NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Chef Simeon Hall Jr. has adopted the task of expanding authentic Bahamian dishes beyond the borders of The Bahamas’ 700 Islands and Cays.
He has taken on the mantra of spreading the origin story of each dish by pairing a native bite with a piece of history and with each culinary masterclass his dream becomes a reality.
“I wish to see Bahamian restaurants on a global scale. In Europe, the United States, Asia, and the world over. I believe just as the world knows jerk they should know Bahamian stew, just as they know croissants they should know Johnnycake,” said Hall.
In May, The Kitchen at Baha Mar and Hall together launched the very first culinary masterclass for moms. The partnership continued and Hall hosted a baking masterclass for fathers.
Hall explains that the goal of hosting each masterclass goes beyond teaching persons how to create the perfect dish.
“I want locals, visitors, and the corporate Bahamas to see how awesome Bahamian food and chefs are,” he said.
“We deserve to be in elevated spaces. I want to provide an outlet for small and large businesses to show their products to the Bahamian foodie public.”
Baking with the Bishop’s Son Culinary Masterclass was a pre-Father’s Day interactive baking class that set out to break the tradition of crab dishes for fathers and present to the dads an out-of-the-box experience.
The Fathers participated in a reverse dinner. This event stayed true to its promise of a unique experience as the first course debuted was dessert and the final course climaxed with a soup.
Hall continued: “We all know that crab ‘n’ rice in The Bahamas is the National gift for Fathers. I had to change that. I wanted to go totally left from that stereotype. And truthfully baking is one of my favourite things to do in the kitchen so I figured others would like it too.”
“We had rose hibiscus doughnuts donated by our partners at Bakehouse, then we had Andros wild hog ribs, tamari glaze, and baby vegetable. Following that was Birria tacos, consomme and lastly, Field Day tomato three ingredient soup, cheese raviolis, and local tomatoes.”
The fathers not only received welcome drinks from Moet & Chandon Champagne or indulged in local creations prepared by Chef Hall and his team, but they also baked goods from scratch.
“We broke the group into teams of twos,” Hall said.
“They prepared: Johnnycake biscuits, chocolate cake (my favourite recipe by the way), Italian focaccia, and cheesy cornbread.”
The competitive group of fathers battled for the many prizes donated by partners such as Kalik, Field Day, Chefs Pantry, Bahama Hand Prints, Bahamia, Luxury Management, Munroe Global, Bee in the Bahamas, and Island Foodology.
“I want to thank all of the sponsors that partnered with me!”
This event saw the likes of Ambassador of Culture, Jamaal Rolle, Comedian Tamico Sawyer, Radio talk show host Juan McCartney, Myles Munroe Jr., Sherice ‘Shesomajor’ Major, the co-owner of Down Home Bahamas, Keva Carey and others.
The class was hosted by Hall, Chef Quentin Scott, and apprentice Chef Derek Sawyer.
As for Chefs’ ultimate goal, Hall said: “I would love to have a namesake restaurant in a major resort. An amazing restaurant that not just looks like a modern Bahamian restaurant but has food that tells our story in a creative way.”
