When The Best Dressed Chicken started its search for a regional chef to bring life to their “Culinary Destination” narrative for the Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards, the compass pointed to the Cayman Islands and Artemio Lopez, sous-chef at The Brasserie. Lopez is one of a troika of chefs that lead the culinary adventures at the Elgin Avenue, Grand Cayman eatery which won the awards for Best Restaurant, Best Farm to Table and Best Place for Lunch in the inaugural Cayman Edition of the Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards.

“As presenting sponsor for the Cayman Edition of the Table Talk Food Awards, it’s full circle for us to host Chef Lopez, as The Brasserie swept the awards last November and understandably so. The food there is imaginative, and Chef Lopez is an ardent supporter of the idea of sustainable cooking,” said Joan Forrest Henry, divisional sales and marketing manager, The Best Dressed Chicken “We’re honoured to have Artemio Lopez as a featured guest chef as he has a keen awareness of epicurean sensibility, and our ‘Culinary Destination’ theme will allow even the most discerning guests to lose themselves in the delightful expositions.”

Chef Lopez grew up in Oaxaca, Mexico, where his penchant for cooking was greatly influenced by the experiences he had with his family in the kitchen. Years later, his interest in food is still strong, having honed his skills at the Culinary Institute of Mexico, the Ferrandi Culinary School in Paris, and he has done stints at restaurants in Europe, New York and Bermuda. The chef de cuisine has now made the Cayman Islands his home, offering up veritable slices of Caribbean cuisine guided by a farm-to-table philosophy at The Brasserie. “Cooking allows me to see the world through a global prism by exploring the nuances of flavours, spices and textures, all delivered with stylistic freshness, and I’m thrilled to share my culinary artistry with guests at The Best Dressed Chicken pavilion,” said Lopez, who will present this evening his signature — Harissa marinated chicken breast with sweet potato mash and shrimp and mango aguachile with charred green onion yogurt.