I’m going to take a minute to brag. I have great group of girlfriends! At this point in our lives, all of us are doing something worthwhile and pushing our way into industries we adore. This is a short tale about one of these amazing friends I have, a senior at Philadelphia’s Art Institute, executive chef at Reef Caribbean Restaurant and Lounge, and finally Founder of Georgina’s Catering Company. I introduce to you, Chef Nana Wilmont. With a passion set into her heart by her grandmother Georgina, and a drive that can’t be stopped , her dishes are popping up all round the Philadelphia area. The next table should be yours.
NW: My name is Nana Araba Wilmot…a 25 years young African Chef and full time student at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. Born and raised in Cherry Hill, NJ with older brother Kobi and parents Olivia and Peter, and taught to cook at the age of 7, by my grandmother Georgina. It wasn’t until after 3 years of college, several switched majors, and time off from school, that I finally realized I love cooking. One day while I was on the computer looking up different career options, a pop up Ad for the Art Institute’s culinary program flashed on my computer screen. I challenged myself to a 7 day culinary challenge…making a new dish every night for my mother and me. At the end of the week I had a contract ready for my parents to sign, as I had ran out of chances and needed my parents to know I meant business. From there I went to the open house and the rest was history. The past 3 ½ years I was able to work at different establishments throughout the city like TIME restaurant, Vintage Wine Bar and Bistro, McCormick and Schmicks, and lastly the Executive Chef at Reef Caribbean Restaurant and Lounge. After Vintage, I knew exactly what I liked in a restaurant and how I liked things to be run; from that Georgina’s was born.
HH: What drove you to start Georgina’s? What would you say is your overall mission as a Chef and business owner?
NW: Georgina’s was started in my apartment at school amongst friends, over food and drinks. I would invite my friends over for 3 course meals to hang out and be my taste testers for things I wanted to work on. Soon, my best girlfriend Nastassja Clark started to bring over associates or other friends I didn’t know to try my food. She believed that my talent was too great for me not to share with others. It was because of her that I grew the confidence to share my love and passion. I then began to meet new people and spread the world about my cooking. I created the dinner foodie series, where I would invite 3 different people who didn’t know each other but their common interest was they knew me. I began to get a bit of a following and started inviting my Twitter and Instagram followers for dinners as well.
NW: Georgina’s was started in my apartment at school amongst friends, over food and drinks. I would invite my friends over for 3 course meals to hang out and be my taste testers for things I wanted to work on. Soon, my best girlfriend Nastassja Clark started to bring over associates or other friends I didn’t know to try my food. She believed that my talent was too great for me not to share with others. It was because of her that I grew the confidence to share my love and passion. I then began to meet new people and spread the world about my cooking. I created the dinner foodie series, where I would invite 3 different people who didn’t know each other but their common interest was they knew me. I began to get a bit of a following and started inviting my Twitter and Instagram followers for dinners as well.
My overall mission as a Chef is to get people to eat better. I grew up with parents who not only made dinner every night but made sure we sat down every night as a family to eat dinner. I learned the importance of vegetables at a very young age, and want to help the black community eat better and make healthier choices. It all starts with education, when we know better, we do better.
Like any business owner I want to operate a successful business that people will talk about for years to come. And with success comes influence and if I have the platform to help others I will. I want to help empower young women to do what I have done, take control of your destiny and become someone great.
HH: When you’re designing a complete meal, what factors do you take into account?
NW: My style of cooking is to incorporate fruits and vegetables into every dish. First, I analyze my audience. What protein can they eat? The answer to that question then leads me to the vegetables I can introduce them to or cook a different way than they‘re used to. After that I think of the fruit I can use with either the protein or with the vegetable, and then finally the carb (if needed) that will make it a complete meal. I use my sense of smell to determine how everything will taste. I’m lucky and blessed with the gift that honestly, most of the time I don’t taste my food; I already know how it will taste.
NW: My style of cooking is to incorporate fruits and vegetables into every dish. First, I analyze my audience. What protein can they eat? The answer to that question then leads me to the vegetables I can introduce them to or cook a different way than they‘re used to. After that I think of the fruit I can use with either the protein or with the vegetable, and then finally the carb (if needed) that will make it a complete meal. I use my sense of smell to determine how everything will taste. I’m lucky and blessed with the gift that honestly, most of the time I don’t taste my food; I already know how it will taste.
HH: What is your favorite dish to create and why?
NW: One of my favorites and actually first ever recipe I wrote down, is a warm shrimp and jalapeno salad. A very simple dish but extremely flavorful. I took a nutrition class when I started at the Art Institute and my final project was to create a healthy choice 3 course meal using few ingredients. For my first course I prepared this shrimp salad which consisted of plums, jalapenos, lime juice and zest, very little sea salt, and canola oil. You get the sweetness of the plums, a little kick from the jalapeno, and a little sour from the limes. It gives your palate an adventure by hitting several different taste buds, an experience that most people don’t try. It was a hit at a family dinner I did and since then I’ve mastered the recipe. It is currently on the menu at my school’s restaurant, Petite Passion. That was when I fell in love with mixing fruits in an unusual fashion.
HH: How do you come up with new recipes and plate presentations?
NW: I do a lot of research daily and look for what is new and trending. With the rise of social networks, it is easier for me to see what my favorite chefs are up to everyday and what they are serving their customers. I do however, want to create my own lane and push the envelope with things that “aren’t” supposed to go together. For my plating ideas, a lot of the time I think of it as a story or message. The way the food is laid out is often how I want you to eat it, how I want you taste it, and how I want you to take in this story that I am telling. It’s usually not until I am done cooking and I have the plate in my hand that I can start to visualize the “story”.
NW: I do a lot of research daily and look for what is new and trending. With the rise of social networks, it is easier for me to see what my favorite chefs are up to everyday and what they are serving their customers. I do however, want to create my own lane and push the envelope with things that “aren’t” supposed to go together. For my plating ideas, a lot of the time I think of it as a story or message. The way the food is laid out is often how I want you to eat it, how I want you taste it, and how I want you to take in this story that I am telling. It’s usually not until I am done cooking and I have the plate in my hand that I can start to visualize the “story”.
HH: What’s next for Georgina’s?
NW: Future plans farther down the line include getting “Georgina’s Kitchen” in the works, a facility that my staff can work out of. I also plan on doing more events like my tasting and maybe working with some non-profit organizations to bring awareness and educate people on the benefits of eating a well-balanced diet and knowing exactly what that entails.
NW: Future plans farther down the line include getting “Georgina’s Kitchen” in the works, a facility that my staff can work out of. I also plan on doing more events like my tasting and maybe working with some non-profit organizations to bring awareness and educate people on the benefits of eating a well-balanced diet and knowing exactly what that entails.
HH: Where can we follow you and your delicious meals?
NW: You can follow me On twitter @_iLLna or @GeorginasFoods
On facebook www.facebook.com/georginasChef
On Instagram à illnahna or GeorginasFoods
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