(Third in a series of four articles)
On 27 October, the Ritz-Carlton will host an extraordinary evening designed to showcase the culinary talent of ten Cayman-based chefs in support of Stay-Focused, the Sunrise Adult Training Centre, and Cayman’s Culinary Society.
The evening would not be possible without the chefs, all of whom are donating their time and talent to ensuring the event is a success.
John Griggs, owner/manager of Azzurro Café, said: ‘We have great talent here in Cayman. The Dinner of the Decade will enable us to showcase these great chefs while contributing to the ongoing success of these organisations.’
Following a champagne reception, featuring hot hors d’oeuvres and an array of cold canapés, guests will be treated to an eight-course tasting menu with different wines for each course.
While the menu itself is a tightly-guarded secret, it will undoubtedly be brilliant. Participating chefs include Randall Burns, Chad Blunston, Frederico Destro, Franklin D’Souza, Keith Griffin, John Griggs, Stuart Mena, Simon Richardson, Eric Scuiller, and Vidyadhara Shetty.
Randall Burns, The Lighthouse Restaurant
Starting as a dishwasher to earn money while going to school, Randy realized he had an affinity for the food and beverage/ hospitality industry, in particular the culinary arts. After a few years, while cooking at The Sheraton Hotel in Saskatchewan, Randy left university to pursue his passion, cooking. Thirty years later Randy’s experience includes both small and large hotels and resorts, as well as high-end, multi-conceptual restaurants. Randy has travelled extensively including work experiences in four Canadian provinces, The Bahamas, Tortola B.V.I., St. Kitt’s, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, New Zealand and the Cayman Islands.
Chad Blunston, the Ritz-Carlton
Originally trained on the east coast of Canada, Chad came to the Cayman Islands to help open The Ritz-Carlton as the Banquet Chef. Chad has extensive experience in top hotels and private clubs across Canada, including The Fairmont Palliser and Hyatt Regency in Calgary. As well as his Canadian experience, Chad had a two-year tenure at The Ritz-Carlton, St.Thomas, USVI as Banquet Chef. Prior to his arrival in Grand Cayman, Chad was the Executive Chef for a 1500-member, private country club in Calgary.
Frederico Destro, Ragazzi Ristorante
Frederico has been the head chef at Ragazzi for the past four years. He is originally from Venice, Italy and started his training at the tender age of 14. He said: ‘Perhaps the most important thing in my style of cooking is the freshness of the product and simplicity of preparation. With top quality fresh ingredients, meats and produce, the less you do to it, the better it is.’
Franklin D’Souza, Azzurro Café
Originally hailing from Goa, India, Franklin completed his Bachelor of Arts followed by his completion of a Pastry production course. Franklin has been a pastry chef for 14 years. He has worked in India and Kuwait for many years, for such companies as Radisson SAS Hotels and Carnival Cruise Lines. Franklin has spent the past three years in the Cayman Islands, most recently as Pastry Chef at Azzurro Café.
Keith Griffin, Bacchus Wine Bar
Keith is the Owner/Executive Chef of Bacchus. He is one of the founding members of the Cayman Culinary Society and has been instrumental in putting Cayman on the map as a Culinary destination.
John Griggs, Azzurro Cafe
John is the Owner/Manager of Azzurro Café and the person who created The Dinner of the Decade fundraiser. John has been a chef for over 17 years and got his start in his hometown of Toronto. John has been living in Grand Cayman on and off since 1994. In between stints, John worked in Australia, as well as back in Canada. Before coming back to Grand Cayman in 2004 to take over as Executive Chef at Morritt’s Tortuga Club, John was Executive Chef at the Crowne Plaza Hotel for three years and Sous Chef at The Granite Club, both in Toronto.
Stuart Mena, Governor’s House
Stuart is the Executive Chef at the Governor’s residence. Previously, he was at the Reef Grill. Prior to arriving in the Cayman Islands, Stuart worked in Toronto at some of the cities most well-known establishments, including Biff’s and The Millcroft Inn.
Simon Richardson, Azzurro Café
Originally from Yorkshire, England, Simon started his chef training at the age of 14. Simon arrived in Cayman in 1989 and never left. His first position was at Periwinkle, then The Lighthouse Restaurant where he had 11 year tenure. After 18 months at Morritt’s Tortuga Club as Sous Chef and Castaway’s, Simon joined Azzurro Café as Head Chef, a place where he brings his passion for food everyday.
Eric Scuiller, The Ritz-Carlton
Chef Eric Scuiller is the Executive Chef of The Ritz-Carlton. Chef Eric is a native of the Brittany area of Western France. He began his culinary journey at the selective Hotel Management School of Chaptal in Quimper at the age 16. A penchant for travel and resorts led to positions as Executive Chef at 12 Club Med Resorts, including Switzerland, Spain, Greece, Israel, Mexico, Bahamas, Italy, Tunisia and the US. Chef Eric has had an interesting and exciting career and was the Executive Chef of the Beverly Hills Hotel in California before coming to Cayman.
Vidyadhara Shetty, Hyatt Beach Suites
Originally from India, Shetty came to the Cayman Islands many years ago. Shetty is a founding member and current President of the Cayman Culinary Society, and donates a lot of his time to fund-raising events.
FYI
For more information about the Dinner of the Decade, visit the Stay-Focused web site, www.stay-focused.org. Tickets, priced at $500 per couple, may be purchased at Azzurro Café, or by calling John Griggs at: 929-3505.
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