The distinctively rich flavours of Caribbean cuisine have always excited Executive Chef Luis Fitch’s palate. The Mexican native — who has enjoyed a working-chef tour with stints in the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Margarita Island and, of course, Jamaica — was keen on taking his love of island fare and crafting a menu that’s a potpourri of cultures and tastes.

This gave rise to Fitch’s creation of The Calypso, a beachside restaurant housed at Seawind Beach Club opposite the Secrets Resorts in Montego Bay.

Fitch, executive chef and general manager at Secrets, explains to Thursday Life that “the Calypso is a tribute to the Caribbean. We wanted to do a themed restaurant, so it’s a contemporary version of Caribbean cuisine using unique ingredients, not only from Jamaica, but all over the hemisphere”.

The restaurant’s name, he explains, is derived from “the biggest symbol of calypso: Harry Belafonte. His parents are Jamaican and he grew up in Trelawny so that’s the reason behind the restaurant’s name.”

As for Calypso’s inventive, idiosyncratic menu — which, might we add, was the recent subject of a glowing review on TripAdvisor — Chef Fitch says it is infused with Jamaican, Bahamian, Cuban, Trinidadian and Dominican Republic culinary flourishes.

“When you sit down at the table, I’m not going to bring French bread to you,” Fitch notes with the lilt of his Mexican accent. “I use bulla, spiced bun, coco bread, and I have three items to go with… I give you jerk butter; I do a Solomon Gundy with cream cheese; and I do also a cream cheese with pepper jelly, so that’s how we start. Why? Because we want to offer something different, so the objective is to offer a Caribbean experience.”

Food fusion with a rich burst of flavours is Calypso’s stock in trade. Hence, the expansive menu has stuffed mushrooms with fresh mozzarella with callaloo. Pan seared tuna is served over sea asparagus, and marinated cho-cho and sea bass are served on a yam and potato cake over a lemongrass broth with vegetables. It’s a culinary mix-and-match game, with winning results that enliven your taste buds.

“I have lived in Jamaica for many years and am enchanted by its flavour and people. I am Jam-Mexican and I like the variety and how resourceful Jamaican cuisine can be, being such a small country,” Chef Fitch shared.

As to his expectations for the two-month-old eatery, which has received positive feedback from Montego Bay residents (“we have our groupies,” he notes), the Calypso’s head honcho said: “We would like it to be a landmark restaurant in Montego Bay, with ideally 60 per cent patronage from locals and 40 per cent from the neighbouring hotels.”

The Calypso is located at Seawind Beach Club, Lot A59 Freeport, Montego Bay

Opening Hours: Sunday to Saturday — 5:30 pm to 11:00 pm

Telephone: 940-9660. Reservations are preferred.