... The Palm Court Restaurant

If á la carte international gourmet cuisine is your thing, where better to go than Palm Court Restaurant, the signature dining place of the Wyndham Kingston Jamaica hotel?

Your tastebuds will be in the safe hands of Chef Le'Roy Myers. His cooking adventure started at home. He liked to spend his Sundays at home so the deal was, if he was going to stay home, he had to do the cooking. But, as a teenager, Myers aspired to excel in the classroom, rather than the kitchen.

"I wanted to be a professor," he laughed. "Teaching was my thing." He applied to both The Mico University College and the University of Technology (then College of Arts, Science and Technology), but wasn't accepted. So he went to catering school but didn't immediately get in front of the stove.

"I went to Bull's Eye as a waiter and then I was a personal chef," he explained. In 2000, he came to the then Hilton and worked his way through the dining room and then the bar, serving as restaurant manager before finally heading into the kitchen.

"I studied culinary arts at Runaway Bay HEART Academy, plus I was mentored by chefs Simone Walker-Barrett and Kenrick Stewart," he said. Overall, in the different capacities, he has been in the industry since 1994. He loves Mediterranean style but, for him, it's all about the flavour profile; anything he prepares must have that.

"Restaurant Week is cool. This is my second year cooking because, usually, I just manage. It (the week) is very nice. I get a chance to do things differently, get to see new faces." He acknowledges the volume of work is greater, but equally loves the positive comments.

And, adding to his love for teaching and his culinary acumen, he is hoping to one day open a culinary school in the Caribbean. As for his own taste, give him a plate of our national dish any day.