Cocktail Kitchen’s award winning Executive chef, Damian Leach, discovered his passion for cooking from as young as just 13 years old. Upon earning himself Le Grand Diplôme from Le Cordon Bleu in Canada, he has since gained a wealth of experience in the culinary arts, working in renowned restaurants including Fairmont Royal Pavilion, The Cliff and Tapas amongst others. During his time at Tapas, he was promoted to sous chef within his first year and later head chef, spending a total of 6 years there before joining the Cocktail Kitchen team.

Having achieved the title of Barbados Chef of the Year in 2016, Damian was then selected to represent the island at the annual CHTA Taste of The Caribbean competition held in Miami, Florida. Here, he won Gold and the highly sought after CHTA chef of the year title making him 1 of only 3 Barbadian chefs to hold the prestigious title

If you could be defined by one kitchen utensil, what would it be, and why?” To Willis Griffith, this was a strange question, but the answer was simple, cliché even – a chef’s knife. As to why, the response was just as elementary – because he’s sharp, especially where cooking is concerned. Yet, Willis did not always aspire to be a chef. In fact, he wanted to be an architect, but inadvertently stumbled into the culinary profession, after being promoted from Porter to Line Cook, at Eurest Dining Services, in New York, in 2005. It was this that whet his appetite for a career in cooking. With this new desire to master the art of fine cuisine, Willis enrolled, in 2007, at the French Culinary Institute in New York, where, for two years, he trained in – among other things – basic French culinary cooking, artisanal baking and pastry, graduating in 2009 with a Grand Diploma in Culinary Arts. His newly-minted qualifications afforded him the opportunity to work in such exclusive New York eateries as The Norwood Club, L’Ecole and Blue Smoke, before returning home to exhibit and continue to hone his skills at The Fairmont Royal Pavillion Hotel, Crystal Cove Hotel and The Sandpiper Inn, all with a strong desire to land a spot on the distinguished Barbados Culinary Team.

Willis achieved this feat for the first time in 2014, and for the next three years, competed at the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s Taste of the Caribbean competition, held annually in Miami, Florida. He is a multi-award-winning chef, having twice won silver and gold medals as a teammember, as well as achieving – with his fellow chefs – the honour of being awarded prestigious Hens Shenck Commemorative Award in 2014 and 2015. His individual awards include: a gold medal in the NIFCA Culinary Competition in 2013, bronze medal in the Seafood Competition at Taste of the Caribbean 2014, silver in the BHTA’s Professional Cook-off, Gold at Food, Wine and Rum and, most recently, gold in the Caribbean Chef of the Year at Taste of the Caribbean 2017. When he’s not preparing delectable dishes to stir the senses and thrill the taste buds, practising new and intriguing plating techniques or conceptualising new recipes, Willis enjoys relaxing and watching bike racing. He has cherished his opportunities to learn from influential leaders in the culinary profession, such as Executive ChefDidier Virot with his Michelin Star experience, Executive Chef Christophe Poupardin, 2012 local Chef of the Year Kenneth Whittington and renowned local Executive Chef Henderson Butcher. Despite his many successes to date, Willis believes that there is so much more he can learn and achieve, and while he aspires to one day become an Executive Chef, his ultimate dream is to become a restaurateur.

Chris De La Rosa is best known as the man behind CaribbeanPot.com, arguably the most popular online destination for Caribbean recipes with more than one million monthly visitors. However, the Trinidad-born, Hamilton, Ontario-based businessman’s acumen goes well beyond Jerk Chicken and Rice and Peas — both in and out of the kitchen.

While currently expanding CaribbeanPot.com into avenues that include a series of cookbooks (the first of which are the 2012 e-book, The Vibrant Caribbean Pot: 60 Traditional and Fusion Recipes Vol. 1, and the upcoming Vol. 2, a printed edition with additional recipes), and food and retail products, Chris is also growing his culinary reputation. With ChrisDeLaRosa.com, the 40-year-old offers fans a more personal experience as he provides insight on kitchen appliances, gadgets, tools, ingredients and other food related topics; reviews cookbooks from his ever-growing personal library, takes visitors along on culinary trips (he recently competed in a South Korea cooking competition and has been invited to Hong Kong and Tokyo in 2014); and shares his favourite recipes such as Italian meatballs and Japanese teriyaki. The site also serves as a medium for announcements such as book or product launches and meet-and-greet information.

