Most know her as Chef Nyanda recognized for her innovation of authentic Creole Caribbean cuisine. Creative, daring, whimsical and 100% out of the box. There is no limit to her creative ideas and in her own words “It comes from the great beyond”.
She was raised most of her life in The Commonwealth of Dominica in the community of Pointe Michel with her parents, siblings and grandmother. She would sit and admire her mother and grandmother in their kitchens, both adventurers and wishing one day she would participate. What fascinated her the most was when they would cook outdoors on coal pots or on stones.
Nyanda has always been into the Arts. She attended the St. Luke’s Primary School and would always say that her artistic development started there as she was always encouraged by teachers and her pairs and was able to express her skills throughout. She then attended the Convent High School but moved to Barbados with her family where she completed her last two years of high school at St. Winifred’s School and was again challenged and nurtured artistically.
After graduating from high school Nyanda started off with studies in Art & design in the UK, came back to Dominica, got involved in fashion and the designing of carnival costumes. But her passion was always food, so after spending a few extra years in Dominica, working at a few local hotels and assisting her mother with catering she decided to head back to the UK to pursue her studies in Culinary Arts.
Having attained a distinction in Culinary Arts, Nyanda left the UK and headed back to Dominica where she started her cake design and catering business called Funky Monkey’s, and after a few years of running a semi-successful business, she moved to St. Maarten to gain more experience in the fine dinning world. She was young and eager, and was made Head Chef in just a few months of arriving on the island. She also worked as a private chef in a few villas.
Nyanda moved back to Dominica after the tragic Hurricane Maria and decided to open her own private chef business turned restaurant called Medo’s Kitchen. Her restaurant had a short but great run with a 5-star rating on Tripadvisor before she shut it down during the Covid-19 pandemic.
She nonetheless continued her catering and private dinning services, restaurant and kitchen consultation and created her yearly out-door cooking event called ‘WATO’ which means FIRE in the Native Kalinago language.
Nyanda is now the Executive Chef at Rosalie Bay Resort where she is creating a farm to table culinary experience with some outdoor cooking adventures and a local rum lab.
Nyanda is what you call artistically intelligent. She uses her artistic background and incorporates it with her culinary skills and always aims to artistically and creatively create an edible masterpiece.