Andrae Bright had by age 15 decided he wanted to be a chef. “My father was a chef so that was motivation enough for me,” the 22-year-old shared. “Food has always piqued my interest, and seeing my dad make other people happy through this medium made me want to follow suit.”

Although the former Muschette High School student did not study Food and Nutrition while attending secondary school, he did not allow that to deter his dream. He would go on to attend the Granville VTC HEART Trust NTA in St James to study food preparation.

“Nothing excites me more,” said Bright, “than creating dishes that elicit a WOW from guests — and having the plates returned clean to the kitchen.” The young chef had nothing but praise for the HEART institute, saying his experience there was nothing short of excellent. “It was at HEART that I really developed my creativity and heightened my love for the culinary arts.”

Bright enjoys watching food programmes as well as reading cookbooks and doing online research, which he says allows him to remain current in the industry and on his ‘A’ game.

The Montpelier, St James resident singled out travelling as one of the most memorable aspects of the job. “I love travelling from hotel to hotel. It’s always good to engage and try new things with different people and have them enjoy the fare at the end of the day,” he said.

When he’s not working, Andrae enjoys skating and playing pool. His ambition? To become a recipient of The Jamaica Observer Food Awards Chef of the Year.