Shelly-Ann Daley ‘Shellinz’ in the kitchen
Published:Thursday | January 4, 2024 | 12:10 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
Shelly-Ann Daley started her culinary journey at the age of eight. What began as a joke between her and her aunt quickly cooked its way to Daley discovering her very own love language.
“Food and acts of service are two of my love languages. Growing up, I enjoyed cooking and eating curried chicken. There is just something about the smell of curry. I cook with love. And, I cook wanting the end result to be that everyone is full and happy. That brings me immense joy,” Daley told Food.
During the heights of the global pandemic, the young self-taught chef decided to share her talents with the world and it was there that her Shellinz Kitchen came to fruition.
“I was working from home, so I had more time on my hands. My son, who was two years old at the time, was stuck overseas with his father as the borders were closed. I was missing him dearly and found myself sinking into depression. I guess you can say I needed a distraction, and what better way to distract myself than to do something I am passionate about.”
Food was not only a means of sustenance, it also became her solace, a form of therapy and her reason for moving forward. “Sharing my passion with others saved me. It gave me something to look forward to each day. I would be excited just to get up, cook my dinner, take a picture and share it. The likes would come flooding in and it would make me feel happy. This was just from visuals, so imagine if many of these people could partake in the different meals.”
Inspired by dishes she knew and those she discovered on cooking shows, she set out on a quest to recreate the taste to suit the local palate. “In trying to replicate or recreate that dish, I’d come up with my very own version and it would be incredible.”
Additionally, she drew inspiration from the supermarket and markets, “When I go shopping I like to take my time and just walk through the aisles. I look on the shelves to see the different items and as I do so my creative juices flow as I think what can I do with this or what can I pair with that.”
Looking back, Daley recalled the funny story and grand gesture that initiated this remarkable gastronomic trotting in the first place. “One day after school, I stayed back to participate in art and craft. My aunt, with whom I lived at the time, taught at the school and when she saw me, she jokingly said, ‘You’re still here? I thought you had gone home long time to cook my dinner’.”
Curious, Daley made an attempt at fulfilling the request. “The next day, I went straight home and headed to the kitchen,” she said adding, “Not wanting to light the stove without adult supervision, I instead used a hot plate and I cooked boiled bananas and tin mackerel. I added no salt to the banana pot and only cooked the bananas as I could not knead the flour. When my aunt got home she was both amused and impressed.”
Her aunt was so proud of her effort that she ate the unsalted meal as if it were a five-star meal and she told the story to everyone.
This tasteful encounter encouraged her even further to create the perfect meal. “I would watch my aunt in the kitchen, ask questions and keep trying. I developed such a love for it that when I got to high school, I paid close attention in food and nutrition classes, sitting the subject at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate level.”
From there, Daley continued her flavour experiments and explorations, cooking much to the delight of those around her. “Family and friends absolutely love my cooking. I make a pot of stew peas that is to die for! I am always complimented on my oxtail and my baked mac and cheese is delicious! My sister says whatever I cook is always amazing,” she revealed.
She continues by noting, “Almost every time they eat something I have cooked, I am being encouraged to open a restaurant and cook full time. Some think I am wasting my talent because it needs to be shared with the world. They always want something to eat from Shellinz Kitchen.”
After doing a few catering gigs and hosting Sunday brunches, everything was put on the back burner following her pregnancy. Since giving birth almost a year ago, she hasn’t found that balance just yet. But she hopes that once her daughter is a little older, she can resume Shellinz Kitchen on a small scale and take it from there.
Until then, this lover of the umami experience continues to cook up a storm for her close family and friends. After all, it’s the complex yet simple pleasures of all flavours coming together to make your taste buds sing that makes exploring the culinary arts truly worthwhile.