food since I was three years old,? he recalls. ?I remember I couldn?t distinguish the difference between lettuce and a cabbage.?
Dean says his mother noticed his interest in food and cooking and nurtured his talent by teaching him to prepare local recipes, such as corned beef ?n rice.
During high school, Dean?s instructor urged him to pursue a cooking career, so he enrolled in a culinary skills programme at the Bahamas Hotel Training College.
Dean continued his education by accepting a position as executive sous chef at the Coconut Cove Hotel in George Town, Exuma, where he managed a staff of eight.
Dean then decided to gain some international exposure and became a chef tournant at the Restaurant Badenerhor of Arcade in Baden, Switzerland.
Careers in motion
After years of training and gaining experience at home and abroad, all four talented chefs are now enjoying the fruits of their labour, working at some of the finest restaurants in Nassau.
At the Radisson Cable Beach Resort, Sweeting is kept busy in the kitchen overseeing the salad preparation. However, his talent doesn?t stop there.
?I can do just about anything,? he says. ?As a chef it?s important to be as well-rounded as possible.?
Sweeting loves preparing seafood dishes, particularly lobster.
?I try to use as many indigenous ingredients as possible ? like mangoes, tamarind, wahoo, dolphin, tuna,? he says.
Dean, who has worked at the One&Only Ocean Club since 2002, is also keen on using Bahamian ingredients in his recipes.
?I use a lot of local stuff, like sapodilla (dilly), okra, plantain,? he says. ?Whatever is local I try to find and use.?
In fact, Dean?s knowledge and use of Bahamian ingredients is so extensive that he was awarded a gold medal and first place in the Individual Signature Dish category at the 2003 Bahamas Culinary Classic (an annual competition among Bahamian chefs). He was also presented with the Ministry of Agriculture?s special award for ?best use of indigenous products.?
Young also uses plenty of Bahamian ingredients, especially when preparing her speciality ? pastries and desserts.
?Dilly tastes like custard, it tastes like a dessert by itself so it?s easy to use (for desserts),? she says. ?I love using local foods, but I also like using chocolate? a dark chocolate with a bright red sauce like mango is so pretty.?
Young especially enjoys the creative aspect of preparing foods.
?In high school, one of my favourite subjects was art,? she says. ?So I guess it makes sense that I like to cook, especially pastries and desserts.?
Moncur, who specializes in appetizers, also enjoys the creative aspect of his work.
?I like the artistic part of cooking, to coordinate colours of the ingredients,? he says. ?I like to arrange appetizers all on one plate and be intricate.?
Culinary Olympics
Aside from their day-to-day operations in the kitchens, the talents of Dean, Moncur, Sweeting and Young are to be put to the ultimate test during the World Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany in October 2004.
While each chef has seen their fair share of competition, this will be the first time for each at this level.
The talented foursome will be joined by two other Bahamian chefs to form the first all-Bahamian Olympic culinary team, to compete with some of the best professional chefs across the globe.
?This is the highest esteem you can get as a chef,? says Moncur. ?It?s like the NBA for basketball players. It will be an honour just to rub shoulders with these people and be there with the best.?
Moncur notes that no other Caribbean country will be represented at the World Culinary Olympics.
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