When Luke Mathot travels, he explores along with his automobile, his eyes, and most significantly, his style buds. “I would like essentially the most immersive expertise potential wherever I’m going,” Mathot says. This explains why he enjoys consuming soup from paper cups in Jamaica and evaluating buss up shut at roadside stands within the japanese Caribbean. It’s additionally why Mathot jumped on the alternative to be on the culinary helm as Vice President of Meals & Beverage Product Innovation for Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts.
We caught up with him between style checks to search out out what’s new, what’s coming, and the story behind the crew innovating the food and beverage experience throughout Sandals Resorts and Seashores Resorts:
Individuals ask me, “What’s a meals and beverage innovator?”
I’d by no means heard of it both till this place got here up, and I’ve been round hospitality my total life. My dad labored in lodges throughout North America & Europe and I’ve labored in 4 international locations and main cities like London, Chicago, and Los Angeles. However with all this F&B background, I’ve by no means been concerned in something near what we’re doing at Sandals and Seashores. It’s a accountability I uphold alongside our unbelievable crew of culinary disruptors. The mixture of their expertise, ardour for native delicacies and our innate Caribbean influences are actually bringing ahead a regionally charged expertise that we’re so happy with.
Recent conch, the Bahamian nationwide dish, takes center-stage at Sandals Royal Bahamian.
“We’re actually utilizing meals to inform the tales of every vacation spot.”
Let me simplify what which means. Within the Bahamas, we’ll put together conch the best way the most effective Bahamian cooks put together it. In Grenada, we’ll lean into distinctive blends of island spices. In Jamaica, we’ve rethought the best strategies to carry out the highly effective style of jerk. Vacationers have been lacking nice island flavors as a result of nobody has ever performed this sort of analysis and growth with F&B, till now.
How do I personally get my inspiration? Nicely, all of it begins with a rental automobile after I’m within the Caribbean.
I’ll drive round and ask cooks and bartenders, “The place do you eat three days earlier than payday?” The solutions have helped me discover bite-size fish referred to as sprats and a jelly man close to Ocho Rios. I like sampling oxtail, the scent of curry, and consuming stew from roadside stands. We gained’t serve oxtail from pots or pour it into paper cups, however we are going to problem ourselves to raise native dishes and drinks. Then we will construct five-star ideas round them throughout Sandals and Seashores. Getting all of these native flavors and influences are the important thing to genuine innovation.
However wait… this all began with a cocktail at Sandals Royal Bahamian.
We had been testing a mango margarita sooner or later and determined to attempt it with just a few drops of an area sizzling sauce. I do know what you’re considering, however the drink was so good that we put it on faucet. We didn’t plan to do this, however now we will take what we realized and faucet particular drinks at each resort so visitors could be assured of a constant style that’s distinct to the island. That’s what our visitors need, and we’re eager to ship.
A brand new number of delectable drinks awaits visitors at Sandals Royal Bahamian’s Coconut Grove Bar, together with the almost-too-pretty-to-drink Dragon within the Coconut, the colourful Strawberry Guava Frose, and the Mango Mai Tai.
Our crew members are our largest inspiration.
Give it some thought. We’ve 1000’s of meals and beverage specialists at Sandals and Seashores. Virtually all of them are from the Caribbean. They’ve grandmothers or relations with superior recipes, secret elements, and distinctive cooking strategies. My favourite days are when somebody brings a dish from residence. We will experiment with it, on the spot, and provide you with a brand new menu merchandise that’s scrumptious, genuine, and distinctive.
The opposite day we had a type of moments in Negril.
We had been engaged on a dish referred to as escalivada the place you roast greens and wrap them collectively for a brand new Spanish idea we simply launched at Sandals Negril referred to as Brava. Whereas the dish historically requires eggplant, we determined to attempt charred pineapple as an alternative. It elevated the whole dish to a different stage. The identical type of native information led us to make use of callaloo in a spinach and artichoke dip and to remodel crispy rice spicy tuna into smoked marlin & escoveitch on crispy bammy. We additionally discovered a method to make use of butter beans as an alternative of chickpeas in a hummus. We try this on daily basis — mix creativity with cultural authenticity.
That’s the concept behind our “elevated connoisseur takeaways.”
You realize them by one other identify: meals vehicles. They make excellent sense at Sandals and Seashores. Visitors usually need to take one thing fast to the seaside or to their personal pool. So, we’ve launched meals vehicles with native favorites like conch fritters at Sandals Royal Bahamian’s Coco Queen and Dutch beef croquettes at Sandals Royal Curaçao.
On the Coco Queen meals truck at Sandals Royal Bahamian, locally-inspired tacos and conch fritters pair completely with the salty air and swaying palms.
We’re simply getting began with the short service eating places.
