Jamaican cuisine a hit at Toronto Food & Drink Fest
April 24, 2023
Sometimes, the reality of an amazing achievement takes a while to sink in.
Trevane ‘Tre’ Sanderson is slowly grasping the significance of being the first Black to win the Top Chef Canada reality television series considered one of the leading culinary competitions in the country.
For the time being, he is happy to soak in all the attention coming his way.
“This is a fun time for me,” Sanderson said at this year’s Toronto Food & Drink Fest at Metro Toronto Convention Centre. “It is exciting for the culture and I am just trying to keep pushing the envelope when it comes to Caribbean cuisine.”
Starting the elimination challenge with jerk shrimp, the Season 10 winner wowed the judges’ taste buds with curry chicken breast and yam, Jamaican sweet potato puree with dumplings, red snapper escovitch with caramelized shallots and roasted red puree.
A spiced rum cake with glazed caramel plantains and cashew cream added to the winning pitch.
Observing the competition a few times, Sanderson knew he was ready for the challenge.
“This was an opportunity to showcase my cooking skills to a wider audience while going up against some of the country’s top chefs,” the 2015 Durham College Culinary graduate said. “The experience was tough, but I learnt I really have to push myself if I want to be the best in anything. Believing in the cuisine and food I know and grew up with also helped greatly.”
Watching his Jamaican-born mom and grandma cook was Sanderson’s inspiration to become a foodie.
“Just smelling the food, whether it was rice and peas, oxtail and the dumpling frying, I just could not stay out of the kitchen,” he pointed out. “That is where the love for what I love and do came from.”
What makes cooking exciting for Sanderson whose favourite dish is ackee and saltfish with fried dumplings?
“Just the whole process,” he noted. “It’s the seasonings and the ingredients and just putting things together which I love to do.”
Opening a restaurant in Toronto serving authentic Caribbean and Jamaican-style food is high on his bucket list.
“It has to be in this city where I was born and raised and I promise the establishment is going to be among the best,” Sanderson added.
He joined top Jamaican-born chefs Selwyn Richards and Noel Cunningham at Canada’s largest food and drink festival that showcases local chefs, culinary products, restaurants, winemakers, spirit, beer and cider.
Noel Cunningham (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
An only child growing up with his mother and aunt in Kingston, Jamaica, Cunningham asked a lot of cooking-related questions when he was in the kitchen.
“I was very curious and I waited until my turn came to put together some dishes,” he said. “Of course, I spoiled some of them in the beginning, but I got better as time went on and perfected my craft.”
The defunct prime time ‘Creative Cooking’ show on local television also motivated Cunningham who did culinary arts & chef training at Runaway Bay HEART and Training Institute.
“The chefs on the show inspired me and then my aunt introduced me to the Food Network,” he said. “That is when I realized cooking is more than just being a chef in the kitchen. You could write a book, contribute to food-related magazines and even have your own restaurant. When I grasped there are all these possibilities, I knew I was on the right track to keep doing what I love.”
After two years as Chef at Hedonism Hotel & Spa, Cunningham came to Canada in 2013 in search of better opportunities.
He completed a diploma program in Hotel, Motel & Restaurant Management at Red River College in Winnipeg and was Executive Chef and Kitchen Manager at two Manitoba hotels before relocating to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in 2019.
Shortly after arriving in Canada’s largest city, his first book -- ‘Cuisine by Noel’ -- that he describes as ‘a fusion of inventive interpretations and modern cuisine’ was released.
“It was done to to mark my 10th anniversary as a chef,” said Cunningham. “It is my journey, starting in my mom’s kitchen and representing Jamaica in 2018 at the James Beard House in New York to where I was at when I came to the GTA four years ago.”
Quick and easy dishes appeal to the award-winning chef who runs a food and catering service in the city.
“After working long hours, I enjoy a quick meal that tastes good,” he said. “One of the dishes I prepared today is shrimp with okra. I also love fried chicken and Jamaican food.”
Richards seizes every opportunity to collaborate with the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) to promote the country’s culinary dishes and products.
Selwyn Richards (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
“Food and tourism are intertwined,” the Art of Catering owner said. “Tourists like to sample the dishes of the country they are visiting. If they love it, the chances of them returning there for vacation substantially increase.”
Facing financial challenges trying to put himself through university after coming to Canada in 1980 to pursue Engineering studies, Richards changed course.
“Once I decided I was going to cook for a living, I knew I could not tell mom I was going to be a glorified cook,” he said. “I had to go to culinary school to learn the tricks of the trade.”
Like most chefs whose moms are key to their entrance into the gastronomic field, the George Brown Culinary Management and Cornell University Food & Beverage Management programs graduate is no exception.
Shela McLeod-Skinner, who celebrates her 80th birthday on May 7, loved to entertain.
“I was drawn to cooking by her as she was always in the kitchen preparing for family and guests, but I didn’t like some of the things she cooked because I am finicky,” said Richards who authored ‘The Art of Cooking: Soul of the Caribbean’. “I started with fried egg sandwich and then prepared fried chicken for dinner on Sunday evenings. Everyone loved it.”
JTB Regional Director Canada Angella Bennett & District Sales Manager for Canada Dan Hamilton (r) with chefs Selwyn Richards, Trevane ‘Tre’ Sanderson & Noel Cunningham (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
With gastronomy tourism growing exponentially, Jamaica has developed a framework to combine and promote culinary experiences, enterprises, festivals and local cuisine.
The island’s Gastronomy Tourism Network (GTN) boosts the country’s culinary assets and the tourism sector.
“Food is such an integral part of who we are as a people,” said Angella Bennett, the JTB Regional Director Canada. “You associate that and music with Jamaica and they are both parts of our soul. When a platform like the Toronto Food & Drink Fest is offered to display some of our best culinary practitioners, we greatly embrace it. Patrons are in for a treat as they have an opportunity to sample Jamaican cuisine. When they go on vacation to our beautiful island, they are looking for jerk chicken and all the sumptuous seasonings.”
