Virgin Islands Winemakers Dinners: The Chefs
by Traci O'Dea
In last month’s article on the 2010 Virgin Islands Winemakers Dinners, I focused on the Winemakers part of the equation. This month’s piece is all about the Dinners.
I’ve been surprised and delighted by meals at past Winemakers Dinners—especially the feast prepared at Golden Pavilion Villa where Budatai’s Chef Treviño adapted every dish to suit my vegetarian requirements. I was thrilled to learn that Chef Treviño will be returning again this year, along with other Winemakers Dinners veteran chefs and a handful of newbies. December cannot come soon enough.
While the other chefs rotate the courses that they prepare, pastry chef Heidi Davis Benyair is in charge of the final, and arguably the most important course—dessert. Her experience in the BVI, at Heidi’s Pastries at Leverick Bay Resort, has prepared her for the Caribbean challenges of heat, humidity and scarcity of ingredients, but she accepts each as potential to learn and incorporate new flavours. This year, as a preview, Heidi informed me that she’s contemplating using carambola and hibiscus. “Carambola makes a pretty fragrant coulis,” she said, mentioning how she liked the idea of “giving some classics a tropical theme.”
Chef Vikram Garg photographed in Hawaii. Image by Raymond Patrick.
Known for her trademark shock of blonde hair as well as her culinary expertise, Chef Anne Burrell is one of few chefs who can brag that she's been in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Her culinary savvy landed her a spot as Chef Mario Batali's sous chef on Iron Chef in 2005, and she's continued to impress audiences in other Food Network programs, including Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and the cooking boot camp show Worst Cooks in America.
Vikram Garg, chef at the exclusive Halekulani resort in Waikiki, returns for his fourth Virgin Islands Winemakers Dinners this year. When asked why he keeps coming back, he said, "The food is a culinary delight; the wine pairing—immaculate; the people (the world's top chefs and winemakers…and the people of the BVI)," as well as "such pristinely beautiful waters." And each year he wants to outdo the year before. "Each one is the most spectacular and memorable experience and then we go back the next year…and make it even better," he said.
Peter Island’s Chef Lisa Sellers described her cooking style as “always developing” but said it “has a strong European flavour” mixed with the local flavours of the BVI. “I work closely with the agriculture department and the local farmers, so we use local herbs, fruits and vegetables,” she said. At last year’s event on Peter Island, she was “amazed at how smoothly the dinner went” with fifteen chefs working together. This year, she said she’s loo king forward to seeing “what the style or trend is” from the countries of the visiting chefs. “Plus,” she added, “the wine is amazing!”
My hero from last year’s Winemakers Dinner, Chef Roberto Treviño, runs the popular Budatai restaurant in the chic Condado neighbourhood in Puerto Rico where the menu fuses Asian, Latin and Caribbean ingredients and flavours. The charismatic, award-winning chef has shown his adaptability as a participant on Iron Chef and by recreating each dish at last year’s dinner to suit my dietary needs. Along with the returning chefs are several culinary experts who are new to the Winemakers Dinners this year.
With a history of cooking in India and other Caribbean islands, Rosewood Little Dix Bay Chef Hemant Dadlani called his style of cooking, “tropical and spice world cuisine” that he said is particularly complimented by Riesling wines, gewürztraminer, “and some merlots.” Though he has followed the Winemakers Dinners in past years, this is the first year that he has participated in one of the dinners, and he said he is looking forward to the “great gathering” of chefs where “one can really sees and learn from each one’s techniques, experience, flavours.”
Travelling chef Narda Lepes, according to an interview in The Argentina Independent, first studied French and Japanese food. She said, “Once you understand those two extremely opposite cuisines, you can better understand all those that lie in the middle.” But more than just learning the recipes of a specific place, she wants to learn the “why behind each dish.” Her focus is on homemade food that tastes good. “Whether it looks nice, is exotic or rare,” she said in the interview, “are of secondary importance.”
BVI-based, internationally renowned Chef Davide Pugliese always seems to be busy, but he never seems stressed. When I see him in the BVI whether he's cooking at his fine dining establishment Brandywine Bay Restaurant, overseeing at Capriccio di Mare café in the heart of Road Town or talking about Wali Nikiti cooking resort, his latest venture on Scrub Island, he maintains an open, serene attitude that I believe results from getting to do what he loves best—creating succulent flavour combinations and inventive menus.
Pastry chef Heidi Benyair photographed in Virgin Gorda.
Chef Mathayom Vacharat likes to cook everything from Asian fusion to Italian comfort food. He’s won several awards in the Caribbean, including Ultimate Chef, Iron Chef vs. Island Chef and Best Private Chef in the VI 2010. Most recently, his company, St. John Catering/Mathayom Private Chefs, “cooked for the lovely ladies” and 30-person crew of Bravo's Real Housewives of New York City during their stay at Presidio del Mar in St John.
Leverick Bay Chef Alexander Yates did his culinary training in California and Bavaria but before that, he had his “first real position” at Chez Bamboo in Virgin Gorda. In 2002, he returned to the BVI and opened up the Restaurant at Leverick Bay. Alex combines local and imported ingredients in order to fresh and flavourful combinations such as conch ceviche, Caribbean lobster bisque, and tuna and avocado tartare.
The new chefs will bring fresh ideas while the established chefs will bring knowledge and experience. All the chefs will certainly bring exciting menus and innovative flavour combinations that will wow all who have the good fortune to attend the 2010 Virgin Islands Winemakers Dinners.
