Caribbean food: your time has come
Jamaican
Canadian chef Noel Cunningham is leading the charge
Toronto
diners are always looking to catch the next wave. They have gone crazy over
Italian pizza, Korean Pho and French every- thing. Mexican burritos and Japanese
cheese cake. But when will it be Caribbean cuisine’s time in the bright lights
of Canada’s biggest resto-crazy city?
According
to newly arrived chef Noel Cunningham, 2020 is the year that people start
craving what we have known all along: Caribbean food rocks!
“It’s
going to the next big thing,” said the young Jamaican Canadian chef. “And we
aren’t just talking jerk!”
“You
know the thing about our food is that we come at you with a vibe, with a
swagger,” Cunningham told me by phone from Jamaica over the recent holidays.
“When you eat our food you are also eating our music and our style. Toronto is
so diverse; there is no way that this isn’t our time.” “For me as a Jamaican
chef who is now on the International scene I don’t want to be held in a box as
just the Jamaican chef that does jerk only. I aim at promoting and encouraging
fusion cuisine. Jamaican Fusion, yes that is THE big trend for 2020. Cross
cultural cuisine is taking centerstage.”
He
was born and educated in Kingston, Jamaica. After graduating from high school,
he attended the prestigious Runaway Bay Heart Hotel & Training Institute
where he studied Commercial Cooking and graduated as a line chef.
His
first cooking gigs were in Jamaica including a yearlong gig cooking local
Jamaican dishes at the Hedonism Club. He came to Canada only a few years ago
and started cooking in the wilds of Manitoba (Winnipeg to be exact).
Still
haven’t heard of Noel Cunningham? Don’t fret it, you will soon. The 29-year old
has only been in town since June, but he is already getting the spotlight for
his catering company, his media appearances and of course his cooking. He also
has a new book out this week. He has a YouTube cooking show and his catering
company Cuisine by Noel is getting the good gigs.
You
will see him cooking on TV this month ... a lot. He has media interviews
already booked to pro- mote the new book. He has quickly learned the tough
skill of cooking and talking at the same time on live TV. He does it with
panache and speed.
So
in 2020 what is his Caribbean Fusion all about? He says among other things he
likes to mix Jamaican and Italian with hot and cold.
A
favourite, easy- to-make dish that the chef prepares is Jerk Chicken Coconut
Cream Pasta.
Another Cunningham mash-up combines Jamaican and
American tastes in a single dish. His traditional American BBQ porkchops, bite,
thanks to his addition of rich Caribbean spices, ketchup, honey, chili powder
and orange juice. The meal is often served with his special spicy rustic mashed
Potatoes.
 |
| Carrot Cake with pineapple |
The
new book, (also called Cuisine by Noel), has seven chapters of Caribbean
fusion-in- spired dishes, created for the new decade. The author likes cooking
simple dishes using fresh and sustainable ingredients.
This
love of mixing cultural styles and ingredients continues at the desert table.
The Caribbean Camera checked out his recipe for a different tasting Carrot Cake
– “This Carrot Cake is loaded with pineapple, chopped raisins and pecans!” he
said. “Your readers will also like our Cornmeal and Coconut Pudding and this
recipe is also in the book.”
Cunningham
is serious about his cooking, but he has the joy of youth, and on the phone, is
quick with a laugh. Check out what he wrote on Social Media when he found out
that he was in the running for a ByBlacks Award.
“When
you wake up to an email saying that you are one of the top three
By
Stephen Weir
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