Rosemary Parkinson, Freelance Writer
Diane Watson serves up fine works of art and delicious brunches at the Contemporary Art Gallery in Liguanea, St. Andrew. - Photos by Rosemary Parkinson
1 Liguanea Avenue, Kingston 6
Phone: (876) 927-9958, 978-2309
Reservations are a must
WHEN YOU are in the presence of Diane Watson you feel like you have known her all your life. She is jovial, friendly, welcoming, and a wealth of information when it comes to Jamaican cuisine and Jamaican artists.
Watson could probably attribute her warm demeanour to her surroundings. How can you not feel affectionate and hospitable when you spend your days enveloped among some of Jamaica's most astounding artists? She owns and operates the Contemporary Art Gallery where she spends her days, gazing upon and 'living in' the fine works of Viv Logan, Roy Reid, Ralph Campbell, Susan Alexander, and Pottinger, to name a few. It is from here that exquisite potteries by Orville Bailey, Angela Brown and Doret Lee are carefully wrapped and passed on to those who either live in the country or take them to far away lands where they are placed in special positions in homes and offices with that wonderful sound to the ears of many in foreign 'this is from Jamaica'.
EXQUISITE ITEMS
There is more embroidered linens, handkerchiefs, tablecloths and napkins and perhaps the latter two can lead me now into food. You see, Watson has a particular dislike for paper napkins (I think she would not even take them on a picnic) and I wonder if having these exquisite items in her gallery was the catalyst for what was to come brunching among fine art.
Last November Watson, not content to just share her collection of work, decided to extend her hospitality. She opened up her gallery, allowing those who wish to also enjoy her artistic command of the Jamaican cuisine, dining from antique mahogany tables placed within her hallowed walls and flawlessly bedecked with table settings that include yep gorgeous embroidered tablecloths or mats and, of course, perfectly starched linen napkins.
Now that was a mouthful. And a mouthful of delight is what you are going to experience for I intend today to let you savour every little morsel of what I have so often enjoyed in my writings. Let me make your taste buds flutter.
FOOD TO MAKE YOUR TASTE BUD FLUTTER
Diane's brunches are set for every other Sunday, but will be opened throughout Secretary's Week, April 24 through 30 with a buffet set for all the queens of the office. I have the menu right before my very eyes and there's nothing here that I have not enjoyed to the fullest. There is Spicy Pork with Stewed Otaheite (or American apples) -- chunks of pork, spiced with pepper (not jerk) roasted to perfection smothered in a secret sauce; Roast Chicken stuffed with Seasoned Rice -- a divine melt-in-your mouth dish complemented by delish rice cooked in herbs and spices; Fillet of Fish in Coconut Sauce; and ackee and saltfish that scream 'mother's island cooking'. Then there is Watson's signature dish,oxtail with old-time spinners and beans. It's the absolutely best in the land. There is more -- yam, green bananas, fried plantain (perfectly caramelised), mixed vegetables with cheese topping and the healthy part, green tossed salad with the Gallery's home-made dressing. Plus there are fresh juices and Blue Mountain coffee with wine for those who like to digest with a little 'grape'.
HOMINY FOR THE SOUL
Sorry, but I felt a compunction to leave this little tidbit for last, although most enjoy it first. Diane Watson's hominy, made fresh in her kitchen to an exact recipe that never changes is the delight of the day. There is always hominy put aside for 'Rosie' in Diane's freezer - so that a trip into Kingston can be started on the right hom, hom, hom. Sorry, just a little deviation there into my hominy meditation mantra that I do on the way to the Gallery as thoughts of that sweetness put my soul into peace mode.
Watson only uses natural and fresh ingredients in her cooking and she stands over her cooks, ensuring that every recipe is followed to the last 'e'. There's no fooling around with her food, sah! Not at all. This way patrons are assured of enjoying these moments of palate and mind every time they visit.
"We all have to take a leaf out of Norma Shirley's (Norma on the Terrace, Devon House, St. Andrew) book and insist that all products are the freshest and of the best quality," says Watson while we sit chatting. "For instance, if I say I am serving saltfish, I serve good saltfish, not essence of saltfish."
With that statement she bursts into hearty laughter. Got the message Miss D.
Desserts always include her sugarless bread pudding (a must), potato pudding, home-made cakes and ice creams and that Caribbean staple Jell-O. She also serves delicious desserts made by Dawn Mitchell and these are not to be missed.
Now, there's another side. The Contemporary Art Gallery can organise board meetings from breakfast to lunch in total privacy at the Gallery; have the food delivered to offices if the subject matters discussed are of Bond 007 'secret' importance. She also caters for parties and other functions at the gallery or at your home.
How to wage the battle of life successfully is an art that we must learn. With the sword of God we can put to flight the enemies of the good life and the realisation of our strength raises and sustains our spirits. Norman Vincent Peale
NOTES:
Still begging for the return of my laptop and the cables for the cameras.
Another very sad note I met a very concerned Jamaican-American who recounted seeing a waitress at the little wharf at Port Royal where food is served, clearing tables and throwing all the plastic into the water. She 'kissed her teeth' and was arrogant when he reproached her for this action.
Please, please. Plastic kills our marine life, especially our turtles (already endangered), by asphyxiating them. It's a most horrid death. I will be personally checking this out.
