Chef Aaliyah Terrelonge ‘playtz’ winning flavour
First J’can to win ‘Maggi Food Court Competition’
Published:Thursday | October 10, 2024 | 12:09 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
It is often said that how you show up to the showdown is what matters most. The grand finale of Season Four of the ‘Maggi Food Court Competition’ saw an exciting culinary matchup between Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica. In the end, it was Chef Aaliyah Terrelonge who represented ‘Jamrock’ with the ‘playtz’ of flavour, who emerged as the victor.
“Competing against Chef Rondell [Thompson] from Trinidad was fun. The other finalist was a great competitor so it was interesting to see the similarities and differences in our cooking style,” she told Food.
Inspired by rich Caribbean dishes, bursting with local flair, she went into the finals with one goal: to win. Her strategy was simple: pull on her strengths of flavour combinations, creativity and presentation, and let the exquisite taste do all of the talking.
“For the first course of the finals, I made my stuffed fried dumpling, Jamaican-style, with smoked salmon as a twist and charred baby bok choy. Another favourite was my second course; parmesan crisp with honey-infused salt fish, my modern take on salt fish and crackers. This wowed the judges. And my grilled steak dish, with Asian style barbecue sauce, served with green oil and carrot purée was unforgettable as well,” she shared.
Terrelonge, who goes by the moniker Chef Liyah, explained that she was motivated to enter the competition after watching previous episodes of the ‘Maggi Food Court Competition’. Impressed by the concept, she saw the promotions for this season but was a bit sceptical about signing up. When her partner also got wind of the new season, she was encouraged to take a chance.
The first-timer might have been new to culinary competitions, but she brought the heat at every opportunity. “The first dish I prepared was a thyme-infused pan-seared snapper with a potato and cauliflower purée drizzled with Scotch bonnet chilli oil; the perfect blend of international and island cuisine. In the quarter-finals, I made an amazing prawn bisque soup for a two-course dinner party-themed challenge that was filled with flavour and looked beautiful,” she revealed.
But the journey wasn’t always a ‘plate’ of roses. Her most difficult dish for the competition was the eggs Benedict. “In the semi-finals, I surprised myself as I made a classic eggs Benedict. For a moment, it sent me back to culinary school mentally as I had to try to remember the techniques necessary to prepare it. It is an extremely technical dish I don’t often get to make. To overcome the challenge, I stayed calm and started working on the elements I was sure about and eventually, everything else started to fall in place and it came out really well.”
Throughout the competition, she received great feedback from the judges. “My creativity, how I manipulate and combine the ingredients allowing the flavours to shine, as well as my eye for detail, was definitely what set me apart from the other competitors.”
And she was thrilled to be competing with chefs from other countries, “Everyone had their own style and their own personalities with so many years of experience combined. We all had a passion for food. But I was focused on winning and making myself and my country proud.”
When it was announced that Chef Aaliyah was the winner, she was lost for words. “I still am,” she said, adding, “I’m not sure if I’ve fully processed the fact that I am the first Jamaican to win the competition after three seasons and being the last woman standing this season, I’m truly grateful.”
Her biggest takeaway from the competition was realising that she can trust the skill sets, knowing that if something isn’t going according to plan, you pivot and turn lemons into lemonade.
So, what’s next for Chef Liyah? The caterer for Playtz Ja is currently working on building her resume as an international travel chef and growing her YouTube channel, Playtz Series. “In my culinary career, the ultimate goal is to be an inspiration to other chefs. Also, I will be expanding Playtz by offering food styling and food photography services.”