As we count down to our 19th staging of the Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards slated for Thursday, May 25, 2017 we shed light on those charged with promoting our cuisine to the visitors to our shores. We started with Sandals Resorts International and continue this week in the kitchens of the Half Moon Hotel.

(PHOTOGRAPHER ACEION CUNNINGHAM)

Cosimo Riccardi — Chef de Cuisine, Il Giardino Restaurant at Half Moon

Chef Cosimo Riccardi, currently chef de cuisine of Half Moon’s Italian restaurant, Il Giardino, has 13 years of experience in the restaurant industry. His journey started in the UK as chef gardemanger before making his way to Italy working in two-star Michelin-rated restaurants.

During his tenure at Il Giardino, Riccardi has introduced dishes with influences from Naples, Italy and has made use of the natural herbs in the herb garden at Half Moon, as well as fresh and seasonal vegetables found in Jamaica.

Christopher Golding, Chef De Cuisine, Sugar Mill Restaurant

Golding studied home economics in high school before venturing into the kitchen of the Wyndham Hotel as an apprentice. Further practical skills were honed at the Sans Souci Resort. Enrolling at the Hocking Technical College in Ohio, US, the Caribbean Training Institute and the HEART Academy in Runaway Bay afforded him the necessary credentials. It wasn’t long before his yearning for adventure took hold and Golding found himself aboard the Premier Cruise Lines, where he spent five years as chef de partie, and later as its sous chef.

In addition to working with the Premier Cruise Lines as a chef de partie and sous chef, Golding also worked at the now-defunct The Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall Resort & Spa in St James for eight years as chef de partie, assistant sous chef and sous chef. He joined Half Moon in 2008 as sous chef for the resort’s seaside restaurant, Seagrape Terrace.

Rudolph Bailey, Sous Chef, Seagrape Terrace Restaurant

Rudolph Bailey brings with him 19 years of experience in the culinary arts. Having been trained at the HEART vocational centre in Trelawny, Bailey accepted his first job at a guest house in Fairfield, St James preparing meals for the small number of guests who would stay there. Before taking up the sous chef position at the Seagrape Terrace, he worked at the Sugar Mill Restaurant – awarded the Norma Shirley Restaurant of the Year in 2016 at the

Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards.

Over the years, Bailey has developed a love for spices such as cilantro and tarragon, referring to them as “fresh” and “unique” ingredients with strong flavours that work well with the dishes he enjoys preparing. One of his favoured dishes is grilled lamb with roasted garlic and rosemary, noting that lamb doesn’t require much and the ingredients are to enhance its natural flavour.

Nicholas Castillo, Sous Chef, Sugar Mill Restaurant

Having tried his hand at a number of occupations in the past, including construction and entrepreneurship, Nicholas Castillo became drawn to the culinary arts. He says his high school culinary teacher referred to him as “a natural” and this inspired him to pursue the culinary arts at the HEART Culloden Vocational Training Centre before joining the team at Sandals Negril.

Inspired by his mother and her cooking techniques (she makes an excellent escoveitch fish), Castillo observed carefully for many years and has since developed his own style, which includes experimenting with garlic, a favourite of his due to its pleasing aroma and taste. He continues to be inspired and motivated by the “wows” he receives from guests at Half Moon who find his dishes delightful.

Gabriel Villagra, Head Pastry Chef, Half Moon

Gabriel Villagra has come a long way from his home in Buenos Aires, Argentina. With more than 10 years of experience in the world of pastries, Villagra was trained at the Institute Argentine Culinary in Argentina before attending the Ecole Gastronomique Bellouet Conseil, Paris, France. It was in the city of love, where he fell in love with the art of pastries and stayed in Paris to work as a pastry chef in a bakery there.

Villagra says he is the only baker in his family and is proud of the path he has trod, which has brought him to Jamaica. It is here where he now shares his love for chocolate – a versatile ingredient in all sorts of desserts – and indulges in trips to Ocho Rios, his favourite place in his new home.