Birmingham-born Lisa Sellers has risen to become one of the Caribbean’s top chefs, after landing her dream job on the privately-owned Peter Island in the British Virgin Islands
“I was born and brought up in Birmingham. Before moving to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) I was based in Barbados for two years, as Senior Pastry Chef for a Relais & Chateaux Hotel.
I’d heard about the job at Peter Island through my recruitment agent in the USA. After spending 10 years as a pastry chef, I was looking for a new challenge, and the position of Executive Sous Chef sounded great. I had spent time in the BVI in the past, as it’s where my partner is based, and to me Peter Island had more of a Caribbean flavour than any other island I had visited.
Peter Island is the largest private island among the loose array of 60 islands, cays and exposed reefs that comprise the British Virgin Islands. Just four miles south of Tortola, the island offers travelers 1,800 acres of unsurpassed privacy and lush, native vegetation, in addition to world-class snorkeling and diving. The island is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, Sir Francis Drake Channel and the Atlantic Ocean.
The recruitment process was quite tough. After submitting menus and food photographs, I had a two-hour phone interview with the Executive Chef, which went well. Then I had a phone interview with the Food and Beverage Director. That was a tough interview, because he was more concerned about dealing with training and cost. I felt mentally strained afterwards, and I remember telling my agent that I didn’t think I’d be selected.
But that evening, I had an email from Peter Island asking me when I could fly up for a few days. I went the following week, and cooked a dinner for six of the management team. I spent a lot of time either being interviewed or seeing the island. An hour before leaving for the airport, the Executive Chef offered me the job. I went back to Barbados to think about it, and finally accepted.
The actual moving process was OK. I had already shipped my personal possessions from Barbados and my boyfriend was looking after them, so I just had my suitcase. When I arrived, I lived on the island for three weeks while organizing my work permit. Of course I wasn’t able to work, so felt like a guest! When you wake up to palm trees, a stunning beach and clear blue seas you can’t help feeling happy and relaxed. All the managers and most of the staff were welcoming, but I have to say that some staff were careful to suss you out, as they had seen a lot of expat chefs come and go. In addition, I was one of the first female expat chefs they had, so there was some pressure on me to put people at ease.
The application process for a work permit is long, and you really need to have patience. My work permit took three months in total to be approved. You have to fill out forms, have copies of passports, employment records and college certifications. When the first part has been approved, you have to do various medical tests and get police clearance. After that you can enter the BVI, where you are given two weeks to get your work permit. I had some issues thanks to a mix up with some of my paperwork, but was working after three weeks.
After being here for a year I was promoted to Executive Chef. It has been a rollercoaster of a ride, with highs and lows, but I am happy with what I have achieved, all with the help of the kitchen brigade. I am so lucky to have a job that I love, and a manager that will give me free rein to do what I want in the kitchen, as long as the guests are happy!
I really don’t have a typical day on the island. I’m a very hands-on chef, so you’ll usually find me cooking and prepping for lunch or dinner that day. My day usually starts with the 20-minute ferry ride from Tortola, where I live, to Peter Island. Sometimes I’ll live on Peter Island for a period if the resort needs me to be there for a special event. I then make sure that breakfast is going well, check in with my Sous Chefs to make sure they have everything they need, then attend the daily meeting where we’ll go through any issues, who’s arriving that day and if they have any special requests.
If we have a villa in use, I make sure that the villa chef is set for the day, with menus, any special requests from the villa guests, for example flying in oysters for dinner that night. Then I’ll usually be working lunch and dinner. In this industry there are 18-hour days and 8-hour days, but we’re here to make the guests happy, whatever it takes.
We cater for weddings and events, as well cooking for the resort’s restaurant. Both have their plus sides: when we cater for a wedding on the island we go all out with menus, making it special for the wedding couple. I could be making them a favourite dish, or running a lobster cook-out on the beach. When I’m cooking for the restaurant, it’s the food that I have created, and when the guests love it, I feel really good.
I have a good team behind me, which is really important. Most of the chefs have been here for a long time, some 20 plus years! Most of the culinary team is from the Caribbean, with myself, my executive Sous Chef, and my Villa Chef being expats, so it can be a real melting pot of languages and accents! It takes you a while to understand some people, especially when they get passionate about cricket or their island. You need to be respectful, and you definitely can’t pull a Gordon Ramsay temper tantrum! That would be absolutely unacceptable here.
I’ve always encouraged my staff to better themselves, so all the chefs are now certificated from the American Culinary Federation. It was a tough 6 weeks, but I was very proud when everyone passed – including myself! I give all the chefs the time to contribute their ideas for menus and specials, so they can “own” what they create.
We’ve worked hard over the last 18 months, to use as much local food as possible, I now have four to five fishermen who will call me when they’re coming in with fish. We get grouper, wahoo, snapper, swordfish, mahi mahi, tuna, lobster and conch. They deliver it straight to our dock and we create a menu around it or do a special evening with all the fish laid out for the guests to choose from. They love seeing all the fresh fish.
Alongside this, we also work very closely with local farmers, and the Department of Agriculture will send us a weekly email of produce available. This could include breadfruit, which we roast like a vegetable, soursop, which makes great ice cream, tamarind, which is good for glazes and ice cream, coconuts, local vegetables and fruit, some herbs, also pork, chickens, goat, some duck, and now rabbits.
We try to use the whole farm-to-plate idea here at the island, even when the food comes from the USA. I make sure I know the farms and the meat suppliers we use. Right now we’re creating a hibiscus dessert for a charity dinner. We always try and showcase local ingredients at big events like this.
My life here is totally different – there’s not much to spend your money on! But everyone is happier, people greet you in shops and offices. I’m a visitor in this country, even though I work here, so I respect the local BVI people and their customs, even if it means eating fish heads!
As the BVI has many smaller islands, you can jump on a ferry on your day off, and maybe visit Angenda to have a freshly caught lobster lunch!
I have a higher standard of living here. I can afford more than when I was living in the UK. The other big plus is the experience of living somewhere else, not just having a holiday, but experiencing the real BVI, good and bad, from losing electricity and water, surviving Hurricane Earl, to meeting new people and stepping back from work to enjoy my daily life.
I do miss the UK, my family, shopping, supermarkets and all the fresh fruit and vegetables. I’ve made both local and expat friends, although when we’re busy they may not see me for a month at a time! My parents usually come and visit for 3-4 weeks every year, and friends are always welcome. We live in a 2-bed, 2-bath townhouse, with a great rooftop deck, so we usually have friends down a few times a year. I always go home to the UK once a year, to see other family, and to shop! But email, Skype and text is the best way to keep in touch.
Sometimes I think I’ll end up back in the UK, but not in the next few years. If my family ever needed me, then I would move back. Who knows, though, the world is a big place, and I’ve always fancied moving to New Zealand!
I’m lucky to have landed a job that makes my life here possible, but my advice to people thinking of moving overseas would be simple: you have to go out and make it happen, because no one is going to knock on your door and give it to you!”
www.peterisland.com
