ANTHONY WALTERS
Paul Brett, Lifestyle Writer
AT 13 Anthony Walters won rave reviews from his mother when he prepared dinner for the first time.
His subsequent forays into the kitchen -- pumpkin rice and more -- continually got his mom's seal of approval and fired his ambition to cook up a career in foods.
Today, the 25-year-old, who grew up in Salem, St. Ann, is a new executive pastry chef at Grand Lido Negril in Westmoreland, having just completed his first five weeks on the job.
"When you grasp the discipline of the basic principles of what I do it doesn't leave you," says Walters, referring to the training that has taken him from a fledgling foodie in his mother's kitchen to a confident culinary whiz who has done food presentations for travel writers at the swanky Ritz Carlton and Golf Resort in Montego Bay.
"In fact, you use this discipline as your benchmark to achieve perfection in all things that you do."
FOOD PHILOSOPHY: I believe food should be attractive and palatable. One should be lured by the artistry of food presentation before actually indulging. For example, it could well be the aroma or the layout of a particular dish that whets your appetite, leaving you with no choice but to give in to its pleasurable delights.
WHAT COULDN'T YOU LIVE WITHOUT: I honestly couldn't live without pasta and chocolate-based foods such as chocolate mousse and Biscotti (an Italian biscuit made with nuts, almonds, mixed peel, egg yolk and sugar in a dough base).
WHAT DO YOU HATE: First of all, I value the diverse taste of foods. However, I don't like the taste of breadfruit or any of its by-products. But, I have to say, I am amazed by the many things that the breadfruit can be used to make. For example, garnishes, delicious entrees, puddings, cakes, biscuits and even beverages. It's such a shame I am not enticed by it.
CUPBOARD/FRIDGE CONFESSION: I am a chocolate truffles addict. Most of it is made up of chocolate with other tantalising ingredients such as orange extract, confit, chopped cherries, Cointreau (an orange liqueur with heavy cream). It's basically melted chocolate processed with a fusion of all these ingredients by following a special (and almost prescribed) method.
FIRST FOOD MEMORY: When I was 13 years old I was asked to cook dinner and got positive feedback from my mother when she sampled my dish of hard foods (dumpling, yams, banana) with ackee and saltfish. I also enjoyed cooking pumpkin rice and other seasoned rice dishes with bits of pork. The fun part was getting praises from my mother. That meant a lot to a 13-year-old boy.
