Keysha Pierre
You heard right! But, how did it get there? You may ask. That’s where Bajan born chef Paul Carmichael comes into the picture.
Carmichael is the executive chef at Má Pêche, one of the jewels in the crown that is Momofuku, the famed group of restaurants founded by chef and restaurateur David Chang.
Now, we all know the love that we Caribbean folks have for hot sauce. Hot sauce on our chicken/fish and chips, hot sauce on our stew and souse etc. So picture you’re in New York City and you’re having dinner at this lovely 5 star restaurant and you’re taking your time to browse the menu. And your eyes fall upon, “Pan-fried whole boneless porgy — my dad’s hot sauce, fennel, lime.” Your eyes immediately lights up and questions start racing through your mind. “Is there a Caribbean national who works here?” It’s natural of course right?
The food at Má Pêche has always been know as “Asian cuisine.” But since Paul joined as Executive chef in 2011, he has steered the restaurant in an altogether different direction. he has included to the menu such dishes as barbecued pigtails (paired with scrambled eggs) and souse (pickled pig’s parts) — the latter given an ingredient makeover, with lobster, green bananas, and cucumbers getting the pickling treatment, and scotch bonnet peppers tossed in to liven things up.
Carmichael grew up in the parishes of St Peter and St James in Barbados. Pigtails and souse were among-st his everyday dishes. Coming from a family of cooks, where his grand mother and great-grand mother sold food on Saturdays, Paul developed a passion for cooking at an early age.
After completing community college in Barbados, he decided to further his studies at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in upstate New York. And as we say, the rest is history. Carmichael was offered the position of executive chef and told by the owner, Chang, ” “Pauly, it’s yours, do what you will.”
Carmichael began incorporating his Barbados-inspired dishes which eventually led to him introducing his dad’s hot-sauce concoction. New Yorkers never knew what hit them.
Read the original article here: http://caribbean-beat.com/issue-133/bright-lights-big-city-hot-sauce#ixzz46nTfQo7d
