|
|
|
-
-
- In
St. Lucia, London-based
- chef
Orlando Satchell is helping
- to
put the Dasheen restaurant
- at
the top of the list
-
-
-
Orlando Satchell was born to West Indian parents in Birmingham,
England. Most of his adolescent life was spent in England, except for a
five-year period spent in his mother’s homeland of Jamaica. Those five
years were to influence the rest of his life. His brief exposure to the
Caribbean fascinated Satchell, so it is not surprising that when he
chose to become a chef later in life, he focused his attention on
mastering the art of Caribbean cuisine.
-
Graduating from culinary school in England, he spent some years
apprenticing in various hotels, specialising in banquet catering. After
working his way up through the ranks, Satchell was offered the
opportunity to help establish the very first West Indian restaurant in
Singapore. Having successfully accomplished this, he soon found himself
heading towards America.
-
It was in Miami that Satchell would hone his skills in Caribbean
cuisine - an invaluable preparation for his current post as part-time
executive chef at St. Lucia’s renowned Dasheen Restaurant. The
restaurant, located at one of the island’s most acclaimed resorts, the
Ladera, gave Satchell the forum he needed to expose his talent. Backed
by a team of friendly and professional staff, he soon had put Dasheen at
the top of the island’s “hottest tables” list.
-
“My duties were to train the staff at Dasheen and help create a
truly unique culinary experience,” Satchell explains. “The rest of
the year, I had time to concentrate on my other business in London.”
When he is not busy in St. Lucia, he lives in England with his wife and
two children, and working as a consultant chef for other upscale hotels
and restaurants.
-
No stranger to television exposure, Satchell has appeared on
networks in countries such as Canada, where he was featured during a
daytime series, and most recently, on channel Four’s Light Lunch and
the BBC’s Good Food Show in England. In February of this year, he was
a guest chef at one of the world’s most prestigious culinary events,
the James Beard Foundation Annual Awards in New York. His tables were
among the first to be completely sold out. Satchell is the only St.
Lucian-based chef to have achieved such an honour. “The experience of
just being there with some of the top chefs around the world was
wonderful, and to profile Caribbean cuisine at that level was
indescribable,” he enthuses. One guest who had the good fortune to get
a sitting for Satchell’s presentation described the dining experience
as “simply heavenly”.
-
When Island Life caught up with
Satchell, he was busy planning St. Lucia’s very first culinary week,
due to launch in May 2003. “The idea is to bring guests around the
island and allow them to experience a variety of Caribbean lifestyles
and flavours,” he says. “The whole aim of my concept is to bring
Caribbean cuisine to an international level and recognition.”
-
For Satchell, flavours and presentation are the key ingredients
for success in his kitchen. Coming from mixed cultures, he sees the
opportunity for fusion in every aspect of Caribbean cuisine. There is
little room for error in his kitchen. “Sometimes my staff find I am
tough on them, but what we must constantly bear in mind is that Ladera
attracts very prominent guests, which gives us the opportunity to really
bring out the cuisine and shine; so we need to give our very best all
the time.”
-
Working at Dasheen has given him the opportunity to do exactly
that. “It’s not just about the ingredients, but about what you do
with the ingredients, and how the final product tastes and is presented.
This is why we spend quite a bit of time and resources developing the
flavours that come out in our cuisine,” he says.
-
He also wants people to experience the romance in Caribbean
cuisine, the courtship of so many flavours, something he refers to as
“sexy cuisine”. Satchell explains, “I call it that because it is
important to make the food as attractive and tasty as possible for those
who may have never been exposed to it before.” His “sexy cuisine”
is certainly attracting a great deal of attention, since he will soon be
packing his bags to join the Windjammer Cruises, where he will be
appearing as the Celebrity Chef.
-
When asked about his demanding and unusual lifestyle, Satchell
replies, “Although many might think this is an ideal lifestyle, it is
also difficult, because I have a love affair with my wife and a love
affair with my kitchen, a difficult balance to keep.” However, he
emphasises, his success so far would not have been possible without the
support of his family.
-
Satchell showed off his incredible skill by inviting Island Life to sample the following mouth-watering treats.
-
First on the menu was an incredible rainbow soup with three
distinct varieties of flavours, coconut christophene, ginger pumpkin and
spicy calaloo, a journey that takes you from refreshingly mild to
playfully hot all in one mouthful. A Soufrière Jangas Salad followed.
Grilled shrimps with a gentle hint of lime jerk seasoning, cleverly
presented in a plantain basket, with a side serving of saltfish and
cucumber salsa brought out a variety of flavours that lingered an the
palate.
-
Cocoa Lamb garnished with balls of christophene and pumpkin was
the first main course presented. This unexpected dish prepared with pure
cocoa was both unusual and delightful. Accenting this was a stalk of
deep-fried plantain stuffed with christophene and green papaya gratin.
Also prepared was Lobster in a Cream of Jerk Sauce, garnished with
deep-fried crispy spinach and served on a bed of breadfruit mash. To
finish off, a fusion of rum
banana, ginger papaya and mint chocolate crème brulées sealed the
gastronomic experience.
-
It’s no wonder that Satchell is considered one of the hottest
chefs in St. Lucia.
-
-
-
- Written
by Cathy Walker for Island Life magazine
- (No.
20, Issue 2, 2003)
|
|
|
