St Lucian born Chef, Nina Compton, will showcase her signature cooking style during a series of culinary events at the Malliouhana, Auberge Resorts & Spa, from July 22 – 24.
The events will include a cocktail reception on Friday evening, a cooking class and lunch on Saturday, and a mid-morning brunch on Sunday.
In a recent interview with reporter, Hodge, Chef Compton talked about her passion for cooking and what influenced her cooking style. She said, “My cooking style is about having bold flavours because I’m used to spices, limes, and seasoning peppers. Those are things that the Caribbean is known for, and I wanted them to be reflected in my cooking.”
Mrs Compton said that she first recognised her passion and joy for creating food dishes and pleasing guests when she returned to St Lucia for Christmas holidays after spending some time away from home at school in England.
She told her mother and aunts that she would create Christmas dinner and allow them the space to enjoy the day with the extended family. She was pleased with her own culinary creation as she presented her family with a delicious meal. Her close-knit family expressed appreciation of the entire meal, including drinks and a desert. This life-changing event inspired her to pursue a career in the culinary arts.
The beginning of her culinary journey is one that can be regarded as an enriching experience. Her start in the culinary world would expose her to different aspects of business, and give her the opportunity to grow her reputation with other well-established companies.
She began working in the kitchen of Sandals Resort, St Lucia, then transitioned to two different Sandal properties in Jamaica. She spent a year at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, and then worked at five-star properties with renowned chefs in both New York and Miami.
As her reputation grew and offers from cities around the United States increased, she visited a property in New Orleans, a city that she had never visited before. She said, “When we walked in, I said, ‘this is it’.
When my family moved there, we didn’t know anybody, but people knew we were opening a restaurant, and they would stop us and welcome us to the city. It was like being in the Caribbean.
Mrs Compton is now the owner and chef of two restaurants located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her award-winning restaurant, the Compere Lapin opened in 2015 and was quickly recognised by Eater National as one of the “Best Restaurants in America 2017”. It continues to receive top culinary honours and rave revenues for its dishes which meld the flavours and ingredients of the ethnically diverse Caribbean area with those of the Louisiana Gulf region. Her second restaurant, Bywater American Bistro opened in 2018 and offers a more relaxed neighborhood dining experience.
Chef Compton first came to Anguilla twelve years ago on her honeymoon with her husband Larry, and she is delighted to be back. She said, “When we first came here, we had the best time. Now, we try to enjoy as much of the local side of eating as possible. Being on the island, I don’t really want the fancy—I just want to eat like a local.”
– Contributed
