A Modern Afro-Caribbean Cookbook by Adrian Forte
In his first cookbook, Adrian share more than 100 inspiring and delicious recipes to get you fired up in the kitchen. You'll get to try new riffs on Caribbean classics like Coconut Fried Chicken, Spiced Steamed Fish, Rasta Pasta, and Pepper Shrimp Paella.
About Adrian Forte
Adrian Forte is an international chef, culinary consultant and TV personality. His passion for all things food brings out the best in every dish he creates. His experience in the culinary industry has paved a clear road of excellence in restaurant management and menu development.
He has worked with and consulted for some of the most notable restaurant establishments in Toronto, as well as internationally. From conceptualizing some of the most buzz-worthy burger joints - Gangster Burger, becoming the Chef De Cuisine and (Former) Co-Founder at The Dirty Bird Chicken & Waffles, developing the menu at Aunty Lucy's Burgers, created YAWD, a Modern Afro-Caribbean pop-up, which has then turned into his very first Cookbook. He is currently in Turks & Caicos working on multiple projects. From cooking for A-list celebrities, managing a luxury private estate previously owned by the late rockstar Prince, as well as consulting for the island's newest restaurant concept, Aziza, he has been keeping himself busy with projects that keep him inspired.
Forte is no stranger to discovering new food trends and bringing them to fruition. With two grandmothers as chefs who owned and operated a restaurant in his native home of Kingston, Jamaica, helping out in the kitchen has always been part of his early life. With his family at the helm of the Jamaican restaurant industry, it became second nature for him to pursue his passion for cooking as his inevitable career. It's the mosaic of flavours, histories and recipes that make him a contemporary chef in the truest sense; creating delicious harmonies with local ingredients, time-honoured techniques, and traditions from far away.
He has appeared on Food Network's Top Chef Canada, Chef in Your Ear, Chef in Your Ear Junior, Chopped Canada, Netflix's Restaurants on The Edge, Hogtown BBQ on Bell, as well as several noted national television appearances demonstrating his skill and creativity. He has been featured in National Post, Toronto Star, Toronto Life, Best New Restaurant Openings in Toronto on blogTO, voted NOW Magazine's Best New Chef, named Best Sandwich Shop in Toronto by Notable.ca, and chosen as Best New Restaurant for Fried Chicken in Toronto by blogTO.
He has done an exceptional job of crafting his brand and aligning himself with some prestigious brand partnerships with Four Seasons Hotel + Cafe Boulud, Nike, Hennessy, Roots, OVO (October's Very Own), Paderno Kitchenware, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Kitchenaid, Food & Wine Magazine and the Barbados Tourism Board.
Incorporate more African ancestral ingredients into your repertoire with Ackee & Saltfish Fritters or Okra Pilaf; and try the dishes Adrian has now made his signature like Oxtail Gnocchi or Jerk-Marinated Chicken Coq au Vin.
As well as great recipes—including a chapter on soups and porridges and oodles of plant-based options—Yawd explores the key ingredients of Afro-Caribbean cuisine and gives multi-use recipes for essentials such as Jerk Dry Rub and Marinade or Pickled Scotch Bonnets.
In Yawd—with its vibrant photography shot on location in the sun-drenched Caribbean—you’ll find a blend of flavors and influences that create a stunning Afro-Caribbean cookbook sure to get your taste buds talking.