It’s a real treat to stay in a villa with its own Cooks and Personal Chefs.
Pampered and nurtured is a great way to start each day of your vacation in paradise. Arriving each morning at 8:00 are Ms Catherine, Ms Sharon, and or Ms Doritt, each of whom are experienced and talented cooks. They will serve you coffee, tea, or cocoa while you watch the hummingbirds dart from flower to flower in the still quiet of the tropical morning. Wander around Morne Trulah’s gardens and soak in some morning sun with a drink in hand.
Report to the breakfast table at your leisure to find Cook preparing and serving your breakfast just the way you like it. It will feel like an unexpected luxury.
- Never hesitate to let your preferences be known. We are eager to please!
While you are enjoying your breakfast Cook will already be thinking about your lunch. Relax and enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings– and choose where on property you would like your table to be set for lunch. You will be surprised when she proves to be a better cook than you–and then cleans up when she’s finished!
- Preparation of breakfast and lunch using provisions you provide is included in the price of the rental.
As for the evening meal, Morne Trulah’s guests may opt to have a Personal Chef — either Chef Didier or Chef Max) prepare dinner for you to celebrate a special event such as a birthday, anniversary, marriage proposal or wedding rehearsal dinner.
- Preparation of the evening meal by a Personal Chef attracts a surcharge of USD ~$50/person/meal plus the cost of provisions. A matched flight of wines chosen by Chef is also available. A quintessential “chef’s table”.
Passion, Skill, & Experience
Your Cooks– Miss Catherine and Miss Doritt– have been cooking for international guests for 40+ years– and their experience and acquired skill becomes immediately evident the moment the first morsel touches your tastebuds. These are serious women with a serious passion for food. These ladies are so dedicated to their culinary art that they carry to work within their purses hard-to-find herbs, spices, and other concentrates to ensure that they will never be without the perfect ingredients with which to serve unforgettable meals to Morne Trulah’s guests.
Chef Didier is a passionate, formally-trained Personal Chef who seeks perfection in every dish he creates. He received his culinary training in France and gained his culinary experience under the guidance of some of the best chef’s in London, England.
Chef Max is a talented and inspired Personal Chef who received her culinary training in the USA. She was discovered catering for Saint Lucia’s ambassadors and other dignitaries. Perpetua “Max” Busby is known for her contemporary Caribbean cuisine; in fact, her team was awarded gold medals in the prestigious Taste of the Caribbean Competition in 2003, and was personally awarded silver as Individual Chef of the Year. Chef MAx is a remarkable talent who will work very closely in consultation with Morne Trulah’s guests to agree an exciting menu tailored to your exacting standards. In addition to Caribbean cuisine she is expert in all culinary traditions.
Fresh, Local Produce
But it’s not just the quality of the preparation and service that will amaze. We provide our cooks with petty cash so that on their way to work should they chance upon a street vendor selling a choice bread fruit or avocado–or other local produce in its prime– then they will purchase and bring it up for our guests to enjoy. There is nothing better than fresh Saint Lucian fruits and vegetables at their peak! Avocados the size of American footballs; seven varieties of soft, sweet mangos ripened in the sun on the tree; perfectly ripe breadfruit and papaya picked that morning. These are among life’s most amazing gifts Morne Trulah wishes to share with you.
Locally caught fish and other seafoods caught each morning and brought into Gros Islet Fish Market are not to be missed. Better still ask your valet to go spear fishing in Trouya Cove to catch you fresh lobster and crab, parrot fish, red snapper, and grouper and cook it over an open fire on the beach!
The local food and spices grown in St. Lucia are so fresh and tasty that you might just giggle in delight. Morne Trulah Estate itself is laden with herbs, spices, and homegrown vegetables from Morne Trulah’s own kitchen garden. Everything at Morne Trulah is as organic as possible.
Because we really want our guests to experience to best the island has to offer, Morne Trulah gifts every set of guests a massive fruit basket featuring Saint Lucia’s finest fruits, including the amazing local coffee and its unadulterated coconut cream to whiten it. That coffee-coconut cream combination is like tasting coffee for the very first time; never to be forgotten.
The effect of the tropical sunshine on the natural ripening of fruits —most especially the bananas and the grapefruit– is unforgettable. The beef is super lean; and the free-range eggs from the local chickens have a rich, golden yoke. The vegetables are intensely flavoured, grown without the artificial fertilisers and chemicals which otherwise would make them swollen with water and thereby dilute their flavour.
Cuisine and Menu Planning
In preparation for your arrival Morne Trulah’s concierge team will compile a list of your likes and dislikes. We can either surprise you and/or alternatively work closely with your to agree agree specific menus which exactly suit your tastes.
We strongly recommend that our guests take advantage of the opportunity to sample the local Creole cuisine. Creole cooking is a really nice fusion of French, African, and West Indian (with some British thrown in); simple at its core but packed with flavour. If you like fresh vegetables, fruits, and spices you won’t be bored with the food.
Some things you might want to try/ask about include lentil bullion with dumplings, chicken or beef roti, Creole fish stew, one-pot dishes, coconut stewed chicken or fish, roasted pumpkin and ginger soup, green fig and salt fish, plantain fried in local coconut oil, boiled, baked, fried, or stuffed breadfruit. If you like small fish, the fried jackfish in coconut oil is a real treat. And of course if the local lobsters are in season, definitely consider that.
The local Creole cuisine isn’t especially spicy, at least from a “heat” level. It can vary a little because of the Indian influence, but a lot of the spices that are used for local dishes are mild, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, fresh bay leaves, turmeric, parsley, cloves, and that sort of thing. Nearly everything is grown locally. Lots of very fresh vegetables, fish of course, chicken, some beef and pork, etc. Having your own cook gives you the opportunity to have things customised to your own tastes.
Special Dietary Requirements
Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Carnivore, and Vegan diets are all catered for. All allergies and intolerances accommodated. We can secure almost anything given sufficient notice.
The cook that comes with your villa is versatile and can make special things for your “picky” eater. They are also very adept at making good dishes with starches (that are likely kid friendly) such as macaroni, potato salad, figs (bananas), breadfruit, dasheen, sweet potato, etc.
The locally grown cacao is so good that it’s worth asking your cook if she can make cocoa tea for breakfast– or something savoury with the cacao for lunch dish.
Cooking Lessons
If you’re interested in the local food preparation you can always ask our cook to give you a cooking lesson or two. She would love the conversation and the opportunity to share her forty decades of knowledge and experience with you. She would like nothing more than for you to take this intangible piece of Saint Lucia home with you as a souvenirC
