Dessert as Dinner

Dessert as Dinner by Nakiah Thomas-Edwards

I was thinking of using something old and extraordinary that no one would ever think about doing, and something unique.

And that was the inspiration for Chef Ron Maynard’s cou cou and salt fish with tomato compote, salt fish brittle and Bajan cherry gel, which was a stellar dish in the Desserts as Dinner event in last year’s Food and Rum festival.

Maynard has evolved into one of Barbados’ top chefs, evidenced by his profile in that festival, and his being the current head chef at Sea Breeze Beach House. His training two years ago at a (former) three Michelin star restaurant in England, Le Gavroche and Roux at Parliament Square certainly helped improve his international status as a Barbadian chef.

His exotically rendered cou cou and saltfish dish is just one example of his culinary difference. Maynard also makes liqueurs, breads, pastries, desserts and birthday cakes. It’s no surprise that Maynard ended up in this profession; after all, he was born into a cooking family.

“My mother and grandmother used to cook for weddings and from the early age of six I used to help them prepare food in some form or fashion,” he said.

Ron’s entry into the hospitality industry came at age 16, just after leaving Ellerslie Secondary School,

when he had the opportunity to work at Glitter Bay Hotel as a bar porter. “It was then I found myself liking the hotel industry, and I went on to train as a barman and waiter, which I enjoyed. While working in the bar and restaurant at Glitter Bay I always used to go to the kitchen and pastry shop to watch the chef at work; it was then I decided I wanted to be a chef. It was a crafted and technical job and I saw myself doing that daily,” he shared with Fine Cuisine.

Ron understood the importance of formal training, and got his in basic A play on cou cou and salt fish with tomato compote, salt fish brittle and Bajan cherry gel Recipe makes 12 popsicles Corn meal okra and whie chocolate popsicle • 2 cups whipped topping • 3 cups cornmeal • 1 tsp salt • 1 ½ cup water • ¼ cup dehydrated okras • ½ cup melted white chocolate • 2 cups tempered white chocolate (for dipping)

Method Cook cornmeal with water at low heat for 10 minutes, set aside to cool. Whisk whipped topping, okras, cornmeal, salt and white chocolate together, place in popsicle mould and freeze. Remove from mould and dip in tempered chocolate and refrigerate until hard.Bajan cherry gel • 1 cup Bajan cherry juice • 2 oz sugar • 1 tsp agar agar

Method Boil all ingredients, place it fridge to cool and set, blend until smooth. and advanced cake and pastry, and international cuisine, through the Pomarine, Barbados Community College. Then from crafting desserts at Sandy Bay Hotel he went to work at Sea Breeze Beach Hotel as the pastry chef in charge of the pastry shop in 2008.

Having conquered desserts and training other staff using his own style, Ron pursued and became executive chef, having learnt how to do every aspect of kitchen operation. In 2015 he was promoted to executive sous chef at the Sea Breeze Hotel, where his duties include day-today operations of five restaurants, including rostering, menu planning, training of staff, budgets , and controlling food cost.

His NIFCA 2011 gold medal,

Salt fish brittle • 4 oz cooked salt fish • 4 oz white sugar • 1 oz water • 1 oz unsalted butter Method Dehydrate salt fish in oven for 30 minutes at 250 degrees. Boil water and sugar until amber in colour, add butter and stir then add dehydrated salt fish and mix completely. Remove from stove pour until baking sheet and spread until flat, let cool and cut into small pieces

Tomato compote • 2 lg. ripe tomatoes chopped fine • 2 oz white sugar • 1 oz water • 2 pods star anise • ½ tsp ginger • ½ tsp cinnamon • ½ tsp nutmeg • 1 tbsp brown rum

Method Add all ingredients in saucepan and cook at low temperature for 20

minutes second place in the Barbados Pastry Chef competition in 2012 and 2016, the 2014 and 2015 Manager of the Year, silver medal in the Taste of the Caribbean 2016 cheese cake competition and gold in the 2017 Taste of the Caribbean team are evidence of both his skill as a manager and his creativity and originality in crafting desserts.

In last year’s Food and Rum festival, Ron participated in a special event at the Sea Breeze Beach House called Desserts for Dinner. Preparing a six course menu comprising only desserts was yet another of his amazing culinary creations and achievements. Fine Cuisine is proud to reproduce the recipe for the dessert that is a take on one of our most popular traditional foods.