Internationally acclaimed chef Collin Brown is all set to open the third in his chain of self-titled restaurants at The Devonshire, Devon House this summer. The award-winning culinary artist, who is originally from Trelawny, opened the first Chef Collin Brown – Quality Caribbean Cuisine restaurant in London in 2009, followed by another location in Bratislava. He told Thursday Food that he had always been “dying for an opportunity to bring it home. This restaurant will obviously be the best in the chain so that it attracts people from all over the world, as Jamaica is my home and I have to pay homage. The Devonshire is a lovely, historic location, so that makes it even better,” he shared.

The best news is the restaurant will also serve as a training camp for persons who want to break into the food industry. “I have never received formal culinary training. I learned everything by apprenticeship on the job and that is what I would like to do, that’s my way of giving back to Jamaica… training a new age of ‘wicked’ chefs who will be proud to serve Jamaican cuisine everywhere they go. They get a chance to make money and simultaneously learn proper techniques and broaden their horizons,” Brown explained. Noting that “some of the best Jamaican food can be found at cookshops and on street corners”, he asserted, “those cooks are the ones I’m targeting, people who have the know-how, who understand Jamaican food and seasonings already and can cater for a crowd of 150 without flinching, as well as people who are entirely new, but very much interested in learning.”

He found fame in London with his Jamaican/European culinary fusion and has wowed celebrities the world over with his spectacular dishes. Naturally, there are plans to continue the trend with his latest venture at Devon House, and he told Thursday Food Jamaicans can expect “a restaurant experience like they have never experienced before, with food and service that knocks them right off their feet every time”. We caught up with the celebrity chef recently at the Bovell’s Jacks Hill home where he, assisted by chef Kirk Burris, made magic in the kitchen for Paula and Mark Kerr-Jarrett’s ‘Thank You’ party…