“Jamaica is truly a melting pot of culture and by extension, cuisine”, explained Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards award-winning caterer Trevanne Donegal Tuesday evening, as she presented to judges.

“The simple and subtle complexity of our ingredients keeps my creative juices flowing and there are always new flavour profiles to incorporate and explore. I take great pride in being Jamaican and as a Jamaican chef I’m inspired to create dishes that pay homage to our authentic cuisine while mixing international classics and maintaining an international standard. My thought process was to blend several cultures and cuisines, pull it apart and put it back together with some Jamaican swagger and the direction of my menu development was geared towards just that”.

That was no idle boast! From the very first course – Nicoise Salad we all knew that we were in for an extraordinary meal.

The Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards has always been about celebrating Jamaican cuisine, Jamaican ingredients, Jamaican products and Jamaican talent. In keeping with that, I wanted to put my signature on tried and proven Jamaican favourites. “Variety’s the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavour.” Every country and culture has their version of a similar dish that is merely a slight adaptation of the same thing. By evaluating each ingredient, its origin and its purpose in the dish it’s easier to deconstruct it and create your own version while still respecting the original knowing the significance of each component.

I wanted to keep the appetiser very simple, light and fresh but still Table Talk worthy. Plus, there was a heavy entree to follow. I was inspired to make a salad that incorporated fresh local ingredients but with true international flair. My taste travels led me to France, Nice and my take on a Nicoise salad. The classic components are hard boiled eggs, fresh garden vegetables, olives and tuna. I examined each element and adjusted them to create the flavours I wanted. The result was spicy deviled eggs with pepper shrimp, pimiento olives, fresh sorrel, feta cheese and Ahi tuna with a mango glaze.

Surf & Twice Turf

The main course is really the star of the dining experience and where chefs show off their culinary prowess. I am no exception. I wanted to create a rich, delicious meal that was going to burst with Jamaican flavours but executed and presented in a very unique way. Oxtail is certainly authentic Jamaican cuisine and the starch accompaniment is usually rice. However, why not enhance the earthiness of beef by adding two types of mushrooms that have been sauteed in wine and allow the butter beans to take a co-starring role? Beans have incredible versatility for texture and ability to absorb flavour. I then mashed the beans the very same way you would a potato and added roasted garlic and chives. The combination of beef and mashed “potatoes” is reminiscent of two culinary classics, a steak dinner and a shepherd’s pie and they both became my inspiration for “Twice Turf”. The braised oxtail with mushrooms acted as the protein in the shepherd’s pie and the butter bean mash became my mashed potatoes – perfect for soaking up the hearty gravy. A puff pastry pinwheel was baked as my version of a crust to which I added a light and flaky bite. Sliced ribeye with oxtail au jus sealed in the juices for my turf duo and a fresh salsa with jerk bacon paired nicely as part of the trimmings for the steak dinner. The surf element was a crispy shrimp tempura with ginger and coconut. To complete the plate, vegetables of contrasting colours and a simple change in shape keep things interesting with sauteed carrot and zucchini noodles.