Who's cooking at... Melting Pot?

Since the beginning of The Gleaner-Sponsored Restaurant Week, the Melting Pot at the Knutsford Court Hotel keeps coming back year after year. And why not? It would be a shame to have people miss out on the mouth-watering, melt-in-your-mouth goodness prepared by chef Sandrea Williams.

Williams has been with the Melting Pot for three years and 10 months, so this 25-year veteran knows what the kitchen gets like during Restaurant Week.

"I'm always comfortable with food," she says, explaining that she grew up watching her grandmother cook. "She is a very good cook," recalls Williams who cooked her first meal when she was only 11 years old. She remembers the day like it was yesterday. She prepared the popular Jamaican Sunday dinner of rice and peas and chicken. Everything was perfect except for the chicken, which was overdone.

Since then, she has been getting everything right, and having worked locally and regionally, she described herself as a well-rounded chef, proficient in all the disciplines.

But she has a knack for Mediterranean cuisine. The dishes are quick and it's all about the sauces. But, she cautions, "you have to know your sauces."

With her wealth of knowledge, she will be incorporating a Mediterranean twist to some of the dishes that patrons will be able to enjoy. A Caesar salad in the hands of Williams become Caesar salad Jamayka with Romaine lettuce tossed in a Solomon Gundy vinaigrette garnished with tomatoes, parmesan cheese and garlic hardough croutons.

Creative art

"Food is an art and you have to be creative, especially when you're doing a la carte," she emphasises.

Williams is looking forward to another very busy Restaurant Week, as she operates best under pressure. So, be nice to her and make your reservations this year at the Knutsford Court Hotel's Melting Pot.