Chef Lemar Farrington Demystifies What Caribbean Food Is

Earlier this year in Raleigh, North Carolina, I crossed paths with Chef Lemar Farrington , a St. Thomas native with a mission to redefine Caribbean food as we know it. He's also a Food Network Cutthroat Kitchen alumnus and has worked at a handful of four and five-star restaurants.

Amalieä , his pop-up restaurant, named after the capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Charlotte Amalie, takes diners on a journey through the rich and diverse flavors of the Caribbean. In true Farrington fashion, he asked me a question that really made me pause: "Have you ever eaten Caribbean food that wasn't served on a styrofoam plate?" Food for thought. A few minutes later I was devouring a scallop ceviche bite with with vibrant bursts of coconut, lime, and manzana chile, gastronomically plated, sitting pretty as if it were a lime wedge. "Now I have," I declared afterwards, in regard to his question above.

According to the National Caribbean-American Food & Foodways Alliance (NCAFFA), over the past thirty years, there has been a significant interest in and demand for Caribbean foods in the United States, as reflected by the increase in the number of Caribbean food establishments. However, as Farrington puts it, it's too often pigeonholed into jerk chicken or curry goat, served in a no-frills spot with a plastic fork and Styrofoam plate. "The way most people are introduced to Caribbean food is either the terrible chain restaurant, Bahama Breeze, or a small eatery serving curry or jerk chicken, goat or oxtails in a Styrofoam plate."

here are staples but there's way more about our food than just those. Also people don't get to have fine dining Caribbean cuisine where they can use a knife and fork and have it paired with wine or some other traditional drink.

Farrington's goal is clear: to introduce people to the wide-ranging flavors of the Caribbean while modernizing dishes that haven't changed much for centuries by way of Amalieä. The NCAFFA also notes over this thirty year period that Americans, in general, have become more "food sophisticated" and more interested in diverse, new foods, and this is where chefs like Farrington can make a great impact.

Farrington developed a love for food at just 10 years old, diving headfirst into the culinary world by 18. After more than 20 years honing his craft, he now uses Amalieä to challenge misconceptions about Caribbean cuisine. "Caribbean food has a foundation in the Aboriginal Indian (Taino and Kalinago) techniques of preservation such as salting and BBQ and stewing," he says. "It then has influences from the colonization of the Spanish, French, danish, and British, coupled with African and Asian cultures from the slave trade indentured servitude." Farrington's goal is to introduce people to all these flavors and tastes of the entire Caribbean region and modernize food that hasn't changed much for centuries.

At Amalieä, you won't just find Jamaican staples (though they're there, done right). You'll discover lesser-known treasures from islands like Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Dominica. "Jerk is a cooking technique more than a spice or marinade," Farrington notes. "If it's not smoked with pimento wood, it's not authentic jerk," he adds. "That said, you can jerk anything, even fruit, so I've made jerk pineapple and plantains." He's also quick to remind us that Hummingbird Cake, often thought of as a Southern classic, actually hails from Jamaica. "I want people to be able to appreciate the diversity of having Haitian food vs. Jamaican vs. Puerto Rican food," he says, noting of why his dinners focus on a specific island, because most of what people consider Caribbean food is really Jamaican food only.

Farrington isn't shy about the lack of Caribbean options in the Triangle (an area that encompasses the cities of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, either. " Little Bull in Durham is great Latin-Caribbean food," he says. "I'd love to see more Caribbean restaurants so I can eat more of what I don't have to cook myself."

"What I'm doing with Amalieä is unique—I want people to experience fine dining with Caribbean food where you can use a knife and fork and pair it with wine." Farrington started Amalieä as he wanted people to see that Caribbean food can be elevated and deserves respect. "I'm hoping to open an event space where I can do regular pop up dinners and have the freedom to create and collaborate with other chefs in the Diaspora and hopefully more and more people can say they've had good from Honduras, Santo Domingo, Dominica, or even Aruba."

With pop-ups planned that focus on the French-influenced islands and new inspirations on the horizon, Farrington's message is simple: "Stay tuned to what we do, support, help us grow, and I promise to deliver as long as people keep coming to our dinners."