French, Cambodian flavours meet J’can vibes at EITS Brunch & Beats

Returning to Jamaica with Reggae Month at the top of the itinerary, Elora Marches had her husband, Jules Gazave, in tow. And, while the French nationals who run a thriving business as catering entrepreneurs back home in Europe are primarily here to indulge in The Rock’s current four-week buffet of music events, they afforded time and culinary ingenuity to tantalise curious appetites last weekend as the spotlighted chefs, Ela & Ju, at the Europe in the Summer (EITS) Cafe’s monthly Brunch & Beats series.

When EITS Cafe’s proprietor Robyn Fox learnt Marches, a years-long friend, would be on the island, she co-opted the chef’s talents to be a part of the ongoing epicurean event, which hosts a different culinary personality with each iteration.

“I told her (Robyn), ‘Girl, I’m coming to Jamaica,’ so we both had the idea to put it together,” Marchess shared in a post-brunch interview on the deck of EITS, a choice dining spot located in the verdant mountains of the Red Light district in rural St Andrew.

On offer at Sunday’s brunch, Marches, a self-taught chef – who initially came to the island in August 2018 to attend the Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts to study music performance – focused on marrying her mixed ethnic heritage with the Rastafarian ‘ital’ influences she absorbed while living in the Caribbean.

“I chose the things we do in France that work best, and decided to put it on the menu,” she explained. “So, like our bangers (fresh spring rolls composed of vegetables, mint and cilantro, mango and avocado were absolutely delish!), we had vegan soups (there was a fantastic Cambodian soup with pineapple, shrimp, callaloo and lemongrass, as well as a Thai-style ‘ital’ sip) and other vegan options.”

For the latter, Marches whipped up a starter selection: a signature pita pocket with cream cheese, Mayo sriracha, mango cole slaw with a curry vinaigrette, while as a main course choice, there was creamy chickpeas in a coconut and miso paste sauce with broccoli, served with pumpkin quinoa. She skilfully, too, presented snapper, either fried with an escovitch relish or steamed with a coconut crème style with okra and vegetables.

To satisfy the sweet tooth, there were traditional French crêpes with melted chocolate, topped with slices of almonds and otaheite apple, fruit kebabs with Jamaican fruits and homemade French caramel.

Outside of Marches’ creations, diners were also able to order from EITS’ standard menu options of barrel-roasted chicken with herb pan gravy, slow-cooked curry goat, and eggs Florentine with callaloo on bammy with an ackee sauce.

The dining experience passed muster for nutritionist and EITS regular Lisa Levee.

“I am a vegan and sometimes a pescatarian, I am attracted to events such as this that facilitate vegan food,” she told Food. “I had the non-meat, non-fish soup, the spring rolls, and the chickpeas main course... I love spice, so it met that expectation.”

Further assessing her brunch orders, Levee added: “I like that [some of the choices] were Cambodian, Vietnamese-type. It was unusual because, in Jamaica, we don’t have a lot of options. We tend to have ital as vegan, which I love, but there are all these other nationalities that eat vegan as well.”

The 24-year-old chef Marches, formally educated as a bass guitarist, divulged that she was prompted to diversify her career path to include food after the quarantine period of the pandemic. She grew up with her Cambodian outdoor market vendor father and French high school educator mother, always cooking at home, which laid a foundational interest in food.

“I started being passionate about it [food] when I came to live in Jamaica. I started cooking with Ibo, the resident chef at Ibo Spice Portal on Orange Street in downtown Kingston, [and] then I became really fascinated,” Marches reminisced.

Fast-forward to the present, and she detailed that her current catering business in the south of France has matured into a qualified success.

“We are doing a lot of reggae festivals and events, weddings, private dinners and anniversaries; every occasion that people want to celebrate, they call us. In the winter, we do not work a lot, but from April to November, it is our busy season, we work seven days.”

Back in the hills on a lazy Sunday afternoon and comfortably seated in EITS’ tranquil space, with a backdrop of stunning panoramic views, diners enjoyed the ‘beats’ of the day served at the turntables by DJ Alex, himself a Frenchman whose first trip to the island was 15 years ago. With a playlist of reggae and soul grooves spanning the Caribbean, continental Africa and Europe, he told Food, “It’s the music I lo:e; sweet cool vibes.”

“EITS was the very first place I visited during my first trip here. I fell in love with the place, and Robyn and her late father, Michael, became my good friends. I try to come as much as possible to the Blue Mountains; it’s one of the best places on earth.”

With customers’ rave reviews still pouring in, and taking daily phone calls querying what’s on the slate for next month’s brunch, EITS leading lady, Fox, said she intends to keep the conceptual treatment of a foreign chef going.

The previous month’s featured chef was Montreal-based Mathieu Masson-Duceppes.

“I changed up our theme a little bit and started the new buffet, or three- or four-course Brunch & Beats series with Chef Mathieu,” Fox informed Food. “What I want to do is have a visiting chef, and [ideally] they would be European, which adds to the value of Europe in the Summer, so it’s a fusion of Europe and Jamaica. This also gives valuable exposure for my staff to work,” Fox explained, concerning the double opportunity provided by the event.

“It is nice for the guest chef, as they get a Jamaican vibe as well. It starts from Friday or Saturday, the prep day, so it’s not just about the Brunch & Beats day, and it’s the prior day, too, as the staff gets to mingle and chat.”

Heed our word of advice, dearest reader: reserve a table now on your social calendar to be seated at Brunch & Beats come March.

lifestyle@gleanerjm.com