Pergola chef seeking to broaden the Guyanese...
him cater other graduations. “I must give credit to Central High, they were very supportive of me,” he said.
Two years later after high school, Robinson was encouraged by Judge Nicole Pierre to attend Carnegie School of Home Economics. He spent a year there doing bake shop and pastry, and restaurant training courses. Afterward, he left Guyana to do a course in Trinidad on cake decorating but instead ended up doing wedding planning and décor at the University of the West
Indies (UWI) open campus followed by a course in Business Management. His first job subsequently followed. While in Trinidad, Robinson worked at three restaurants, including the Aioli Restaurant, and the Soongs Great Wall Restaurant. During that time, he did a diploma in baking and pastry arts at the Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute. He also spent six months in Antigua at the Sandals Resort, where he did work study. He said he excelled and was put in charge of all wedding cakes and special functions while working alongside chefs from the Philippines and Switzerland. Though he was still an intern, having worked closely with these chefs, he gained so much knowledge and honed his skill that many didn’t realise that he was just an intern. Added to the list of impressive things he’s done, Robinson also worked for the then first lady of St. Vincent and the Grenadines as a consultant for her cafe and he trained all her staff there during the several months he stayed there.
During his time away Robinson managed to earn several accolades, including a silver medal for the National Culinary Competition in Trinidad in 2016, and being recognised as Best Pastry Chef in the same year and for the Best Dessert a year later. He was also recognised by the Trinidad and Tobago Hotels, Restaurants and Tourism Association for his contribution to the culinary industry there.
Despite his expertise in pastry making, Robinson shared that he has never done pastry making here in Guyana. He chuckled at the thought of what most Guyanese would say at the sight of several tiny pastries on a plate. Guyanese, he explained, are accustomed to large platters of food, often with the main portion being rice. “My restaurant really was a way to share my knowledge of what I’ve learnt outside with the Guyanese here, more so students who would have attended Carnegie. I still believe today that these students are not exposed and are not experienced enough. While experience is one thing, exposure is another thing. Most of the lecturers at Carnegie are lecturers; they are not chef lecturers…. As much as they get some level of practice over the time they are with the students, it’s a whole different ball game in a high paced industry,” he said.
Through his restaurant, Robinson taught approximately a hundred students between the ages of 5 and 18 back in 2019. His students, he reminisced, loved the experience. There were also couples’ cooking sessions done last year. Plans are in train to have these sessions again this year.
Robinson plans to head to France later this year if all goes well. The trip, expected to last several months, is to enable the chef to further his studies in the pastry art. During this time, persons will be trained to manage The Pergola. Whether Guyana will be ready for what he plans to introduce when he returns is a question he can’t answer but with dessert being close to his heart, he hopes that the people here will be more open minded towards trying new foods and understanding the art of it.
The Pergola can be contacted on Facebook and Instagram or via telephone at 644-2221.