Port of Spain, Trinidad – While living with his grandmother in Grenada Chef Dexter Burris was only nine years old when he developed his passion for cooking. He recalls as a young child, his older siblings did most of the washing and cleaning while he concentrated on “one pot” meals of either fish broth or oil down.
Like anywhere else in the world, life can sometimes be challenging and to young Dexter, this did not go unnoticed. As he grew older, Burris soon realised that the villagers did not have much to eat. So what did he do? Whenever he had extra money, he made a pot of food for them.
For Chef Burris, it was these childhood experiences that laid the foundation for the person he has become. It motivated him to do his best and it was the fuel he needed to pursue his dreams. Today, Chef Burris is the Head Chef at the luxurious and exclusive Calabash Hotel in Grenada – home of the world renowned Gary Rhodes Restaurant. He is among several chefs invited to be part of the Taste T&T International Culinary Festival 2011 taking place at the Jean Pierre Complex and National Stadium in Port of Spain at the end of October, and hosted by the Tourism Development Company.
Chef Burris’s story certainly adds credence to the fact that Caribbean people possess a unique spirit – one of determination and a commitment to beat the odds. A strong family upbringing also cannot go unnoticed, as is the case of Chef Roan Hylton from Jamaica. He will also be here for Taste T&T and looks forward to sharing his knowledge of the culinary industry. Chef Hylton is the Sous Chef at the Half Moon Resort, which is among the top contenders for the coveted title of Caribbean’s Leading Hotel in the 2011 World Travel Awards.
“Cooking and creating new dishes have always been my passion,” he said. This affinity to the kitchen was obvious, even as a child. From as young as ten years old, Hylton was in charge of preparing meals for his younger siblings. He recalled, “Whenever my mother was late in returning home from work, I automatically knew it was my responsibility to provide a warm meal for my sisters and brothers, and this I did happily.”
This innate passion drove Hylton to study home economics in high school, then straight to the kitchen of Hedonism II in Negril, Jamaica. So impressed were his managers with his culinary talents that they honoured him with a scholarship to the Johnson and Wales University in Miami, Florida, where he completed a degree in Culinary Arts, even making the Dean’s list. After returning to Jamaica, Hylton entered the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s (JCDC) annual Jamaica Food Festival where he won the silver and bronze awards for his creative dishes. In addition to working at Hedonism II (where he served for thirteen years), Hylton also worked as a Sous Chef at Starfish Trelawny and Breezes Runaway Resort and Spa. He joined Half Moon in 2007 as Sous Chef for the resort’s seaside restaurant, Seagrape Terrace.
Like her colleagues in Grenade and Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda’s Chef Maurine Bowers is passionate about food. In fact, her love, passion and knowledge of baking have earned the young mother of three rich rewards and numerous accolades.
The assistant pastry chef at the Sandals Grande Antigua Resort and Spa Chef Bowers is the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism 2010 Pastry Chef of the Year and the only woman to attain this prestigious title. So how does it feel to be recognized as one of the Caribbean’s rising culinary stars? Well, she is ready and willing to share her story when she comes to Trinidad and Tobago for Taste T&T 2011.
Also on the list of regional chefs for Taste T&T this year is Chef Glendon Carty from Anguilla – Caribbean Chef of the Year 2009. The thirty-four-year-old Anguillan said he has nurtured a passion for the culinary arts just about all his life and has been a chef for the past seventeen years. All of Glendon’s training has taken place in Anguilla, but he has worked and gained knowledge from many internationally acclaimed chefs. He has been the Executive Chef at Ripples Restaurant in Sandy Ground for eleven years and also works at Anguilla’s popular Cap Juluca Hotel on Maundy’s Bay. Chef Glendon has been instrumental in assisting the Anguilla National Culinary Team to win several gold and silver medals and has participated in the Taste of the Caribbean Competition in 2004, 2007 and 2011. He won the Caribbean Chef of the Year award in 2009 and was chosen to travel to the Hamptons, where he and Chef Dale Carty joined a list of world-renowned chefs at the Martha Stewart celebrity charity event.
These four chefs, Carty, Hylton, Burris and Bowers, all have similar stories of struggle and success. On October 29 and 30, 2011, their paths will cross in Trinidad and Tobago for Taste T&T 2011.
