A Birmingham native with Caribbean roots is trying to spice up the city’s cooking skills with her new cookery school in Witton.
Lee Sylvester has had a lifelong love affair with the food of her mother’s native Grenada and the islands surrounding it. She and her mum, Monica Cudjoe, began turning this love into a business about eight years ago, when Sylvester moved back to Birmingham after a career designing big-brand sportswear.
After most of a decade producing the pestos and spice mixes of Tan Rosie Foods in Cudjoe’s kitchen, dabbling in supper clubs and cooking demonstration shows, it was time to expand.
Tan Rosie Caribbean Cookery School opened with a launch party on September 19, and the classes scheduled for the rest of the year are already starting to book up as the word spreads.
“It’s been a big change, but it’s a good change,” Sylvester said.
Sylvester said her goal is to help people learn the history and uses of the spices that Caribbean food is so well known for.
She says that her classes will showcase food from all over the Caribbean islands, so students get a better understanding of the region’s cuisine.
Anyone who is interested in Caribbean cuisine or wants to try something different with their home cooking is welcome, Sylvester said. Classes run half- or full-day, and about once a month Sylvester will have open days for people who want to have a look round the school and chat about what’s on. (This month’s open day is tonight, October 2, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.)
More information about classes can be found at tanrosie.com.