Turks and Caicos Islands - Dining Experience

Spending an engaging and fascinating afternoon with Executive Chef Mario Larese of Grace's Cottage was not only an enlightening and educational experience, it was a rare and remarkable opportunity to go behind the scenes and observe the consummate artiste in his domain creating some of the most imaginative and phenomenal cuisine my senses have ever had the pleasure to experience. Thriving on the perpetually accelerated pace, Larese's kitchen is meticulous with an aura of conviviality and cheer acknowledging that he could not possibly do what he does without his 'team' that includes a sous chef, two cooks and a pastry chef. His standards and expectations are high and without compromise. "Do it right, or do it again".

Creating and experimenting is his insatiable passion and calling Chef Larese 'creative' is veritably somewhat of a misnomer as this artisan brings 'creative' to an entirely new dimension He not only welcomed me into his kitchen and his gardens of fresh herbs and edible flowers, but he also gave me a sneak peek into his cupboard, eager to share special 'ingredients' some of which would appear to be equally at home in a laboratory, including gelafiers, emulsifiers, and effervescent powders that verge upon the magical; a culinary chemistry of sorts effectuating exquisitely delicate diaphanous foams, mint 'ravioli' that literally implode on your tongue and sorbets that snap, crackle and pop on your palate. His philosophy is an uncomplicated one, favouring light cuisine that doesn't "bring you down" and the belief that "food should always give you energy, not take energy from you".

Citing that too many ingredients confuse the palate, he advocates using a minimal number of elements, three or four at most, placing an emphasis on concentrated and intense flavours that are produced by considerable labour and time-intensive methods of preparation, particularly reducing. His anticipation is that his cuisine will create an 'explosion' of flavour on your palate by using techniques and ingredients that encourage your mouth to salivate, which he explains empowers you to 'taste' food better. His energy level is at its peak when he is creating admitting, "When you feel it, see it, taste it, it runs off your hands, that's what I love". He has no 'secret' recipes, and enjoys sharing ideas with other chefs, enthusiastic to share his recipes and culinary secrets believing that by sharing knowledge, experience and ideas, everyone benefits.

Chef Larese's passion for food is in his blood. Born and raised in Austria, his parents, Monika and Gunther Larese are owners of Cenario, a rustic bar/bistro, with a stylish edge. He fondly recalls helping out as a young boy both behind the bar and in the kitchen, sparking his interest in cooking. At 14, his parents encouraged him to enrol in a five year comprehensive Hotel & Tourism Management Course, where he spent his summers doing practical training not only in his homeland of Austria, but also Switzerland, Portugal and as an exchange student in France. The following year he fulfilled a mandatory year of service in the army where they took full advantage of his chef skills, necessitating great imagination and determination on his part to be creative with cans! The next several years encompassed an eclectic foray of locations and experiences beginning with a stint on a cruise ship, a vintage Austrian restaurant in Vienna, The Mariner's Club in Bermuda, an international training program at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida working in six different restaurants orchestrating banquets for 5000 to fine dining for 60, and back over the pond to The Water's Edge in Ireland.

Intrigued by an opportunity to return to the Caribbean, he amusingly recalls first looking up 'Provo' on the Internet after accepting the position, surprised to be directed to Provo, Utah! Arriving just two years ago on New Year's Day, sight unseen, he reminisces that at first glance the Turks and Caicos Islands appeared quite an extreme contrast from the 'big city' development of his previous island experience of Bermuda. Driving from the airport, he enquired about the town centre, bars and nightlife and was initially taken off guard but pleasantly surprised by the unexpected quiescent atmosphere. His first reaction to Grace Bay? "Oh yeah, I love it! It's a beautiful spot", preferring the "not too big, not too small" individuality of Providenciales, and of Grace's Cottage.

Larese spends several months designing and creating the Grace's Cottage menu that changes on a seasonal basis. In fact, all you have to do is begin reading the menu selections of his avant-garde, cutting-edge creations and already that salivation is aroused! Also an experienced sommelier, he focuses tremendous attention and importance on complimenting his cuisine with the appropriate wine pairing, tasting and testing as many as 90 different wines as each new seasonal menu is unveiled.

When I asked Chef Larese to divulge his personal favourite on the menu, he admitted he had no single favourite, but was especially enamoured of the appetiser, Smoked Mako Shark. A labour of love, and a virtual masterpiece of presentation, the shark is slow-cooked for ten hours at 64.5 degrees producing a texture 'like butter' with intense flavours and no oiliness. Beginning at the foundation, it is served in a tower configuration atop a lemon-based oil that in itself is a result of a complex, time-consuming, labour-intensive cooking process, a chilled round of juicy watermelon, a bed of lively and refreshing pickled jicama, and finally the succulent, melt-in-your-mouth shark topped with wasabi sprouts. And now for the piece de resistance . Chef Larese places a dome over the dish and inserts a chefs 'smoking gizmo' forcing hickory chip and lemon peel scented 'smoke' trapping it beneath the dome. Your server arrives at your table and swiftly lifts the dome allowing the scented smoke to permeate the air and flood your senses. You should be salivating by now . I certainly was! I remarked that I would definitely try the Mako Shark the next time I dine at Grace's Cottage, to which Chef Larese replied, "You should never postpone things" (the ultimate uncomplicated philosophy) and immediately retreated to his domain and prepared it for me!

When it's time to relax, Chef Larese often revisits his Austrian roots via the kitchen, his passion for food remaining unsurpassed. "Home cooking, that's what I love", he explains, and enjoys nothing more than preparing authentic Austrian stews, soups and goulash, often times for the staff lunches when his cravings arise. Outside of the kitchen, his pleasures are simple ones; after working 16 hour days, spicy chicken wings and an ice-cold beer are the way to Chef Larese's heart. He embraces every opportunity to visit his homeland of Austria, anxious to return to his family, his girlfriend Mary, and Cenario where his passion to cook is ignited yet again . here, it is traditional Austrian cuisine but now with Chef Larese's own distinctive Caribbean twist!

By Mandy Rostance-Wolf
Reprinted from "Where When How - Turks & Caicos Islands" January/February 2008