Various media outlets have deemed Chris’ expansive culinary expertise newsworthy. Among the many publications that have featured Chris are newspapers Metro English Canada (the country’s most read daily paper), The Hamilton Spectator, and St. Kitts & Nevis Observer as well as magazines that include Zing (the in-flight publication of LIAT) and b3 Caribbean. His infectious personality has been seen by millions through TV appearances — most notably on CTV’s Canada AM, National Television Network (in Guyana), CaribV TV (based in Jamaica with an audience that extends to Miami, New York City, Atlanta, the British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos, and St. Kitts and Nevis), and Arirang TV (an international English-language network based in Seoul, South Korea). Chris is also a regular on Hamilton Life, a half-hour lifestyle magazine covering the local community.

Chef Butcher has over 18 years of expertise in the hotel industry holds an Associate Degree in Hotel Culinary Arts from the Barbados Community College and received further Culinary Arts training at John Folse Culinary Institute from the Nicolls State University. A creative and enthusiastic Chef, Butcher won the Barbados Culinary Team Manager’s award for Taste of the Caribbean in 2007 and also managed the winning Barbados Culinary Team for Taste of the Caribbean in 2011 and 2012.

His passion for food in Barbados is to see the country’s cuisine grow more on the world stage. Chef Butcher grew up with a love for cooking as this was one of his family traits, and chartered his career to become a chef. These days, Chef Butcher spends his time developing the local foods on his menus and helping young budding chef to discover their own talents. Chef Butcher has promoted Barbadian cuisine in Germany, Switzerland, various states in the USA, Jamaica and Puerto Rico.

Chef Butcher is the Executive Chef at the Pureocean Beachside Dining Restaurant at Divi Southwinds hotel, the newest restaurant of its kind in the St Lawrence Gap which serving up some of the most creative twist on local foods, growing most of the fresh herbs used at the restaurant on property, brings about the freshness and Caribbean flavors for which he is known.

Chef Butcher recently travelled to Texas learning the ins and outs of smoked meats and barbequing to further push the newest addition at Pureocean – “The Smoker” where some of the most delectable smoked meats are cooked and served.

Chef Henderson Butcher is a forward thinking chef always willing to be a part of the new and exciting growth in the world of food.

If there’s one thing Michael Hinds thrives on, it’s a challenge. He has worked in some of the world’s finest Michelin Star restaurants, but he’s yet to find a kitchen that’s too hot to handle.

At 42, this Barbadian culinary star has already seen and accomplished more than most chefs reaching retirement age. He got a head start as a school boy; while his friends were cramming for exams or out liming with friends, the 14-year-old Michael was looking for something a bit more challenging – and discovered his life’s passion in the kitchen of a local hotel.

By age 17, he was working as a trainee chef at the exclusive Sandy Lane Hotel, and in no time his commitment and his flair in the kitchen were helping him progress quickly up through the ranks. His obvious talent and drive also opened opportunities to refine his craft through formal training at the Culinary Institute of America. Soon he was winning local culinary contests. He was invited to represent Barbados in the prestigious Taste of the Caribbean regional contests, and brought home gold medals four years in a row.

For many, this might have been the time to start resting on laurels, or at least cashing in on them. But Michael needed bigger challenges. He craved new opportunities to take his craft to higher levels. So he sat down and wrote to the world’s top Michelin Star restaurants, seeking opportunities for volunteer training placements in their establishments during the slow summer season. To his surprise, most of the world-renowned chefs actually wrote him back. This led to stints in some of the world’s finest restaurants, such London’s Chez Nico.

“It was a definite culture shock.” Michael says, recounting the experience of 18-hour days, working his fingers to the bone and dealing with temperamental culinary geniuses. (It really is as dramatic as the TV reality shows, he confirms!)

Returning home from this baptism by fire with a “metropolitan” mindset, “I stuck out like a sore thumb,” he recalls. “But it also suddenly seemed so much easier to get things done.” Forging ahead, he turned down his first offer of an executive chef position at the tender age of 25, choosing to remain in a position with less status but more challenge and more opportunity to develop his technique.

A decade later, it was this continuing quest for new challenges that drove the dynamic young chef to start his own Food & Beverage Company. Furnished with knowledge and experience gathered, Michael has carved out a niche private catering to the most discerning clientele while still offering a bistro style concept at his Cafe on the south coast of the Island or a more relaxed fare at his breezy Smoke-Pit Barbeque concept restaurant, East Point Grill on the rugged coast of St. Philip. The catering component of his business has evolved to include many corporate clients and large exclusive events.

Ambition may once have been a driving force for the introverted Barbadian youth from Garrison Secondary School – an opportunity to see how far he could get, coming from humble beginnings. But success has changed his perspective. What excites him now is the opportunity to tackle new challenges and to continue refining his craft. “It’s about technical ability,” he said, “because at the end of the day, all that a chef has, really, are his hands.” “People talk about it as an art. It can be artistic but I see it more as a craft,” he explained. “It’s not something you’re born with - you get better as you put in the time and you build experience.”

