Belizean Chef Planning Meals fit for a Duke and Duchess
Renowned Belizean Chef, Sean Kuylen is bringing his passion for authentic Belizean culture and cuisine to the royals. Chef Kuylen will be the head chef during their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s visit to Belize. After their official arrival at the P.G.I.A. on Saturday, they are expected to go into meetings with the Prime Minister. On Sunday, Chef Kuylen will be leading a cultural and culinary presentation of both the Maya and Garifuna cultures. And then on Monday, Chef Kuylen and his team will be putting on a Maya food and cultural celebration in the heart of San Ignacio. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kathryn, are on their way to Belize on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen on the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee. Renowned Belizean Chef, Sean Kuylen, will be preparing a cultural and culinary experience for the royals. He says it will be like unlike anything else they find in the Caribbean.
Sean Kuylen
Sean Kuylen, Belizean Chef
“It has only been my life’s work. Nuh really too long nuh, like fifteen years. I went to culinary school in San Francisco, California and I learnt French cuisine and all of that by the book, the text book. Then I worked in the Caribbean and I came home to Belize. When I came home, I realized we had so many cultures in this country. So, why am I cooking with strawberries and asparagus and all these things that the French would have in the cook book? So, from that point on, I went on a personal mission. I even tattooed my hand with a “no bar code,” because when I cook I don’t cook with a bar code. If you eat a lee apple around Christmas time it got a lee sticker pan it. But you grow a plantain pan a tree in this country and you pull it, it nuh have no sticker pan it.”
Sean says his menu will be one hundred percent authentic Belizean.
Sean Kuylen
“They decided they would do the south and west of this country, which I consider to be very beautiful. If I bias I would say the south dah the most beautiful part. But, what it shows you, when am writing a menu, if they didn’t choose San Pedro, and I love unu San Pedro, but deh wah lee bit too modern. I mean, they just left a developed place, so they want something indigenous, they want to go backward. So, writing a menu I have to do the same. Gone are the days where a nice diplomat comes to this country and you have to serve them salmon and asparagus. So, if I am around, once I am alive, and I am asked to write this menu, I will do it culturally and find a path.”
One of the first stops on their country tour will be in the heart of San Ignacio, in the Cayo District. There, William and Kate will be treated to a royal banquet featuring dishes from three Mayan groups, the Mopan, the Kekchi and the Yucatec Maya.
Sean Kuylen
“Hand-made tortillas live. We are in the Cayo District. We have cattle, we have pigs, and then we have two whole pigs. Fourteen hours, I am going to juice that, marinate that up. I am going to put the anato, because that is our special marinade in Belize. Fourteen hours, carve that live, you mek your thing there with that, you move on to Yucatec, reina blanco. A lot of people, we only eat that once a year for Christmas. Saffron, capers, olive, almonds, stuffed in the cavity of a chicken. Ih have to be a yard foul too right, swimming in a broth of white recardo.
Now are doing a dish called brazo deh reina. So, you take the broth, the thing you put in the black recado, black relleno. You mix that up with some masa, and you put chaya, and you slice it, a tomato sauce like weh Kriol put in their boil up.”
Garifuna culture and cuisine in Southern Belize will of course be another highlight feature on this country tour for William and Kate.
Sean Kuylen
“Garifuna of course, Garifuna drummers, wangara which is jankunu, the combinations, and everything condense to like thirty minutes. But, my only thing, and I am honored you select me to do this too Belize, but my thing is when we hear somebody special then come, we hurry want tek wih house and paint it, wah put cement, and I have to tell these people stop. Don’t do that, don’t paint the house. I want it like how yo mih the live. Nuh guh put currant, and light. That is my biggest challenge you know, to make sure we represent ourselves authentically.”
The royals will depart from Belize on Tuesday to continue their tour in Jamaica and the Bahamas. Chef Kuylen challenges his Caribbean brothers and sisters to top what Belize has to offer, however.
Sean Kuylen
“Let me apologize to deh other Caribbean countries one time, because from yah when deh done from Belize deh gwen dah unu. Deh gwen dah Bahamas. Deh gwen dah Jamaica, and I really sorry fuh unu, because fuh unu country beautiful and everything, but dah one lee island. Unu got one cuisine and one pipple. We dah Belize, we are Central America, we are Caribbean, we are a melting pot. We got everything. Now, again, yo she when I tell you deh the come and I have to dictate my menu by a culture, you may have jerk and this, but we have Creole, Yucatec, Maya, Kekchi, Garifuna. We nuh stop, and that is the beauty about Belize.”
Reporting for News Five I am Paul Lopez.
