Flavors of the World

Get to know the culinary masterminds behind our signature restaurants in Charleston, Middleburg and Jamaica as three Salamander chefs celebrate the intersection of their heritage and modern cuisine.

Chef Christopher Golding

HALF MOON | MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA

Chef Christopher Golding grew up in Jamaica where his grandmother instilled in him a love for cooking. “She taught me that a recipe is just a list of ingredients and a guideline, but your duty is to bring out the soul in the dish,” says Golding, now the chef de cuisine at Sugar Mill Restaurant, the signature restaurant of Half Moon in Jamaica. “The aromas that remind me most of my childhood are spices that we use in our cooking: Scotch bonnet peppers, pimento berries, fresh thyme and scallions, and my grandmother’s red pea soup cooked outside in a Dutch pot over a wood fire.” Golding brings those memories to life for Sugar Mill’s guests, celebrating the intersection of his heritage and modern cuisine. Look for pimento woodsmoked marlin, Josper roasted pork belly with ripe plantain espuma and snapper with passion fruit and roasted pumpkin sauce. Some techniques Golding employs, such as Josper roasting (using an enclosed charcoal oven where food is cooked at high temperatures) and the use of espuma (transforming fruit or vegetable extracts into foam), elevate his menu and add subtle but important flavor profiles to his dishes.

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Chef Edgar Kano

HOTEL BENNETT | CHARLESTON, SC

Chef Edgar Kano was born in Mexico City to a Japanese household, allowing him to appreciate a fusion of cultures at an early age. “One of the flavors that reminds me most of my childhood is the aroma of freshly cooked gohan Japanese rice. That punch of steam, similar to a sweet perfume, was an indication that the table was set. Today, that aroma still opens my appetite,” said Kano. Now, at the helm of Gabrielle Restaurant at Charleston’s Hotel Bennett, he is inspired by those engrained childhood flavors. “I remember the albondiga[s], or Mexican-style meatballs, with a hit or more of the smoky chipotle pepper and fresh corn tortillas. I could eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.” From corn tortillas on a comal (a griddle made from earthenware) to Mexicanstyle rice, pickled Japanese vegetables like takwan (pickled daikon radish), rakyo (pickled Japanese scallions) and teriyaki glazed snapper with shizo leaves, Kano brings a world of creativity to his menu. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, with more than 20 years in culinary leadership roles working for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “Each dish has a part of my heritage and soul. The salsa del diablo, a sauce I learned from my mother-in-law, is an explosion of flavor that is becoming more popular every day with our wagyu tenderloin lettuce wraps,” Kano says. The menu in Gabrielle has a coastal philosophy, featuring the best of both worlds (sea and land). The menu is based on the availability of high-quality ingredients, Kano notes. “We are strengthening our relationship with the local fishermen and farmers. Our oysters are harvested in the morning and being served for lunch the same day.”

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Chef Jean Baptiste-Lawson

SALAMANDER MIDDLEBURG | MIDDLEBURG, VA

Jean Baptiste-Lawson, a native of Paris, is the head baker at Salamander Middleburg, with a pedigree from the French baking school École Professionnelle de Boulangerie et Patisserie, in Champigny-sur-Marne, where he specialized in learning the production of artisan breads, gourmet pastries and chocolates. Baking is an exacting practice and Baptiste-Lawson’s dedicated studies and experience over more than a decade provide him with a solid foundation in the Middleburg kitchen.
Currently, as Head Bread Baker, he’s baking French baguettes, soft milk bread rolls and brioche buns for bread service. And, while each of the 300-plus buns he bakes daily packs a bouquet of flavor, he recommends a semi-salted butter to complement each bite. Born in Togo, West Africa, Baptiste-Lawson grew up in Paris, where food played an important role with African spices and traditional ingredients filling his family pantry. Now at the Forbes Five-Star Harrimans Grill, he works with the chefs to create beautiful breads that build on the finest local ingredients.