TORONTO — Shrimp, grits and signature dessert key lime pie were the featured items on the menu at a lively and inspiring Florida Keys & Key West cooking demonstration held at the Dish Cooking School in Toronto earlier this week.
A media group embarked on a culinary journey, delving into the unique aspects of Florida cuisine, its rich history and exciting stories about local life in the Florida Keys, guided by their guest host, Chef Paul Menta.
Menta, who made the quick trip north for the special event, shared up front that he was “a little more clowny than your normal serious chef.”
Growing up in Philadelphia, Menta was significantly influenced by his grandmother, who helped foster his love of cooking. Menta moved to the Florida Keys when he was 16.
Paul Menta is different from your typical food-curious chef.
He is also a rum distiller, author and TV personality who appeared on the ‘Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted’ series this year, showcasing the local flavours of the Florida Keys & Key West. Menta is also happy to go into anyone’s kitchen to learn a family dish or two. And when he’s not in the kitchen, you’ll find him kiteboarding in Key West.
So, what’s Chef Paul’s secret ingredient when cooking?
“A little bit of love goes into things; it goes a long way,” says Menta, adding, “when we sit and share a meal, I believe it brings the community together.”
Menta touched on the resilience of the people in the Keys and the hardships they encountered back in the 1940s and 1950s, with a minimum number of ingredients due to availability, which helped cultivate their culinary creativity today.
“You come down to the Keys, you see a little bit of fusion – some things we take from the mainland – but any recipes we’re trying to do come from the foundation of the Florida Keys,” says Menta.
The Florida Keys & Key West are not just another vacation destination where you arrive and bask in the sun on a pristine white beach. In fact, it’s a place where time stands still and rather than being a typical ‘tourist’ you are encouraged “to blend in with the rest of us and have a good time,” giving Canadian travellers more reason to mosey down south.
Menta had some parting words for the group: “The Florida Keys are full of history and stories. If you haven’t already figured it out, there are a lot of people down there like me. So, if you think I’m odd, I’m just with my people down there. The history and these stories are what make up the Florida Keys.”
And, for inquiring minds, the shrimp, grits and Key Lime pie were simply delicious – compliments to the Chef.
For more information on the Florida Keys & Key West visit https://fla-keys.com/.
