People say the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Jamaican gourmet prodigy Brian Lumley has been making his mark on the regional culinary landscape over recent years.
His tutelage began at the Heart Academy, Runaway Bay where he graduated at Level II of the joint Culinary Institute of America program becoming a certified Chef de Cuisine. He has worked in a number of top hotel chains throughout the island as well as the highly acclaimed Italian Restaurant – Evita’s.
In 2008 Chef Lumley was commissioned by the Embassy of France to fill the position of Personal chef to the French Ambassador, a role he considers to have greatly contributed to his professional prowess.
When quizzed about his inspiration he quickly states: “My mother. She is my main motivation and my very first teacher in the kitchen.”
In 2010 Chef Lumley established Foodie Focused Limited and its flagship event – Foodies Lyme- the first partnership between the charismatic chef and his younger sister Stephanie. Since its inaugural staging in July of that year, the event has received positive reviews from both corporate Jamaica and patrons alike. Foodies Lyme is considered an “important innovation in the local culinary landscape” by lifestyle editor at the Jamaica Observer – Novia McDonald-Whyte.
Subsequently, the sibling team exhibited at the Mecca of local food exhibitions, the Observer Food awards for two consecutive years (2010-2011) where he was nominated for both Chef and Caterer of the Year awards and won Chef On the Rise 2012 at the 14th staging of Observer Food Awards in May of that year.
This led to several television appearances and local magazine features such as interviews on leading morning time show Smile Jamaica, On A Personal Note, Buzzz Magazine, and College Lifestyle along with numerous newspaper articles cementing Chef Brian Lumley’s reputation as a young dynamo and one to watch.
Summer 2012 also produced another winning collaborative project between the sibling pair dubbed “Budding Chefs”- a culinary workshop for kids ages 4-12 where they learned how to create healthy recipes on their own in the kitchen.
Accolades
Chef Lumley has produced outstanding performances such as winning the coveted Taste of Jamaica’s ‘Chef of the Year’ award twice in 2008 and 2012– the youngest ever chef to win this prestigious honor- at ages 21 and 25. He joined forces with the Jamaica national culinary team and competed at 2009 staging of Taste of Caribbean held in Puerto Rico, copping a team gold medal while Chef Lumley won a personal bronze. He returned in 2010 to the Taste of Jamaica culinary competition where he was awarded the Hans Schenk prize for “Most Innovative Use of Caribbean Ingredients” as well as a personal silver medal.
He’s not done yet. His aspirations to work alongside top chefs in Europe and achieving top certification as an Executive Chef have been realised, and today, Chef Lumley is the Executive Chef at the District 5 Sky Lounge at the R Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica.
Highlighted Dishes
