The Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards Chef on the Rise top three (from left) Lucian Dunn, Volae Williams, and Ricardo Allen.<b>Kenyon Hemans</b>
May 18, 2016
And Then There Were THREE!
The Chef on the Rise competition, a popular off-shoot of the multi-faceted Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards vehicle — sponsored for a second year by directory brand Jamaica Yellow Pages — plucked from obscurity a team of nine emerging chefs, chosen to vie for the rewards of the aforementioned title.
The event was hosted, last Tuesday evening, at the Valencia meetings and banqueting complex of boutique property Spanish Court Hotel, by Jamaica Yellow Pages Marketing Manager Ayanna Kirton, who introduced the contestants to a panel of the award brand’s core judges, led by founder Novia McDonald-Whye, the newspaper’s lifestyle and social content editor. The entrants, who were mentored by personal chef George Matthews for almost a month, were appraised on a four-pronged criteria of taste, creativity, plating, and pitch/delivery.
Accompanied by a mostly Beringer Founders’ Estate sequence of wine pairings — this evaluation saw the individual intrepretations of Rock cuisine, by these graduates of the HEART College of Hospitality at the University of Technology, Jamaica, descontructed and contextualised down to the score. And, in the final analysis, it was this crucial point system that produced a top three comprised of chefs Ricardo Allen, Volae Williams, and Lucian Dunn, whose entries of jerk pork, jerk chicken, and roasted pork loin, secured them invites to next Thursday’s staging — the 18th annual — of the Devon House-venued awards event as well as a copy of culinary ‘Rosetta stone’, On Food and Cooking by Harold McGhee.
As we continue to count down to May 26, Thursday Life documents a promising evening of next-generation gastronomy and sportsmanship.
Christine Edwards, the sole female chef, and her Oxtail Wellington entry kicked off the evening’s presentations, last Tuesday, at the Spanish Court Hotel. <strong>(</strong><strong>Kenyon Hemans)</strong>
Damario Swaby and his Caribbean Curried Shrimp.<strong> (Kenyon Hemans)</strong>
Swaby’s Caribbean Curried Shrimp — Coconut curried shrimp served with Jamaican roti and mango chutney.<strong> (Kenyon Hemans)</strong>
On Food and Cooking author Harold McGee (<strong>Roman Cho)</strong>
Timoll’s Curry Goat J’italia — Boneless curried goat ravioli with pimento-smoked mango vindaloo, roasted red peppers, and shaved parmesan.<strong> (Kenyon Hemans)</strong>
Dunn’s Pork Loin — Oven-roasted pork loin served with Scotch bonnet pumpkin mash, sautéed vegetables, apple glaze, and pepper jelly. (<strong>Kenyon Hemans)</strong>
Richardo Kirby with his Cream Mango Steamed Fish.<strong>Kenyon Hemans</strong>
Rattigan’s Fried Chicken Surprise — Fried chicken coins stuffed with ripe plantain, rosemary foam, and green apple pickle.<b>Kenyon Hemans</b>
Edwards’ Oxtail Wellington — Deboned oxtail combined with cinnamon honey-roasted pumpkin, stuffed in puffed pastry, and crouton-sized vegetables with a spicy broad bean crumble, and red wine reduction ramekin.<strong> (Kenyon Hemans)</strong>
Shevan Timoll with his Curry Goat J’italia.<strong> (Kenyon Hemans)</strong>
Davis’s Jamaican Style Roast Fish — Snapper stuffed with island-spiced broad beans, cassava croquettes, jerk cashew thyme dust, and Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum-infused mamee and mango salad. This entry was served with pours of Beringer Founders’ Estate Sauvignon Blanc.<strong> (Kenyon Hemans)</strong>
The United States Ambassador’s personal chef George Matthews (fifth left) spent three weeks mentoring the Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards Chef on the Rise contenders. From left: Ricardo Allen, Richardo Kirby, Sheldon Rattigan, Lucian Dunn, Christine Edwards, Rannoy Davis, Shevan Timoll, Damario Swaby, and Volae Williams.<b>Kenyon Hemans </b>
Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards judge, wine consultant Christopher Reckord captured Richardo Kirby’s Creamy Mango Steamed Fish on his smartphone.<b>Kenyon Hemans</b>
19 Crimes Red Wine accompanied the tasting of Shevan Timoll’s Curry Goat j’italia. <strong></strong>
The 2016 Chef On The Rise mentor, personal chef George Matthews (left), and the Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards founder Novia McDonald-Whyte (fourth right) took a post-event photo call with the three finalists Lucian Dunn (second left), Ricardo Allen (centre), and Volae Williams (third right) and their fellow contenders (from third left) Christine Edwards (partially hidden), Richardo Kirby, Shevan Timoll, Sheldon Rattigan, Damario Swaby, and Rannoy Davis.<strong> (Kenyon Hemans)</strong>
