Bon Appétit, Sans Souci!

Bon Appétit, Sans Souci!

by Janet Silvera/Gleaner Writer

Eight chefs, a fusion of local and international cuisine, and an unforgettable gastronomical experience.
This was the Chaine Des Rotisseurs, dubbed ‘Live Well and Be Without Worries’, that was held at the historic and beautiful Couples Sans Souci Resort in Ocho Rios, St Ann last Saturday.

It was a spectacle that invited guests into the heart of gastronomic creativity. There, guests did just that – live well without worries – as they indulged in a melting pot of Jamaican and international flavours dressed up and presented with aesthetic brilliance. All of this in an elegant and sultry white glove dining ambience at the resort.

The experience marked the intersection of a visual symphony, where the sizzle of pans and the dance of flames were as enchanting as the flavours that graced the plates. “We were able to put together some very good executive chefs in Jamaica; and to have these chefs here with a willingness to work as a team produced the wonderful experience that we had last night,” boasted Pierre Battaglia, general manager of Couples Sans Souci, last weekend. “The vision was to create a gastronomy event with fusion. So we had an Asian chef, and the entire team, and the plan was to give to our guests and members a combination of Asian flavours with Jamaican flavours, and using European techniques of cooking; and that’s why we put together all these talented young chefs,” noted Battaglia, who for 40 years has been a member of the Chaine Des Rotisseurs culinary movement that started out of France decades ago.

Couples Resort, he explained, has been a member for some 36 years, and noted that the event and location gave guests an opportunity to eat, meet friends, and taste great wines. New members of the Jamaican chapter were also pinned at the event. The dinner was followed by brunch the day after, and both events were among four put on by the Jamaican chapter of the culinary movement this year.

Last weekend’s events included chefs Tyrone Jackson from Sans Souci, Valentine McKenzie from Couples Tower Isle, Martin Schmied from Sandals Royal Plantation, Mark Cole from the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, and Volea Williams from the ROK Hilton Kingston.

There were also presentations from Anish Kumar, a speciality chef from India, and from acclaimed pastry chef Linval Green from Couples Resort. Liliana Quiroz Sanchez from Moon Palace Jamaica also made offerings to the line-up.

July 2024