The Spiritual Essence Of Cooking For Orisha, and The Kitchen With Baba O Fun

Baba O Fun, born on the island of St. Thomas U.S. Virgin Islands I received my primary education on this island and my love for food was awakened by my beautiful grandmother Leah. She was an uncomplicated woman who always took great care in our home and in the food she prepared. I remember standing in the open back yard of our home while she lit coals in this heavy iron thing (which I learned was a coal pot), and with a piece of card board she would fan the coals. No one could image the amazing taste which would come from this piece of iron. Grandmother always took great effort in selecting the freshest vegetables and the best of the fisherman's catch of the day or the best cut of meat from the local meat market. Grandmother did not purchase chicken during my early years instead she would take one from the hen house located in the back of our house. The dishes she made would send my taste buds into a frenzy and I decided early in life that I must learn how to cook just like her. This journey began when my grandmother allowed me to make simple dishes on the modern stove which was in the house under her watchful eye. I developed my early cooking style as I experimented with baking, frying, and roasting. Moving forward over the past 20 years I have cooked thousands of dishes from many regions of the world. I have improved my skills during this time and have changed some of my earlier styles. These changes came about with my desire to create healthier options to traditional foods of all cultures. By 2003, once again my knowledge of cooking was facing new challenges as I learned how to prepare food for the Ocha community. This type of cooking also required a great deal of preparation on many levels.