... Gee Wee Restaurant?

Gee Wee Restaurant, located at 1A Caledonia Road in St Andrew, is "the new kid on The Gleaner-sponsored Restaurant Week block, and the chef behind the expected scrumptious dishes is Chef Belegante Boothe.

The 49-year-old chef has been in the business since 1992. However, he is no stranger to the kitchen. He has been cooking since he was 12 years old. He wanted to impress his mother, so he would cook dinner and do other household chores before she got home from work.

"It always made me feel good when she came home, patted me on the shoulder and said thanks after she saw all the things I did," said Boothe.

The chef said he also has to give credit to his father, George, who made sure that he and his brothers learnt to do everything just as the girls, a tradition which he has passed on to his three children.

Boothe told Food that his journey into the food business began back in 1992 when he was working on a ship. He said back then, he was what they called a utility man, in charge of mopping the floor, washing dishes, among other things. He said the chef saw that he had some cooking potential and decided to let him make the pizza, which turned out great. He became the pizza man until he branched out into other areas of cooking.

He said he loves to cook and has a passion for creating new recipes. He said even if he takes a recipe off the Internet he adds his own twist to it. Chef Boothe said he hopes that his dishes will be a hit for Restaurant Week.

"I expect that customers will come out, enjoy some good-tasting food and have a good time."

The chef said he very excited about Restaurant Week and is also looking forward to interacting with diners.

- Keisha Shakespeare-Blackmore