And so it is that we can expect much more still to come from this dynamic Barbadian star.

Barbadian born Chef Jason Howard is Michelin trained sous chef with more than 15 years experience working in 4 and 5 star hotels and restaurants in Barbados prior to working as a Junior Sous Chef at the two star Michelin, Connaught for Hélène Darroze in London.

Since then he has been on Master chef professional 1/4 finalist and also organised a series of events titled The Caribbean Fine Dining Experience, where he refines Caribbean cuisine to a Michelin level with food and flavours from his background in a deconstructed way, delivered on par with that of fine dining excellence. Also chef Jason has also been traveling the world Changing people's perception and understanding of Caribbean cuisine in South Africa, Italy/Monaco, Spain, Germany and many more. Chef Jason Howard is pioneering the concept of Rum dining with also his menus that use Rum not just to pair with food but as an ingredient in number of dishes, which he is developing.

Philip Antoine, known in the bartending fraternity as “Cassanova” is a flamboyant 29yr old mixologists. Born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, he relocated to Barbados at age 9.

Bartending was not his first choice of career as he is certified in Interior Design and Decorating. His introduction to bartending came in 2006 when he became a bartender at one of the island’s top night clubs. After its closure in 2010, he moved on to “T.G.I. FRIDAYS”. Having enjoyed the years of fun and cocktails at “FRIDAYS”, he ventured to spread his wings as a mixologist at the “LIME BAR”.

Phillip has competed and won several bartending competitions. He is the reigning champion of The Barbados Food & Wine and Rum Festival, with his creation “Rum Passion” being the signature cocktail for this year’s festival.

He is now the Taste of the Caribbeans’ Gold Medalist Bartender of the Year and the Best Non-alcoholic Cocktail Category Winner, and he holds the title Barbados’ Bartender of the Year

He most recently became the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge Local Champion.

Amongst other titles, he is the winner of the “Claytons Kola Tonic” cocktail competition and is now the Ambassador and the face of the “Claytons Kola Tonic” brand.

Chef Creig Greenidge or Chef Creig as he is known around Barbados always knew he wanted to be a Chef from around the age of twelve. On finishing school Chef Creig moved on to the Culinary Arts program at the Barbados Community College. After completing the program he moved from the South to the West then to the North Coast of the island running kitchens at some of the islands top Hotels.

In 2008 Chef Creig decided it was time to pursue his dream of having his own business, and this is when he opened CM Catering, which kicked of with catering at Brian Lara’s Crop over Party. He then catered for many of the island’s premium events such as Bliss : All Inclusive event, The Barbados Reggae Festival, Soca on the Hill, UV VIP Breakfast All Inclusive and the Hennessey Artistry Show Barbados.

Chef Creig’s passion has also taken him onto the international scene as an Ambassador Chef, to places like Brazil, Ireland, Scotland, Belgium, England, Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Los Angelos, California, New York and Puerto Rico. As Executive Chef and Owner Creig also perform Cooking Demonstrations around Barbados at various events, he also did an eight episode series for a Caribbean Television Cooking show known as Living Well Caribbean.

Jean-Georges has opened a number of new restaurants including The Inn at Pound Ridge by Jean-Georges, ABC Kitchen, ABC Cocina, Simply Chicken at Madison Square Garden, The Pump Room in The Public Chicago and Eden Rock in St. Barths. Most recently, Jean-Georges ventured to Roppongi Hills to open JG Tokyo, a 14-counter seat restaurant.

Jean-Georges has appeared on Live! With Regis and Kelly, the Today Show, Good Morning America, The Martha Stewart Show, The Early Show on CBS, Top Chef, the Food Network, in the 1995 PBS series In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs and Sundance Channel’s Iconoclasts with Hugh Jackman. Additions since then include NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Fox 5 “Good Day Café” and The Today Show. He is also co-hosted his wife Marja’s PBS series, Kimchi Chronicles.

Jean-Georges has made culinary history and developed a reputation as remarkable as his food by tapping his deep understanding of the restaurant world and pairing it with his forward-thinking vision. Yet, after years of success, Jean-Georges’ favorite retreat is still the kitchen, and his favorite meals dished from a street cart in Thailand.

John started his culinary career at the Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados where he first found himself there on a course attachment in his early twenties. It was during this time, whilst making the rounds in a variety of departments, that his love of the kitchen was cemented. Not merely content with ‘learning on the job’, he understood the importance of gaining an education that would equip him not only with culinary skills but also managerial expertise.

