Chef Lacey Williams brings fine dining to St Ann this Easter
Published:Monday | April 11, 2022 | 12:05 AMCarl Gilchrist/Gleaner Writer
Born in St Mary, 24 year-0ld Lacey Williams recalls spending her teenage years at Iona High School in Tower Isle, where she won the Miss Iona title in 2013. She says that her first love at that time were dance and poetry.
Fast-forward to 2019 and she is in Martha’s Vineyard, a little island in Duke’s County, Massachusetts, with the COVID-19 pandemic limiting her movements like almost everyone else.
But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise for her, because during those months of limited movements, Williams discovered that her true talent lies not in poetry and dance, but in food and its preparation. It was like an epiphany.
Months of research, experiments, and developing recipes led to the establishment, finally, of Nyamnz (pronounced ‘nyammings’) right there, frequented by celebrities.
JAMAICAN INGREDIENTS
Using Jamaican ingredients as her base, Chef Lacey began roping in clients who would become enamoured of Jamaican cuisine, among them acclaimed cookbook author Jessica Harris of High on the Hog, a documentary on African American cuisine.
Directors and cast members of films, such as the Netflix drama series Ozark, and the Aretha Franklin biographical, Respect, are among her repeat clients at Nyamnz who have given her five-star reviews.
Her signature appetisers, tostones cups, and ceviche, along with coconut curried salmon, are among some of her best-loved servings, helping to push her into the limelight as a private chef also.
FINE DINING EXPERIENCE
Now Chef Williams is bringing home Nyamnz with the dishes that made her famous on Martha’s Vineyard, in the form of a ‘Legacy Supper’, a 10-course fine dining experience, set for Easter Sunday, April 17, at Richmond in St Ann.
“I developed Nyamnz as a way to make people happy with food, where they were comfortable,” she told The Gleaner. “If that meant at home with their spouse or friends, or in a private venue with family, friends, and strangers alike who are appreciators of all things food, especially all things Jamaican food.”
According to her, “Nyamnz is my gift as a Jamaican to my fellow Jamaicans. This is a celebration of everything about us.”
She notes that every aspect of the experience is locally sourced, including oysters from Leslie ‘Juicy’ McKie, who, for 45 years, has been shucking oysters all across Jamaica.
“All recipes, from cocktails to the main stage and desserts were developed using in-season local produce and cooking techniques,” the chef explained.
“Patrons should be expecting a full-day experience. It’s going to take us about six hours in total, from the moment you arrive to our very last meal.”