Turks and Caicos Islands - Dining Experience

In an industry wrought with intangibles, overwhelming statistics substantiate that many restaurants are virtually ‘set up to fail’, yet despite these formidable odds, and at the risk of sounding cliché, somehow Executive Chef and owner Paul Newman and his partner, Karen have discovered the recipe to success with Coyaba, in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Not quite noon, this popular gastronomical gem in the Caribbean won’t be welcoming its diners for several hours, nevertheless it is a hubbub of activity, already expecting a full house while the phone continues to ring incessantly.

“There’s a certain build-up to the hunt,” remarks Karen. She admits that some guests have divulged having ‘driven around for an hour’ seeking Coyaba, secluded and tucked away in its original location in the Lower Bight. Now, not so far from the beaten path, Coyaba’s divine

dining experience in Grace Bay is a little easier to find, right next to Caribbean Paradise Inn. To Paul and Karen, “It’s all about consideration. We would like to be word of mouth, you would only mention Coyaba to someone who would enjoy the experience”.  Further admitting that it’s not about racking and stacking, they make every effort to ensure your experience is an unforgettable one. What Karen calls, “Relaxed, professional service, with an emphasis on relaxed”.

The kitchen is an atmosphere of ‘harmonious joviality’ Chef Newman confesses, en masse an exceptional working establishment for all of his employees.  Remarkably, he reveals that he doesn’t believe that cooking is an art, it’s a craft, something you’ve been educated for which in Paul’s case, goes back to his origins in the United Kingdom. Following his culinary training, he worked in several five star London hotels in ‘French Style’ kitchens. With a great sense of humour, Paul recalls the French Chefs who would exclaim, “You are roast beef! Only French people can cook!” 

Coyaba is the culmination of years of experiences and influences that extend far beyond the boundaries of the UK. Relentlessly driven, Paul set some very ambitious goals for himself, including attaining Head Chef status before the age of 25, which was unheard of at the time considering the ‘pecking order’, Executive Chef before the age of 27 and an owner or partner before the age of 30.

Apprenticing in Switzerland, he was intrigued by a recruitment advertisement on the back of a magazine for a resort in Bermuda. So began his fate and his foray into the Southern Hemisphere that went on to encompass Bermuda, Anguilla, Cayman, Jamaica, St. Kitts and St. Lucia, not only gaining experience and notoriety in the capacity of his culinary métier, but furthermore for his sought after expertise as a consultant. Agriculturally based, many of these islands produced an endless and distinctive variety of indigenous products together with an international cuisine compliments of the multi-cultural base whose roots have been forged for centuries. This abundance of exotic, readily available ingredients, an absolute passion for fine cuisine, past European influences and a natural artistry and ability to creative innovative and inventive dishes constitute the engendering elements that epitomize the cuisine Paul creates in the Coyaba kitchen today. An ever-evolving and unparalleled avant-garde menu that reads like a gastronomical bestseller. Chef Newman advocates with an adamant certainty, “If the menu excites the Chef, it will excite the customer”.

Initially visiting the Turks and Caicos Islands in the mid-nineties, Paul and Karen made a permanent move in late ’97 and opened the original Coyaba located in the grounds of Coral Gardens in December of 1999, with partners. It was Karen who came up with the name, Coyaba; an Arawak word meaning ‘heavenly’. It was more ‘tongue-in-cheek’ she admits - a natural choice, as both the names Coyaba and Coral Gardens were reminiscent of Montego Bay. Here on Providenciales, in its affable lush, tropical garden milieu Coyaba continues to consistently transcend not only the extraordinary expectations of their guests, but also the boundaries of culinary sublimity. A combination that can only be brought about by the ultimate balance of knowledge of product, knowledge of preparation and knowledge of budget that comes from years of experience, with a significant importance placed on what Paul feels is the key component, consistency. Those many years of experience have given Paul the ability to anticipate what his customers will order with an impressive rate of success. With a climate unfavourable to most forms of agriculture, Providenciales is dependent on the importation of a substantial portion of all foods; making adaptation a necessity and last minute menu changes commonplace. A visionary in the kitchen, Chef Newman orchestrates the finest in haute ‘New World Fusion Cuisine’ coupled with his savvy affinity and exceptional genius to turn the ordinary, into the extraordinary. Furthermore, his patrons are pleasantly surprised to uncover a distinctive and outstanding selection of carefully selected fine wines to compliment the seemingly endless chef-d’oeuvre.

Indeed, this type of profession is a subjective industry and is not everyone’s cup of tea. A typical day begins at eight thirty spent going over the evenings’ business from the night before, preparing and discussing for the evening ahead, an ensuing brief detour home at noon to reprint the menu together with endeavouring to accomplish seemingly infinite Coyaba related tasks and back again at five until the early hours of the morning. Karen, an essential and intrinsic part of the success of Coyaba, jokes that she is “looking to be phased out,” admitting it’s difficult to keep up with Paul. A graduate Merchant Marine Engineer, Karen is also creative in her own right, having designed kitchens for five star resorts in the Caribbean.

Rare respites from Coyaba are often enjoyed visiting New York City to experience fine dining from the other side of the table. Returning to old favourites and always eager to try new dining experiences, Paul also takes advantage of opportunities to attend educational culinary courses to keep current and up-to-date with his craft. Paul and Karen amiably recollect an amusing experience of déjà vu when a guest came to dine at Coyaba on the first evening of his vacation, and subsequently announced that he was cancelling all other restaurant reservations for the week to dine exclusively at Coyaba. The guest? The owner of a favoured NYC restaurant, where Paul and Karen have had the pleasure of dining on numerous memorable occasions.

When a writer once asked Paul, “What makes a restaurant?” his humble yet buoyant response was, “A pot, a pan, a stove and some food.” In reality, it goes far beyond that, and can probably best be elucidated as the tangibles. Paul brings a passion, energy and excitement to Coyaba, to the establishment itself, an ardent diner once conveyed to him. Augmented by his uncanny ability to perceive and procure his diner’s expectations and desires, Paul’s auspicious philosophy is a simple one, “Consistently try to deliver a quality product to the customer”. Bon appetite!

Newman is the Baille (1999-present) and founding member (1998) of the Turks and Caicos Chapter of the Chaine des Rotisseurs. He is also an active member of the Caribbean Culinary Federation, the American Culinary Association and La Toque Blanche.