Rannoy Davis’s Jamaican Style Roast Fish and the Beringer Founders’ Estate Sauvignon Blanc were a suited match.<strong></strong>
The Caribbean Curried Shrimp by Damario Swaby was presented alongside the Rosemount EstateTraminer Riesling.<strong></strong>
The Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards judges assessed entry after entry, last Tuesday evening at the Spanish Court Hotel.<b>Kenyon Hemans</b>
Beringer Founders’ Estate Cabernet Sauvignon was twinned with Christine Edwards’ Oxtail Wellington.<b>Kenyon Hemans</b>
Beringer Founder’s Estate Pinot Grigio was the pour paired with Volae Williams’s Jerk Chicken. <strong></strong>
Beringer Founder’s Estate Chardonnay, had double-engagement with the Fried Chicken Surprise by Sheldon Rattigan, Richardo Kirby’s Creamy Mango Steamed Fish. <strong></strong>
The 2016 menu of the annual Chef On The Rise competition, a franchise of the Jamaica Observer Table Food Awards and sponsored by the Jamaica Yellow Pages, featured nine contenders. Presentations were predominantly teamed with the Founders’ Estate portfolio of the Napa Valley-based Beringer Vineyards.<strong></strong>
19 Crimes Red Wine accompanied the tasting of Shevan Timoll’s Curry Goat J’italia.<b>Kenyon Hemans</b>
Beringer Founders’ Estate Pinot Grigio was the pour paired with Volae Williams’ Jerk Chicken.<strong> (Kenyon Hemans)</strong>
The evening’s master of ceremonies Ayanna Kirton (second right), the marketing manager at the Jamaica Yellow Pages, with her Global Directories colleagues (from left) Marketing Manager, Communications Tshani Jaja, Content Media Specialist Diana O’Gilvie, and Director of Marketing Dave DaCosta.<strong> (Kenyon Hemans)</strong>
The Jamaica Yellow Pages/Global Directories executives represented the non-judging end of the tasting experience inside the D suite of the New Kingston hotel’s meetings unit, Valencia.<b>Kenyon Hemans</b>
Beringer Founders’ Estate Pinot Noir, was the red teamed with Lucian Dunn’s Pork Loin.<strong></strong>
Beringer Founders’ Estate Cabernet Sauvignon was twinned with Christine Edwards’ Oxtail Wellington.<strong></strong>
Beringer Founders’ Estate Chardonnay had double engagement with the Fried Chicken Surprise by Sheldon Rattigan, and Richardo Kirby’s Creamy Mango Steamed Fish. <strong>(</strong><strong>Kenyon Hemans)</strong>
Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards founder and chief judge Novia McDonald-Whyte (centre) with the members of the judging panel (from left) Matthew Hogarth, Annaliesa Lindsay, Marie Hall-Smith, Jodi Henriques, Patrick Smith, Josina Jackson, Anita Jakobovic, and Christopher Reckord.<b>Kenyon Hemans</b>
Coupled together were Ricardo Allen’s Jerk Pork Roulade and the Beringer Founders’ Estate Merlot.<strong></strong>
Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards judge, spa proprietor Marie Hall-Smith, committed a ‘pic’ of Rannoy Davis’s dramatic, stuffed Snapper to her smartphone’s photo gallery.<strong> (Kenyon Hemans)</strong>
Ricardo Allen and his Jerk Pork Roulade.<strong>Kenyon Hemans</strong>
Allen’s Jerk Pork Roulade — Pork sliced and rolled and served with beetroot and roasted sweet potato purées, dasheen croquettes, and turned vegetables. <strong>(</strong><strong>Kenyon Hemans)</strong>
Sheldon Rattigan and his Fried Chicken Surprise.<strong> (Kenyon Hemans)</strong>
Lucian Dunn with his Pork Loin. <strong>(</strong><strong>Kenyon Hemans)</strong>
Kirby’s Creamy Mango Steamed Fish — Snapper simmered in fish stock and covered with creamy mangoes, onions, carrots, and okras with creamy mango sauce served with a plantain and sweet potato cake drizzled with coconut rum sauce. <strong>(</strong><strong>Kenyon Hemans)</strong>
The evening’s big prize, for the final three chefs, was a copy of On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, the award-winning ‘kitchen classic’, which is authored by noted food writer Harold McGee.<strong></strong>
Williams’ Jerk Chicken — Pimento-scented jerk chicken drizzled with chocolate jerk sauce, escallion green pea purée, roasted garlic butter-flavoured diced yams, festival crumb, and tomato chutney.<strong> Kenyon Hemans</strong>
Volae Williams with his Jerk Chicken.<strong>Kenyon Hemans</strong>
Rannoy Davis and his Jamaican Style Roast Fish. <strong>(</strong><strong>Kenyon Hemans)</strong>
