Fresh EITS

Thursday, March 17, 2011

We leave the maddening hustle and bustle of city life behind and ascend into the hills of Newcastle. There's a reflective quietude that comes over us as we journey farther into the mountains some thirty minutes outside of Papine. The lush green landscapes of the St Andrew Hills on our left alternate with the panoramic view of a distant Kingston on our right, the bustle now thankfully miles away. EITS Café is our intended destination for a party of four.

Our driver's fondness for the gas pedal nearly causes us to zoom past our stop. A mosaic sign that reads Mount Edge Guesthouse — done in green, red, yellow and blue marble tiles — signals our journey's end. EITS (an acronym meaning Europe In The Summer) Café, a most charming open-air French-styled eatery, is located here. The petite and lovely Robyn Fox meets us. She and her father Michael operate not only the newly opened café, they also run the guesthouse and Food Basket, a farm-fresh enterprise which sells vegetables and herbs to select supermarkets and by special order.

The café began operating barely a month ago when trained chef Robert Thunder, an Englishman staying at the guesthouse, volunteered to prepare meals for his fellow visitors. Thunder, a student of permaculture who came to study agricultural practices and local farming communities, related that his passion for cooking is mainly generated from "my interest in sustainable development and using the freshest of local vegetables and herbs". The statement soon proves dead-on as his freshly picked ingredients (from farmlands located just a stone's throw away) enhance the organic-based, European-influenced cuisine he whips up, giving our curious taste buds instant gratification.

Robert's cooking history began when he left school at 16 and joined the army in the United Kingdom as an apprentice chef in 1997. He shares that during his apprenticeship, he competed in the Hotelympia competition at Earls Court in London. "I won the Junior Duck class against chefs from hotels like the Dorchester and Savoy ( both happen to be among the UK's swankiest hotels)". Robert was placed in the Combined Services Culinary Arts Team as a commis chef for the 1998 Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg. The experience at his young age, he said, exposed him to the preparation of the finest food from around the world. Robert would later study hospitality management at the University of Manchester, and upon graduation, worked "for short spells in factory canteens, university refectories, Manchester United prestige dining rooms, gastro pubs, hotels and restaurants." He tells us that his later culinary stints included a five-year gig aboard a restaurant boat on the canals of Manchester, catering for private groups of up to 60 persons.

Back at EITS Café, a light drizzle forces Chef Robert to relocate to the sheltered outdoor kitchen instead of the exposed cast-iron stove he generally uses. In the kitchen, he whips up eggs florentine with an ackee sauce. Diligently going about his business, the blue-eyed chef fields our questions with a focus that matches his proficiency as he chops, flavours, stirs and tastes. There are four more courses: a goat cheese and red onion marmalade tart; Red Stripe-flavoured fried plantains with sweet peppers, herb couscous, and a mango salsa served with risotto; chicken roulade with crushed sweet potatoes; and finally, dessert - Belgian waffles with green plantains topped with stout-flavoured soy ice cream. It's all divinely delicious and we offer, duly satiated, genuine kudos to the chef.

As European guests and locals traipse about the property, toting bicycles and sitting at the bar, guesthouse manager Robyn tells us the café has had four soft openings over the past five weeks. She shares that off-the-hill foodies and community folk have been warmly generous in their praise. Although a menu is in place, Robyn advises us that Chef Robert hasn't reined in his experimentation so new dishes are still popping up.

We learn too, that Robyn and dad are aiming to make their farmlands completely organic within the next six years, pending future approval from the Jamaica Organic Agriculture Movement (JOAM). Our conversation takes place against the background of a spontaneous reggae-and-rap performance by Princess Love McLarty Williams, a resident of the nearby Rasta community in the area. Princess wins over her small audience as she sings to recorded musical tracks, scoring a sing-along of the song's chorus "Don't do drugs" from the rapt, head-bopping duo of Helena and Sarah, Swedish guests seated at the bar and making craft bracelets.

Our outing to Newcastle wraps up with freshly brewed mint tea and a walk down the sloping hills, accompanied by Robyn, to see the farmlands. Mixed greens, thyme, zucchini, parsley, callaloo, bak choy, cherry tomatoes, rosemary, chives, and eggplant are among the varieties of herbs and vegetables being cultivated. We bid farewell reluctantly, ruing the descent back to the grind and smog pervading the city, but not before being offered mugs of hot cinnamon-flavoured chocolate so delightful that we're almost tempted to ask for a flaskful to take home. We resolve that a return trip to EITS is all but assured.

EITS Café is located at Newcastle in the Blue Mountains. While reservations are preferred, the café has a welcome policy. The café is available for private bookings. Telephone: 489-5671 or email: foodbasketjamaica@gmail.com

The café is slated to have its official opening on Sunday, April 17.

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Fresh EITS