With career aspirations as an accountant, Chef Garfield Clarke says kitchen detail in the Navy quickly shifted his focus to cooking. “If there’s one common denominator across the world, it’s food,” he says. Born and raised in Jamaica, where both populations and cuisines are diverse, he had early exposure to different spices and strong African and Asian influences.

His travels to Thailand, Bali, Australia, Hong Kong and the Middle East have made him appreciate many types of food.