What inspired you to become a chef?
and what was the biggest interest in being a chef? Okay, so what inspired me to become a chef was, my parents are great cooks. My dad is Jamaican and my mom is from Brooklyn. Brooklyn? Yeah, New York. And so, they’re both great cooks.
And when I was younger, they got me an Easy-Bake Oven, you know, that little toy, when I was 7 years old. And I kind of like, used it until the light bulb cracked. And then when I was 12, they got me a KitchenAid mixer and I never let go of it.
Did you study catering at school?
When I was in high school and it was time to decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, my parents kind of pushed me towards that and I’m really grateful that they did. Did you study it in the school? I did. Which university? I went to the restaurant school at Monetteville College in Philadelphia and it really did change the course of my career.
How does it feel being one of the Gtco masterclass chefs?
It kind of propelled me into doing what I am really good at today, you know? Okay, you have cooked in many cities around the world. What felt different about standing in front of a Lagos audience at the GTCO Food and Drink Festival? What was different was that I am using an ingredient that you guys have every day. So, I didn’t want to disrespect it, you know? Even though we have it in our culture, in Jamaica, we have it in the U.S., I don’t want to take an ingredient that you guys are used to and kind of do something that doesn’t taste good.
So, part of everything that I do is to blend the diasporas together. Coming from West Africa, through the Caribbean, up to the East Coast of America, the Black Atlantic has so many overlapping ingredients. So, being able to take something that you guys know and create a whole new dish with it that you might not have seen is part of what I love to do.
On your arrival, did you encounter any food on the street or here that surprised you?
What about spices? Have you discovered any Nigerian spices? Are there any spices you would recommend for me? When you step into a new culture, do you cook to express yourself or do you cook to please the people? Okay, so I make all of my desserts not too sweet. Did you have the tart? No, we couldn’t taste it. Okay, during the master class, what’s the one thing you think will make people stay long for this festival? I think what kind of helps me connect to the people and help them stay longer is that I’m going to share the recipe on my Instagram today after I get a second, after all the press stuff.
I’m going to go and write the recipe on my Instagram and it’ll be there for people to make and recreate at home. What’s your Instagram handle? My Instagram handle is my name, Kamari underscore Mick. If you had to create a dish inspired by Lagos, its energy, its chaos, its beauty, what would be on that list? Beyond techniques and presentation, what does food mean to you today? Identity, memory or something else? I think we’re going to continue to uplift ourselves as children of the diaspora.