There can be meals vehicles and little brick-and-mortar joints at each resort. I’m actually excited a couple of new barbecue place referred to as Sweetwood at Sandals Ochi Seashore Membership, the place we’ve determined to make use of native elements, Texas BBQ strategies, and a wooden that’s indigenous to Jamaica. It’s one other approach to carry the story of the island into the meals, and we will’t watch for our visitors to attempt it.
Sandals Dunn’s River is one in every of our most vital innovation tales.
The resort is stuffed with historical past and cultural significance, however how do you categorical that in a cup or on a plate? We got here up with BLŪM, a specialty espresso store to showcase the long-lasting Blue Mountains and its world-renowned espresso beans. Then we took it a step additional. You’re having fun with a cup of Jamaican-grown espresso within the coronary heart of St. Ann Parish … what do you have to eat with it? The reply: Candy potato pudding and gizzada. Our culinary groups realized from their grandmas knock these desserts out of the park, and that’s precisely what they’re doing at BLŪM.
BLŪM—a Sandals first espresso expertise—meticulously pairs flavorful desserts with genuine Jamaican Blue Mountain Espresso for the right morning or afternoon pick-me-up.
We’re additionally taking visitors out to eat, actually.
We name it “Island Inclusive” eating, the place we invite Sandals Choose Rewards Members and visitors staying in high suites at Sandals Royal Curaçao and Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau into the neighborhood for lunch or dinner at a restaurant we’ve spent a number of time researching (and tasting at) on the island. Our crew will spend months investigating close by eating places to search out house owners who serve nice meals and characterize the island nicely. One native restaurant in Curaçao, referred to as Sal the Kitchen, cooks up these superb native dishes in a constructing manufactured from ocean materials that extrudes salt. It’s an expertise you’ll always remember. And belief me, all of our associate Island Inclusive eating places are THAT good. Up subsequent… Sandals Dunn’s River in Jamaica!
Mosacaña Bar & Kitchen in Willemstad, Curaçao – an area Caribbean / Latin fusion restaurant included as a part of Sandals Resorts’ Island Inclusive Eating Program. Photograph credit score: MosaCaña Curaçao
One factor to recollect although… each island is completely different.
Roti in Jamaica is completely different from roti in Barbados. The perfect fruit in St. Lucia is completely different from the most effective fruit within the Bahamas. We honor these variations. Rum is a superb instance. We created Dunn’s Rum Membership at Sandals Dunn’s River so visitors can pair Jamaican rums with oxtail sliders and jerk-chicken. However once we open Three Jewels, the rum bar at Sandals Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, we’ll elevate the area’s greatest libations even additional with rums from the small distilleries within the Grenadines paired with music from a group of classic & trendy vinyl’s spinning. We need to ship distinctive experiences in each aspect of the holiday, rum and leisure included!
The Papa Doble cocktail – a masterful mixture of maraschino cordial grapefruit juice and white rum, served on the new Dunn’s Rum Membership at Sandals Dunn’s River.
What about showcasing the scrumptious wholesome meals within the Caribbean?
Already on it! The Sandals Foundation helps farmers develop a few of the world’s greatest natural produce throughout the Caribbean, and past utilizing their recent produce and native elements throughout our resorts on daily basis, we’re introducing new ideas that make these elements the star of the present. At Seashores Negril, for instance, we’re rolling out the Inexperienced Machine, the place households can create bowls utilizing recent island elements as a wholesome grab-and-go choice and it’s wonderful. Visitors are looking for out extra dietary choices and with the assets so bountiful round us, you’ll be able to count on to see extra smoothie stands, salad vehicles, and Inexperienced Machines coming to extra Sandals and Seashores Resorts quickly.
Please don’t ask about my favourite dish… I can’t choose!
I like all of the meals at Sandals and Seashores like I like all my kids. However … OK … each time I arrive at Sandals Royal Bahamian, I head straight to Coco Queen for conch fritters and conch chowder (by the best way, we’re introducing a takeaway merchandise that mixes chowder and fritters right into a single handheld snack, and it’s superb). In Jamaica, I used to cease alongside the highway for jerk hen, however now I’m going on to the Jerk Shack that we’ve reimagined at Sandals Dunn’s River. I’m a harsh critic and might truthfully say the jerk at Sandals and Seashores is amongst a few of the greatest I’ve had. So in case you haven’t tried it but, add it to your listing ASAP!
Imbued with the style of the tropics, the Jerk Shack at Sandals Dunn’s River presents genuine Jamaican Jerk for visitors to savor.
What’s the longer term culinary journey appear like throughout Sandals and Seashores, you ask?
We’re swinging for the fences. There’s a lot inspiration throughout us… We’ve solely begun to dip a toe into the probabilities with Caribbean delicacies and we’re making aware efforts to make it shine. What I can let you know is that we are going to not be slowing down… apart from, in fact, once we cease to attempt the most recent curry goat stand off the highway on our subsequent culinary journey.
