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Morris Cooking Code

‘Hawt Chef’ Adrian Morris sizzles with Jamaican dishes in Canada

Published:Thursday | October 28, 2021 | 1:23 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
Carrot juice also known as ‘strong back’ was a Sunday staple in his household growing up.
Carrot juice also known as ‘strong back’ was a Sunday staple in his household growing up.
Hawt Chef’s crunchy take on KFC’s popcorn chicken.
Hawt Chef’s crunchy take on KFC’s popcorn chicken.
Chef Adrian Morris’ moniker, Hawt Chef, is actually an acronym: Having a wonderful time cooking high end foods.
Chef Adrian Morris’ moniker, Hawt Chef, is actually an acronym: Having a wonderful time cooking high end foods.
One spoon of this chicken foot and pumpkin soup and you will be looking to share a second bowl.
One spoon of this chicken foot and pumpkin soup and you will be looking to share a second bowl.
Jerk chicken wading in a signature jerk marinade with steamed vegetables.
Jerk chicken wading in a signature jerk marinade with steamed vegetables.
Oxtail lovers, this recipe will have you salivating with each bite.
Oxtail lovers, this recipe will have you salivating with each bite.
This Jamaican breakfast consists of steamed callaloo, fried roast breadfruit and fried plantains.
This Jamaican breakfast consists of steamed callaloo, fried roast breadfruit and fried plantains.
Chef Morris’ KFC spicy chicken recipe has accumulated 1.5 million views, and counting.
Chef Morris’ KFC spicy chicken recipe has accumulated 1.5 million views, and counting.
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Growing up, Adrian Morris recalled savouring sweet and wholesome flavours of cornmeal porridge. His mother, he says, makes the best porridge.

The delicious duo of curried chicken back and roasted breadfruit conjures up endlessly great memories. Morris might have gone from the sunshine to the freezing cold in Canada, but he is the ‘Hawt Chef’ who makes fresh Jamaican herbs and spices his top priority.

“Cooking for me is therapeutic and it puts me in a place where I feel most free and creative. It is an art that brings out the former artist in me with the many dishes and sculptures I’ve created,” he told Food.

Although he began cooking for his family at an early age, he had dreams of making it big as a visual artist. But after discouragement from his primary school teacher, he changed his career trajectory. Despite rediscovering his love for art while attending Spalding High School, now Alphansus Davis High School, he decided to make a shift to food and nutrition. There he found his true purpose. For him, visual and culinary arts are one and the same. He is able to express his love for art through cooking. Once he gained experience in several restaurants, he took his expertise home and made amazing dishes for his family. His Jamaican Kentucky Fried Chicken spicy recipe racked up over one million views on his YouTube channel, which he started back in 2014.

His reasons for starting the channel stemmed from leaving a legacy for his children to see and showcasing quick and easy recipes for his social media following.

“My wife suggested that I make a YouTube channel where I could reach everyone at once and not stress myself in replying to people’s individual requests. She is a YouTube fanatic, so she was extremely excited to help me set it up and even came up with the name, Morris Time Cooking! We went camera shopping the next day. I filmed my first video a week later while making her coconut steamed salmon, and the rest is as you know it today,” he said.

The ‘Hawt Chef’, as he is known on Instagram, also presented his take on the KFC’s original flavour, the zinger and the popcorn chicken. Outside of that, he shares a unique twist on jerk chicken, curried chicken, brown stewed chicken, curried shrimp, beef patty, oxtail, steamed fish, beef and pumpkin soup, ackee and salt fish plantain cups. jerk barbecued turkey and a host of other dishes. Recipe development came naturally to Morris because he enjoys the very thought of buying ingredients and experimenting with flavour profiles.

Through an extensive process of trial and error, he is able to perfect a dish that his supporters can confidently replicate from the comfort of their homes.

Fusing his passion with plate presentation, attention to details, his audience’s testimonies in the comment sections urge others to try for themselves since they’ve got tasty results. “What I love most about making food is the fact that it brings people together in harmony; the way it makes others happy and excited when they try my cooking or even make it and get great feedback from their loved ones or customers.”

He hopes to expand his channel and make it a bigger international platform that can one day give back to his past schools, community, country and supporters, “...be it through my future restaurants, foundations, scholarship, line of cooking products and/or equipment.” Until then, his main focus is finishing his highly anticipated recipe book. Follow hawt chef on all social media platforms for more information on how you can get in on the goodness and join the Morris Time Cooking community.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com