- Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
Luke Thomas-Shorter stirring the sautéed shrimp.
Shelly-Ann Thompson, Freelance Writer
WHEN YOU hear Luke Thomas-Shorter talk about his cooking skills you might think he's just trying to impress the women in his midst. But taste his delicacies - the sautéed shrimp and yam casserole, for example - and you will understand why some women might be tempted to ask for his hand in marriage.
One recent morning Thomas-Shorter's sautéed shrimp, chicken fillet and vegetables, yam casserole, and salad that he had prepared at the Jamaica Manufactures Association (JMA) building in downtown Kingston where he has an office, and had the women asking for more. There were moans of "hmmms" and comments like, "This tastes good"; "What did you put in this sauce, it's great"; "The yam casserole is good"; and "Well, Mr. Shorter, I have now tasted your hand and I'm impressed." One of the women even asked him to take up duties as the office's chef.
WHIPPING UP GOODIES
For decades Thomas-Shorter has been flexing his muscles in the kitchen, whipping up an array of goodies for friends and family. This man who grew up in sections of Manchester and May Pen, Clarendon, is not shy of letting the world know of his love and ability to cook.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of L.E. Thomas-Shorter and Associates, a business consultancy and project management firm, has become known at his children's school as a great baker and is often asked to produce cakes for bake sales. His culinary exploits are well known to friends and clients, as he often cooks for New Year's parties and anniversaries.
"Cooking offers a lot of creativity. One can do almost anything within cooking," he said.
At 12, Thomas-Shorter was helping his mother to prepare Sunday dinners, not long after he completely took over the preparation of the Sunday meal for the entire family. "I would lock the kitchen door and say, 'nobody comes in'." Over the years, Thomas-Shorter, now 51, has graduated from Sunday dinner to gourmet dishes. This, he said, was "easier and quicker to do than Jamaican foods".
The self-taught cook has learned to prepare dishes from the many cookbooks he has bought, rented or borrowed. "If you can follow recipes you can cook almost anything."
Divorced, with his younger children, ages seven and 10, living with him, Thomas-Shorter refuses to have his helper prepare meals on the weekends. Fish and bammy, he noted, was a permanent staple in his home on Sundays. "I'll cook according to the kids likeness although they seem to enjoy everything I prepare," he boasted.
One of the reasons he cooks is the satisfaction of people enjoying his meals.
"The way to anybody's heart is through cooking and people love to have a special meal."
At the end of this he plans to open a restaurant in his home community of Old Harbour, St. Catherine. The concept, he said, would be similar to Island Grill. He added that it would involve "a different kind of frying, jerking something that's unique and Jamaican using all Jamaican spices."
Oh, and if you want Thomas-Shorter to prepare a dish, don't be shy to ask. He doesn't have a favourite dish to prepare because he just loves cooking, he proclaimed.
Deboned Chicken with Cashew and Corn
1 lb. deboned chicken thighs
1 large onion
3 pegs garlic
1/4 tsp. cinnamon powder
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. chicken spice
2 tsp. soya sauce
1/2 cup flour
METHOD
Mix half the amount of powdered seasoning with flour in a small bowl.
Use the rest of the powdered seasoning along with chopped up garlic and onion to season the deboned chicken. Leave to marinate for a minimum of half an hour.
Coat seasoned chicken meat with seasoned flour, shaking off excess flour.
Place chicken in lightly oiled, shallow, roasting pan. Place in a pre-heated oven and cook for 20 minutes.
SAUCE
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Pinch salt
1/2 tsp. soya sauce
Small piece scotch
bonnet pepper
1 tsp. margarine
3 ozs. whole cashew nuts
4 ozs. mini corn
METHOD
Mix ingredients (except for cashew and corn) in small bowl and put in saucepan, cook until slightly thickened.
Now, add cashew and corn to sauce and pour over chicken and return to oven for three minutes.
Place in serving tray and garnish with broccoli.
