Star-Chef Collin Brown showcases the best in local cuisine
MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA, MAY 24, 2011: Jamaican born celebrity Chef Collin Brown used the beautiful backdrop of the The Palmyra Resort & Spa, Montego Bay, to film an upcoming episode for his new reality show ‘Extreme Cooking' in May 2011. The three-time ‘Caribbean Chef of the Year' award winner, who has established himself in London's trendy Canary Wharf with his fashionable ‘Chef Collin Brown Restaurant', is on a culinary mission to create the first UK Michelin-starred Caribbean restaurant.
Collin Brown became the family cook at the tender age of eight, after he surprised his family by whipping up a fine meal while they were in church in Ulster Springs, Trelawny. He took on a work placement at ‘La Roose' in Portmore, St. Catherine, and worked at Myrtle's Restaurant in the Cayman Islands before relocating to London in 1997. Fighting his way up from the bottom of the UK's culinary ladder, Brown started by selling his distinctive Jamaican rum cakes on the streets of the east London district of Dalston.
From there, he advanced to handle the catering of birthday parties for celebrities such as Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons and Kelly Rowland. Before opening his upmarket, modern Caribbean eatery ‘Chef Collin Brown Restaurant' on Yabsley Street in Poplar, London, Chef Brown was responsible for the food at The Lane restaurant in Aldgate's City Hotel. Open since June 2010, Brown's aim is to bring the flavours of the West Indies to the world through the creation of an award winning restaurant.
States the Chef, "A lot of people are into Caribbean food, but it is all in the way it is presented. There are many fine Caribbean restaurants in America, but only five in London. It is just a question of doing it properly." Says Brown, "London is the food capital of the world, and the locals here have given me a lot of support.
Explains the food enthusiast, "I grew up in Jamaica, understand the food and why the flavours are so different. The cooking is done with steam, which enhances the flavour and makes the food healthy. In my restaurant, nothing is fried; it is all grilled, steamed and baked."
After going out early in the morning to catch fresh fish, Brown set up a Jamaican style barbecue drum without any frills on the beautiful Palmyra beach. The UK's first Afro Caribbean Chef to win the AA Rosette proceeded to cook up a seafood meal with local seasoning and creatively mixed sauces, which quickly created a line of Palmyra guests eager to try the Celebrity Chef's delicious smelling food and have a chat with him.
The Palmyra's recently opened gourment shop ‘Sugar & Spice Trading Company' staged another perfect location to complete the film shoot. Palmyra's Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Maurice Aronow, joined Chef Brown is preparing a fusion of Jamaican and Oriental cusine, such as a lobster salad with oriental dressing.
To be aired over a 6 week period on dates soon to be announced, ‘Extreme Cooking' features Brown performing culinary miracles with just a few kitchen utensils and basic ingredients on the streets and of England, in the ghettos of Jamaica, in the countryside and on the beach of one of the island's most luxurious resorts like The Palmyra Resort & Spa. Viewers will be delighted to get a first hand cooking lesson and insider tips on how to use the freshest locally grown and caught products delivered by one of its very successful sons. Inquisitive about the role food plays in the lives of the people, Brown is sure to deliver visually compelling experiences food lovers will never forget, and healthy Caribbean meals made in less than 15 minutes.
About The Palmyra Resort & Spa, Montego Bay, Jamaica
Located on 16 acres of pristine waterfront land in the elite enclave of Rose Hall, Montego Bay, The Palmyra Resort & Spa is the first luxury resort and residential community in Jamaica. A member of The Leading Hotels of the World, The Palmyra provides a lush private sanctuary for a luxury vacation, a private club ownership or a second home.
Media contact:
Maurice Aronow
Exec. VP Sales & Marketing
The Palmyra Resort & Spa
One Palmyra Resort Drive
Rose Hall, Montego Bay, St James
Jamaica, WI
Phone: +1 876 953 9787
Fax: +1 876 953 8543
Cell: +1 876 564 6117
Email: Maurice@thepalmyra.com
