With four different restaurants and a staff more than willing to accommodate any dietary request, Anse Chastanet, one of St. Lucia’s most beloved resorts, has always been a haven for vegetarians and vegans. The cuisine at both Anse Chastanet and sister resort Jade Mountain is overseen by Chef Allen Susser, a James Beard award winner who describes his cooking style as “cross-cultural and constantly evolving.” At each on-property restaurant, Chef Susser showcases the organic produce grown at Emerald Estate, the resort’s farm in the Soufriere hills. He also weaves in herbs and fruit grown in Anse Chastanet’s gardens, including bananas, passion fruit, mangoes, avocados, oranges, tangerines, guava, papaya and coconuts. The focus on fresh ingredients is especially evident at Anse Chastanet’s Emeralds restaurant, where the dinner menu is completely vegetarian and features flavorful meatless dishes like calabaza (squash) gnocchi and satay skewers made with tofu, sweet potato and plantain.
From October 9 through 16, Susser and his team at Anse Chastanet will welcome Chef Todd Erickson (GLAM Vegan Miami, Society Ft. Myers and Huahua’s Taqueria South Beach) to the resorts. Erickson, who is known for crafting distinctive small plates like salads, sliders, skewers and sushi rolls, will be creating a vegan menu for Emeralds that will highlight the island’s freshest fall produce. “The menu will very much depend on what will be in season, but there will definitely be cocoa and tropical fruit involved, as well as fresh tamarind, squash, greens and nuts,” says Erickson. The chef is planning to mix a variety of flavors, textures, and cooking techniques, and he may serve tacos, spring rolls, pots de crème, and soups like gazpacho. Erickson added that he is looking forward to collaborating with the chefs at the resorts, and bringing some new, Caribbean-inspired ideas back to Florida. “I’m very excited to meet and work with the team at Anse Chastanet and also Jade Mountain. Sharing recipes and learning from others is a huge part of being a chef,” he says.
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