Chef Adams Paired With Jai-Onni Outerbridge
Executive Chef Gerry Adams, from Rosewood Tucker’s Point, is working alongside culinary arts student Jai-Onni Outerbridge at the upcoming Plates of Passion event run by Bermuda Hospitality Institute, which sees local Culinary Arts students paired up with some of the Island’s top chefs.
Executive Chef Gerry Adams
How long have you been a professional chef? What inspired that choice?
I had my first job as a chef when I was 16-years-old. My mother was a spectacular cook and a great entertainer. I grew up tasting great food and that set my expectations high.
What is your culinary arts specialty? And favourite dish to make?
I am classically French trained in Scotland by Master Chef Stewart Cameron and love to take all of those ancient and wonderfully composed dishes and add an updated modern twist to them. But my favourite thing to make is anything that hides the main ingredient, like a dim sum or ravioli, a sushi roll or a wrap Beef Wellington something that adds a little suspense to the evening.
Why did you agree to take part in this year’s Plates of Passion event?
This will be my 4th plates of Passion. I feel it’s important for the students to see a real experience of working in a team that is focused and driving as one together. I know that it is something that the students look forward to every year and will continue to assist them whenever I can.
What is the biggest reward for you in doing this?
It’s always great to see how the students advance after the event.
What is [or what do you suppose will be] the biggest challenge?
Having Jai step up and take control of the evening, there is a lot to do on the night.
What’s your plan when it comes to preparing for the night? How will you try to stand out above the other teams?
I hope by the time the evening arrives that Jai will be running the evening I will be there to assist him if need be. I am already excited about the menu items he has created
What do you hope to impart on your student teammate? What lessons do you hope they’ll learn?
The importance of working hard and pushing yourself to achieve great things and how when you all work together as a team you can go even beyond your own expectations and of course HAVE FUN
Culinary Arts Student Jai-Onni Outerbridge, 19
How long have you been cooking? What inspired you to want to become a chef?
I have been cooking since a young age maybe since I was five or six. I was inspired my Great-Grandmother. In the morning before school or even school holidays, I would always go to her café, Thel’s Café, in Somerset and since then I always wanted to cook and become a chef.
What’s your ultimate goal and where you hope to end up in this profession?
My ultimate goal is be as best as I can. With this profession I look to give back my talents and take my next step after I graduate Bermuda College and become a family studies teacher.
Why did you decide to take part in Plates of Passion?
I chose to partake in Plates of Passion because it is a great way to get your foot into the door and learn lots of new things from other chefs.
How are you feeling about the event and being paired with your chef?
Being paired with Chef Garry is great. He is a great professional and I know I can learn a lot from him in such a small time. I’m especially excited to learn how a professional kitchen is run and what it takes to run a kitchen at the large scale.
What will be the biggest challenge for you?
The biggest challenge for me would probably designing a menu that pushes me out my comfort zone. It’s challenging because you have to create something that’s not just what you like but what your guests will eat and enjoy.
What do you hope to get out of the experience overall?
I hope to gain a great load of experience and learn new skills, like how to perform different tasks in the kitchen and just be better than I already am.
This is the sixth in a series of profiles of the teams behind the 2017 Plates of Passion event, a one-of-a-kind dining and fundraising event run by Bermuda Hospitality Institute, which sees local Culinary Arts students paired up with some of the Island’s top chefs.
This year’s sold-out event takes place on Wednesday, November 1; leading up to the event students will have an opportunity to shadow their mentor chef, collaborate to create recipes and then assist with meal preparation on the night.
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