Page 10 - HOH

a8 local
Monday 29 august 2022
Guests were in good hands for special collaboration dinner at Infini
Chef Jason Howard joined chef Urvin Croes for a unique event
ORANJESTAD – This month, for three nights only, food
lovers were treated to a unique four hands dinner at
Infini Aruba with chef Urvin Croes and guest chef Ja-
son Howard. The menu exploded with the highest level
of Caribbean cuisine with the perfect wine pairings to
create an unforgettable experience.
Chef Jason Howard, born in Barabados but currently
based in London, was invited by Infini’s creator, chef
Urvin Croes to join forces to present very lucking guests
with a unique taste of Caribbean flavors.
Howard flew to Aruba especially to take part in the four
hands dinner.
“We knew each other on social media, basically look-
ing at one another’s food”, Howard commented. “To
be honest it’s quite refreshing to find another chef that
actually pushes the cuisine at the level that chef Urvin
is. It was nice to see that there is someone else out who
is pushing the Caribbean flavors.”
The menu for the four hands dinner consisted of eight
courses, expertly paired with wines.
The dinner was presented with alternating dishes by
each chef, starting with Amuses by chef
Croes, which included Johnny Cake,
Banana Bread, and Annato Tartlet,
paired with a delicious Famiglia Pasqua
Romeo & Juliet Prosecco Rosé.
The dishes presented by chef Howard
included fresh Snapper paired with El
Enemigo Chardonnay. “I had it to be
pan-seared, but the quality of Snap-
per on the island is so beautiful, I said
no, we can’t really tarnish that skin. So
we basically steamed it in some lemon
juice, we saved the fish broth and the
bones, with some Scotch Bonnet oil that
I brewed when I came in, and it was Urvin also found surprising elements
lightly torched. And with that we have through his exchange with Howard.
some braised cabbage in Scotch bon- “Basically how I do my sauces”, How-
net”, he explained. The cabbage was a ard said. “My sauces are not anything
hit with the diners, with many wanting to that is taken from any cuisine anywhere
know more about the technique used else. There is a sauce I invented myself.”
for the marinating and braising, which His sauce technique is based on Barba-
gave it a particularly delicious flavor. dian cuisine, and this influence is also
felt throughout his dishes in his unapolo-
The concept of Infini is that of a chef’s getic use of the Scotch Bonnet. “When
table, with seating around the serv- [Croes] saw the sauce, it was something
ing table in a cozy environment with a that he was very excited about. We’ve
privileged view of the cooking. This ex- shared and bounced ideas off one an-
perience was precious even for chef other.”
Howard. “This is my dream, to be this
intimate with the guests, to be speak- Four hands dinner also meant having
ing with the guests and have them see two chefs in one kitchen, but it wasn’t
us finishing food, to prepare the food in a case of too many cooks spoiling the
front of them. So for me, this is a stan- broth. “He’s very easy to work with”,
dard that I would like to get to, but I re- Howard commented. “To be honest, if
ally was pushed to get to this standard you were in the kitchen today with us, it
of cuisine as well.” wouldn’t feel like it was any chef, it felt
like there was just comrades, just every-
As for surprising Aruban flavors discov- one has a say. People usually think that
ered by Howard on the island, he said: kitchens are manic, but today it was
“To see how the island uses cornmeal, quiet, everyone sat down and we had
and different types of cornmeal. We dinner together, we talked, laughed.”
use cornmeal in Barbados, our national
dish called Cou-cou, but to see here The event was planned twice and had
how simply cornmeal is used, and how to be cancelled twice because of the
delicious it is, it gives me something to pandemic, and both those times it had
work on as well. It was also amazing to sold-out. But third time was the charm,
see Dutch culture blended in the island and the dinner finally took place with
as well, and all of this is something that eagerly awaiting fans.
gave me a lot of inspiration.” And chef “People have been very encouraging
on social media. Aruba is an island I nev-
er would’ve imagined was so culinary-
inclined. Every place I’ve eaten here,
the food has been amazing.” Howard
also had compliments for the level of
service on Aruba. “I’ve had service all
over the world, and I would say that Aru-
ba has the service standard that a lot
of other islands would actually long for.”
From the sourdough bread, Chef How-
ard’s Amberjack to the beautifully plat-
ed Flower of chef Croes, guests enjoyed
lamb, duck, and finished with a dou-
ble-dose of dessert, with Croes’ black
cake, a take on a traditional Aruban
favorite, and Howard’s plantain souf-
flé, with a mind-bending sweet potato
coffee shot, a delightful experience to
remember.q