He’s a two-time Food Network “Chopped” champion, the creative force behind popular Miss Lily’s restaurants in New York and Negril, and personal chef to Bruce Springsteen, but success for Andre Fowles has been hard won.
Growing up in the gritty streets of Kingston, Fowles learned early that survival often means sacrifice. When he was ten, his mother left abruptly for the UK to find work, leaving his grandmother to break the news. She was gone for 17 years. Watching his grandmother provide for the family, Fowles learned to cook, and “about love, responsibility and perseverance.” He went to culinary school because his dream of becoming a pediatrician was out of reach. But before he had even completed his formal training, Fowles was snapped up by a prestigious restaurant in Jamaica, the first step in a journey to culinary stardom.
Fowles wears his fame lightly. This is not a ‘celebrity chef’ cookbook with complex recipes designed to showcase technical skill. It is a humble tribute to the rich traditions of the Jamaican table and the convivial spirit that lends strength to people faced with adversity on a daily basis. Above all, it is celebration of bold and vibrant flavours.
After a heartfelt Foreword by Springsteen and an Introduction by Fowles, a Pantry chapter introduces produce (ackee, breadfruit, callaloo, yam, scotch bonnet etc.) proteins (goat, oxtail, salt cod etc.) seasonings (allspice, jerk rub, :”green seasoning” etc.) and staples (beans, rice, coconut milk, “browning” etc.) that are fundamental to Jamaican cuisine, with suggestions for substitutions (or omissions), where appropriate. The recipes have been designed with the North American cook in mind, using ingredients are available in larger supermarkets or Caribbean specialty stores. Online resources and recommended commercial brands are listed in the back matter.
The book is divided into chapters by dish type – With Your Hands (appetizers); Rise and Shine (breakfast); One Pot, Full Flavor (soup) Complements (side dishes); Simmer Down (stews and braises); The Old and New (modern interpretations); Brawta (desserts); Cool it Down (drinks); and From Scratch (foundational recipes).
Pepper Shrimp (With Your Hands) are a perfect introduction to the bold, bright flavours of Jamaica. A popular roadside snack known locally as Peppa Swims, the prawns are marinated in a fiery blend of spices and cooked in a vinegar-seasoned broth. You can serve them warm, with bread to dip in the sauce, or keep them in the fridge and serve them cold. I enjoyed them both ways. The chilled version would make a great make-ahead appetizer for a dinner party.
Scented with bananas, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg, warm, fluffy Coconut Banana Pancakes (Rise and Shine) were another easy win, pulled together in minutes and consumed just as quickly.
Jamaican cuisine has been influenced by centuries of cultural layering, by the Indigenous Taíno, West Africans during the transatlantic slave trade, Spanish and British colonizers, and indentured labourers from India and China brought in to work on plantations.
Fowles’ recipes reflect Jamaica’s multicultural culinary heritage. The dietary tenets of the Rastafarian movement emphasizing fresh fruits and vegetables and meatless meals inspired Ital-Style Red Peas Soup (One Pot, Full Flavor) and Almost Ital Curry Vegetable Stew (Simmer Down). I loved both these vegetarian dishes. Enriched with coconut milk and generously layered with spices and aromatics, they are anything but bland. With chickpeas and pumpkin, the stew is the heartier dish, but the soup is also substantial enough to be a meal, even without the “spinners” (flour dumplings) to bulk it up.
My tasters all enjoyed Guinness Braised Short Ribs (Simmer Down), a rich, dark and unctuous stew, but asked what made it Jamaican. Guinness, Fowles explains, has been drunk in Jamaica since the early 1800s and is still a popular beverage. The stew can keep three days in the fridge and the leftovers tasted even better the next day when the flavours had time to meld. If you bought more than one bottle of Guinness, you can use it in the lovely sounding Spice Bun and interesting Guinness Punch.
Honey Ginger Chicken Thighs (The Old and New) reflects the influence of Chinese immigrants who arrived on the island between 1890 and the 1940s. With a sweet soy-sesame-ginger glaze, savoury notes of garlic and scallion and a little kick of chile, they were undeniably delicious, eaten with a knife and fork or (better) with sticky fingers.
Coconut Rice (Complements) is an alternative to the Rice and Peas that accompanies most Jamaican meals. Cooked in coconut milk with a few allspice berries, a scallion and a knob of butter, it is rich and fragrant, and pairs well with grilled proteins or lighter mains. Steamed Cabbage from the same chapter deserves a more descriptive name. Fowles calls this spiced-up riot of colour and flavour “magnificent.” It is!
Fans of jerk, the signature dish of Jamaican cuisine, will be pleased to know that the classic taste can be achieved without pimento wood or even an outdoor grill. Fowles’ oven-cooked version of Jerk Chicken (The Old and New) delivers all the flavour and fire of the roadside favourite (sadly minus the clouds of fragrant smoke), with a method suited to urban kitchens. There are options for from-scratch or store-bought jerk marinade, all-purpose seasoning and green seasoning needed for the chicken. I used all store-bought products and cooked the chicken on the grill, with great results. For the insanely delicious Jerk Honey Butter Steak (The Old and New), I made Dry Jerk Rub (From Scratch) which serves as a marinade for the steak and a mix-in with honey for the spicy-sweet butter that bastes and garnishes the steak. The dry rub also went into the beef patty and the mayo for the over-the-top Jerk Smash Burger with Bacon Jam from the same chapter.
And finally – a very sweet ending. Tortuga-Style Rum Cake is Fowles’ take on the popular confection sold in cute hexagonal packaging to tourists throughout the Caribbean. Drenched in a syrup of dark rum, the big bundt cake serves 10 to 12 but it’s so scrumptious that in a couple of sittings three of us demolished the whole thing.
My Jamaican Table is a faultless cookbook. Fowles has a chef’s appreciation for flavour, texture and technique, and translates this perfectly for the home kitchen. Every recipe I tried delivered flavour in spades, all were worthy of repeat, and all are within easy reach of cooks of all skill levels. Recipe headnotes and essays in Fowles’ engaging l voice provide an informative contextual framework and are fun to read. There are gorgeous photos throughout. This debut effort conveys the lively spirit of Jamaica — its colour, heat, heritage, and love of good food that is meant to be shared. A genuine ray of Caribbean sunshine.
Recipes excerpted from My Jamaican Table by Andre Fowles (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2026. Photos by Michael Condran. Adapted slightly for style.