John has participated in several competitions and is the only chef to hold the title of Caribbean Chef of the Year twice, in 1995 and 2004. John is also the Caribbean Duelling Chef Champion for 2004 and was selected Caribbean Employee of the Year by the Caribbean Hotel Association in 1995. He enjoys the challenge of competition immensely and prepares with constant practice and experimentation. His list of impressive culinary work attachments include some of the world’s best hotels and restaurants, including the Savoy Hotel in England, Kunstuben Restaurant in Switzerland, and Aureole Restaurant in New York.

Chef Michael Harrison’s talent was cultivated in the kitchens of world renowned establishments such as Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland, Le Gavroche Restaurant in London, North Island Resort in the Seychelles, Carambola Restaurant, Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados and the White Barn Inn in Maine, a Five Diamond Hotel; where he had the privilege of preparing dinner for former US President, George W. Bush. Michael also cooked for David and Victoria Beckham, Actress Salma Hayek, Singer Mariah Caray and many others. Chef Harrison has trained alongside several celebrity chefs including 18 months with world famous Chef Michel Roux Jr. at Le Gavroche, a 2 Star Michelin Restaurant in London. Chef Michael also had stints in St. Lucia and Bermuda.

When you earn two Michelin stars at the age of 26, it tends to destine you for greatness in the kitchen. For London chef Tom Aikens, lauded for his hyper-seasonal modern-naturalistic brand of cooking, it’s done just that.
Aikens moved to London to work at Michelin-starred Cavalier’s and The Capital Hotel. At age 21, he became Chef de Partie for Pierre Koffman at La Tante Claire; during this time the restaurant earned its third Michelin star. Perhaps he was bitten by the Michelin bug there; Aikens moved to two-star Pied à Terre, where he was sous chef to Richard Neat. In 1994, he heard the culinary call of Paris, and worked for a year at Michelin three star-rated Joël Robuchon and Les Crayères in Reims.
Aikens returned to London and Pied à Terre in 1996, this time as head chef and co-proprietor. He maintained the restaurant’s two Michelin stars and became the youngest British chef to achieve this accolade. He was 26. Five years later, he left Pied à Terre, returned to La Tante Claire, and then took a break from restaurant kitchens. Aikens helped Lady Carole Bamford develop her farm and products for Daylesford Organic Farm Shop and Wootton Organic, an experience that sewed the oats for the chef to wholeheartedly embrace local, seasonal ingredients in his cooking philosophy.

In April 2003, Tom Aikens Restaurant opened in Chelsea. The 60-seat site has since earned numerous prestigious critical accolades, including a Michelin star in 2004 and a “rising two-star” status in January 2008, five rosettes in the AA Restaurant Guide since 2008, and an 8/10 score in the Good Food Guide 2009. Aikens opened a second, brasserie-style restaurant, Tom’s Kitchen, in November 2006.

Outside of the kitchen, Aikens is a cookbook author, charity and conservation activist, and an avid cyclist. His first cookbook Tom Aikens: Cooking was published in 2006, and his second, FISH, was released in 2008. He works with multiple organizations to raise awareness about environmental issues and improve school food.

French born Jérémy Dupire has worked in several Four Star hotel restaurants in France and owned his own restaurant in Avignon. His continued passion for international cuisine eventually led him to travel the world, visiting such places as Thailand, Indonesia, and the Caribbean. While on a visit to Barbados in 2014, he fell in love with the island and decided to pursue his career there. He has since teamed up with The Cliff to run the kitchen of their new Beach Club restaurant which opened in June 2015, specializing in classic French cuisine with a Caribbean twist.

Executive Chef at the world renowned Crane Resort, Chef Duayne “Hollie” Holligan had an unlikely introduction to the kitchen. With no prior culinary ambitions, in 1997, Chef Hollie received a one day opportunity to be a Kitchen Steward at Accra Beach Hotel and the rest is, as they say, history.

While in his position as Steward, Chef Hollie was granted the opportunity to train within the newly established Butcher Shop. Inspired to develop his skills, Chef Hollie undertook a formal education and proceeded to quickly rise through the ranks of the kitchen, within some of Barbados’ most prestigious dining establishments. These include a prior stint at The Crane, Villa Nova, Aqua Restaurant and Lounge as well as Waterside Restaurant under the watchful tutelage of renowned local chef – Michael Hinds – who he credits along with Chef Rene Griffith, as a mentor.

Privileged to be exposed to many of the world’s cuisines and cultures throughout his extensive travels, the product of Barbados Community College’s Hospitality Division now spends his evenings in the demanding kitchen of The Crane’s flagship restaurant, L’Azure. There, his creative use of herbs and spices is a source of constant culinary delight for visitors and locals alike.