
Photo by Beatriz Da Costa
Jerk dishes take me back, way back. First to my great-aunt, whose cooking connects me to the West Indies every time I get a taste of pork or chicken that’s been dry rubbed with that island mix. The irony is that as a kid, growing up in a family that hailed from Barbados and Puerto Rico, I didn’t really like island food. I wanted to eat American food like meat loaf and spaghetti. But once I became a chef, I fell in love with all the flavors I grew up with. This is basically my homage to my aunt’s recipe. All I’ve done here is add citrus to it to brighten up the flavors.