Nina Compton: The Chef that brought hope to a nation

On Wednesday February 5th, 2014, St Lucians from all walks of life will, no doubt, be glued to their televisions screens to watch St Lucia's own Nina Compton compete for the ultimate prize in culinary genius: Top Chef on the American TV network Bravo.

Win or lose, Nina would have done something truly remarkable for a nation that has been pummeled by two recent severe storms and is reeling from economic hardship: She would bring hope and allow St Lucians this brief opportunity to forget their troubles and celebrate one of their own.

Not since Derek Walcott was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992 has St Lucians been so proud and excited about the achievements of a fellow countryman. Nina's progress on the television reality show has been closely followed by St Lucians, both at home and abroad, with social media lighting up every time it comes on.

To galvanize even more support for the Top Chef contestant, the Ministry of Creative Industries in St Lucia has organized a live big screen broadcast of  the show's finale in the heart of the nation's capital. For Nina, the hopes of an entire nation is riding on her shoulders

It has been an extraordinary journey for the daughter of the island's former Prime Minister Sir John Compton who started out the eleventh season of the show competing against 18 other contestants. But she has now cooked her way to secure a place in the final two positions, and in the process whipping a myriad of crafty dishes, giving the world-renowned judges a taste of St Lucia's unique flavors.

St Lucians can do it too:

So many times we've been told how St Lucians like the talent and the competence to achieve international greatness, even in our very own country. Remember Vincent Mc Doom and the St Lucia Tourist Board's hot couture debacle where he exposed the local elites who apparently wanted to import foreign talent to headline a St Lucian fashion show, insisting that the local talent just wasn't cut out of the right cloth.

Nina's progress through Top Chef on Bravo underscores an often overlooked fact, that St Lucians are a truly creative and talented people who can excel above everyone else when they are provided with the right tools and avenues.

A point not lost on Nina herself. Writing on her Facebook page she said, "I also hope that I have shown that we can do many things. There are many St. Lucians out there trying to make, and making great strides, and like me, are very proud of their roots - the support shown to me should be extended to them too. If we as St. Lucians believe in ourselves, we can go far." 

True to form

But perhaps what has impressed me most about St Lucia's now most celebrated chef is the fact that she has remained true to herself and her St Lucian identity. She constantly reminds the viewers every week where she is from, tries to use as much St Lucian flavour and culture in her dishes as possible and never once has she tried to put on an American accent like so many St Lucians who travel abroad like to do.

That she attributes to her late father. Again, she writes, "A tree is only as strong as its roots, and I am always aware of mine - no doubt something that was instilled by my father. Today he would feel, as do I, that truly one of the most beautiful parts of this is to feel that there can be a united St. Lucia, where the only colour that matters in the end is the blue of our flag, and that is something that as we celebrate our 35th anniversary of independence, I feel humbled to be a part of."

Heading into tonight's finale, Nina is well aware of the support she's receiving from all those anxious viewers who will be rooting for her victory back home. "Coming into the finals, the support from my little island has been incredible, in fact truly amazing," she writes. "Very few might ever know what it is like to have a whole nation rallying behind them, and I can only hope that I do that support justice not just now, but going forward in the future."

Whether or not Nina brings the Top Chef trophy home to St Lucia, she would have already secured the first place in the hearts of many St Lucians and for getting this far she is already our winner.