Cairo Phillips shows her culinary chops with shrimp kebabs on banana-leaf platter. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

Roasted and baked chicken, lobster, shrimp kebabs, you name it, 12-year-old Cairo Phillips can prepare it.

The talented youngster is even in the process of completing a recipe book, which will be packed solely with her signature dishes.

"I love to prepare a lot of meals because that's the way I get to spend time doing what I love and not only that, but I love when I am doing meals that put me to the test," Cairo told The Gleaner.

The preteen is 'head cook and bottle washer' for her family of five and sometimes caters for visiting friends, eager to feast on her gastronomic creations.

The Sts Peter and Paul Preparatory student even caters for private functions, the latest of which was a baby shower. On that occasion, Phillips tantalised the taste buds of more than 50 persons. The menu included callaloo-cheese dip, potato salad and apple pie.

"The guests enjoyed the meal and they were asking for more," the proud chef declared.

From as early as age 10, when she started to make frequent visits to the kitchen, she has taken to heart her grandmother Minnre's philosophy, 'Prepare the meal with love and that's the real spice'.

"I was enthused about the level of creativity that my grandmother and aunt brought to dishes and so I felt that I had to learn," she said.

Creative twist

It was a lesson well learnt by Cairo as she has put her own creative twist on meals - call it cooking à la Cairo.

"I always add my own ingredients to give it a different taste and when I am preparing a meal for the first time and I'm not so sure about how to do it, I just do it my way and it always tastes good," she said.

She aspires to own a chain of restaurants, locally and internationally, in which she will put her stamp of uniqueness.

Tsahai Phillips, Cairo's mother, said she was elated that the young chef is cooking up a future which doesn't follow the grain of traditional education.

"She can cook well and every day she learn something new and even better. She creates her own style in everything she does," Mom told The Gleaner. "She doesn't only love cooking, it's her passion."

nadisha.hunter@gleanerjm.com