... Twisted Kilt?

Creativity with food is something Twisted Kilt's executive chef Cecil Jagdath is all too familiar with, as he does not limit his culinary style to one particular speciality.

"I love to experiment with different cuisines, I will fuse Italian with Jamaican, Asian with American and the list goes on and on, but that's how I normally cook. You can never get bored with my style of preparing food," Jagdath said with a smile.

For nearly half of his life, Jagdath has been slicing and dicing his way around the kitchen which, according to him, is one of his favourite places to be.

"I've been a chef since I was 17 years old and now I am 36, so I must really love it," he chuckled. "I asked God to bless me with one talent and he did. It is cooking. So my goal is to continue doing what I love to do and teach young chefs what I know so they can be successful," the executive chef dished out.

As it relates to whether the pot boils at home with dishes similar to what he prepares at Twisted Kilt, Jagdath revealed that he hardly gets an opportunity to cook at home due to his busy schedule at work. With the additional responsibility of overseeing his monthly 'Chef's Table' initiative at the restaurant, most of his time is spent on developing new recipes and new ways of creating an experience for customers through food.

The idea that it takes a lot to make a unique and tasty meal is not something this chef is familiar with.

Whether it is his calalloo risotto accompanied by jerk salt fish topped with the bammy chips and drizzled with balsamic guava reduction, or it just Irish Nachos served with ginger scotch bonnet dip and ranch dressing, chef Jagdath has something special in store for foodies in upcoming Gleaner-sponsored Restaurant Week.

"I loved the vibe last year, the restaurant was abuzz with activity so we are hoping for the same response and even better this year," he stated.

- Sheena Gayle