Kerry Ann Gordon,

Banquet Chef, Courtleigh Hotel

Lauded by her boss executive chef Mark deKrines with gushing superlatives such as “large and in charge” and “a natural-born leader who can make things happen”, Kerry Ann Gordon brims with pride when talk centres on her role as banquet chef at the Courtleigh Hotel.

She’s confident, albeit a tad soft-spoken, when Thursday Food catches up with her in the literally hot kitchen on a busy Monday afternoon as stoves are ablaze with pots and countertops covered with multiple dishes for the the full house seated in the hotel’s Alexander’s restaurant. Gordon delights in her job as only a fun-loving foodie would, referring to her co-workers as “warm, welcoming people to work with, and despite our day-to-day challenges, we always pull through together as a team.”

She fell into the food industry out of necessity, after the tightening economic crunch led to her job loss as a machine operator at a factory eight years ago. “I heard about the HEART food courses being offered in Central Kingston and since I was job hunting, I decided to do it.”

Upon completion, she first worked as a trainee at Altamont Court Hotel, then as a range cook at the Grog Shoppe (Devon House), before landing at the Courtleigh in 2004. Gordon, who’s currently pursuing the HEART Level 3 Food Preparation certificate course, is yet to grow restive of her job despite its constant demands.

She still cherishes the moments when customers express their appreciation for a meal she had a hand in cooking. “Those are my greatest moments,” she beams.

Shabonu Thompson Chef de partie & Dushane Ximinies Commis chef

both of the Knutsford Court Hotel

Even when away from the kitchen, 31-year-old Shabonu Thompson’s mind seems perpetually intrigued by food. He faithfully watches the Food Network at home (he’s a bona fide Iron Chef fan) and as for reading material, you guessed it…he loves reading food-related books. Shabonu’s introduction to the food industry came as an 18-year-old at the Accountant General Department’s canteen as a kitchen assistant.

He worked at the AGD for nine years, leaving as the senior head chef. A certified chef de cuisine from the Culinary Institute of America, he’s also finalised courses of study with HEART as well as Chang’s Catering where he copped a pastry certificate. “I like a beautiful dish,” the Knutsford Court’s chef de partie responds, when asked what sustains his passion for his profession, “I love to create something with bright colours.” For him, there’s no near end in sight that can dull his interest as there are always new dishes to explore and new knowledge to be gained.

    DuShane Ximinies traces his love of food to his childhood. The Knutsford Court commis chef reminisces that he’d always be in the thick of things whenever meals were being prepped. Recognising their son’s fervent interest, his mother and father would season chicken or fish dishes and leave them for young DuShane to cook when they went off to the market.

Several years thereafter, the Kingston College alumnus registered at HEART Runaway Bay to pursue his culinary dreams and soon scored a job aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise liner as a fish cook. He stayed on the high seas for almost two years, acquiring Level 2 status (commis chef) before docking at the Knutsford Court Hotel in April 2009.

Loving his present job, he tells Thursday Food, “it brings out the artistic side of me and allows me to come up with my ideas.” Dushane has great admiration for Carl Thomas, his former teacher at Runaway Bay, who he notes “was extremely disciplined in his attitude towards his job, very creative and always encouraging of ideas.” The pupil aspires to walk his mentor’s path.

Ronald Morrison Terra Nova All Suite Hotel

Ronald Morrison’s culinary journey began in his adolescent years. The absence of the traditional female behind the stove (mum resided in Antigua) made the teenager the de facto cook, and so he prepared daily meals for his father, Ronald Sr in their Waterford, Portmore home. Upon graduating from Haile Selassie Comprehensive High, where his interest in the culinary field was nurtured through food and nutrition classes, he temporarily relocated to Antigua to join his mother.

While there, he worked as a line cook at the Sandals resort on the island. His return home saw him successfully completing Levels 1 and 2 of the HEART curriculum as well as the Level 1 offering of the Culinary Institute of Jamaica, while employed to the Terra Nova All Suite Hotel.

A father of two daughters, six-year-old Sanjudé and three-year-old Sienna, Ronald reveals that his long-term desire is to open his very own fine-dining establishment. Seafood, he concedes, is his favourite to prepare “because it’s easily flavoured and there is so much in terms of the variety that can be done with it.”