Jamaica's ambassador to China Wayne McCook (centre) with our guys on location at the Beijing Olympics Bryan Cummings (left) and Kayon Raynor. The ambassador thankfully ensured that Bryan Cummings enjoyed more than just bully beef and crackers (making reference to an article Cummings wrote two years ago whilst in China covering The World Junior Championships.

BEIJING, China - A daily menu includes ackee and salt fish, callaloo, cabbage, fried dumplings, cornmeal porridge, curried chicken, jerk chicken, as well as rice and peas.

If you're thinking about a restaurant in any major Jamaican township - you're wrong. That was the situation that existed at Jamaica's mandatory track and field pre-Olympic camp at the Tianjin Province located about 100km outside of Beijing.

The lady who was responsible for preparing the Jamaican- style meals for the more than 70 athletes and officials between July 31 and August 11 was Clarendon native Novelette Samuels.

Clarendon native Novelette Samuels prepares ackee and salt fish for the athletes and management staff. Samuels was seconded to serve the track and field delegation by her employer of six years, Wayne McCook, Jamaica's ambassador to the People's Republic of China. (Photos: Bryan Cummings)

"I have been preparing real Jamaican meals for the athletes and management staff," she told this writer who visited the camp two days before the track team travelled to Beijing to join the official Olympics Athletes Village.

"Basically (I've been preparing) rice and peas, jerk chicken, curry chicken, brown stew fish, ackee and salt fish, chicken soup and cornmeal porridge," she added, noting that all concerned sang her praises everyday. "They have enjoyed the meals because every day they get a different thing, and they keep giving me different comments daily that the meals were good," Samuels recounted with a bright smile.

Dr Herb Elliot, a member of Jamaica's nine-member medical staff at the Olympics, said the Jamaican dishes made a significant difference. "She has brought an excellence of cuisine that is nutritious, that is gastronomically effective, so that the team has not lost weight," said Dr Elliott. "It has made a great difference in the morale (of team) and in the nutritious status of our athletes," added Dr Elliott, who is also a member of the IAAF Medical and Anti-Doping Commission.

Assistant team manager Marie Tavares admitted that the presence of Samuels made all the difference in camp when compared to previous occasions.

"It makes them (athletes) happier and because they are content we are looking for better performances," Tavares said.

Jamaica's team captain Maurice Smith, the reigning world decathlon silver medallist, told the Thursday Food that the food was nothing short of delicious. "The meals have been top-class," Smith related, while having lunch in the cafeteria of the Huibin Yuan Hotel in Tianjin where Jamaica's camp was based.

Samuels was seconded to serve the track and field delegation by her employer of six years, Wayne McCook, Jamaica's Ambassador to the People's Republic of China.

"I am up from 4:30 every morning and I normally finish (cooking) at 9:30 because that's when dinner ends. I prepare three meals each day - breakfast, lunch and dinner," she said. Asked how she managed so much work, Samuels, who moved to China in 2005 at Ambassador McCook's request, was typical of any Jamaican homemaker in her response.

"Because I love what I'm doing and I enjoy working with the athletes, so it makes it easier because they don't complain," said Samuels, who indicated that she learnt her craft at school, at the Passley Garden School of Agriculture in Portland, and the Elim School of Agriculture in St Elizabeth.

"I got most of my experience working with Genevieve Chung from the Cable and Wireless training school on South Camp Road. That's where I did most of my catering, even though I did catering at the Passley Garden and Elim Schools," said Samuels, who is the mother of two daughters. She said her job includes cooking for Ambassador McCook and catering for all functions hosted by the Jamaican High Commission in Beijing.

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