Food was definitely not Khamel Allen’s first option after leaving Jamaica College. In fact, the film enthusiast had started learning the basics of film production at the Creative Production and Training Centre in 2009. His journey into the culinary arts, however, began in that same year, when he was at home one day with a cupboard and refrigerator stocked with food that he couldn’t cook. It was his need to learn how to cook that propelled him to become a commis chef today. “I am from a family of cooks, believe it or not,” he told Thursday Food. “My grandmother, mother, aunt and uncle are all excellent cooks in their own right. They taught me how food should be presented and how it should taste,” Allen continued.

Allen developed a love for all things food when he enrolled at Oneness Catering Institute in 2009, where, during a six-month course, he learned the basics of baking and how to cut, clean, season and prepare different meats and food. He decided to complete food preparation levels one and two at the same institution as his love for the kitchen continued to blossom. To date, the 22-year-old Stony Hill resident has worked at O, Yes Members Club, Potwah Restaurant, and Cuddy’z Sports Bar and Grill, before moving to Three Scoops Ribs and Wings in Cedar Grove, Portmore. The chef on the rise credited international chef Gordon Ramsay for his kitchen regime. “I have a lot of respect for chef Gordon Ramsay. I remember watching an episode of Kitchen Nightmares on BBC, where Ramsay was scolding a chef for the filthy state of his kitchen. After seeing that episode, I made it a point of duty to always keep the kitchen as clean as possible. I also take a day off to clean everything in the kitchen, from pans, grills, refrigerator and all. I thank him for the way I run the kitchen.” Locally, he hailed Beverley McFarlane, head of the Oneness Catering Institute, for “always believing in my abilities and being a guiding force throughout my studies at the institution”.

Outside of the kitchen, the laidback chef said he enjoys swimming, video production, video editing, songwriting and singing. As for what he looks forward to doing in his career, Allen said, “I want to pursue more formal training and to do bigger and better things each day as I try to please the unique taste of each customer who comes to Three Scoops Ribs and Wings.”