Consultant Chef:

Emma Sharp was born and grew up in Jamaica. She went to school in her home town, May Pen, and then attended boarding school in England. Emma went on to study Philosophy at the London School of Economics and spent most of her free time catering parties for her friends. After completing her degree she continued to pursue her culinary passion by obtaining her diploma at the Leith’s School of Food & Wine in London, in June of 1999.

In the last nine years Emma has cooked in Director’s Dining Rooms in London, including a fifteen month stint as second chef at Lazard, she has been head chef at the Museum of London, and the relief head chef at the Dinton Hermit restaurant. Emma has catered for high-profile families like the owners of Bulmer cider in Hereford, the Duke and Duchess of Abercorn in Northern Ireland, and hunting parties in Scotland.

Her interest in healthy eating led her to cater for yoga retreats in England; through these contacts she gained several clients in London for whom she has done private cooking demonstrations, cocktail parties and dinners. She has subsequently completed and received grade A in her diploma in the Professional Nutrition, Diet and Health Program at the School of Allied Health, Professional Career Development Institute.

In Summer 2002 Emma cooked for a family in the Hamptons and did a live cooking demonstration at the Art Institute of New York. Her simple and creative cooking style led to her developing recipes for Grace Kennedy Foods and Stephens & Brotherton in the UK.

In November 2001 Emma landed a job cooking at the BBC Good Food show. The channel executives at UK Food, impressed by her style and comfort in front of an audience, invited her to be a guest chef on their daily cooking show, Good Food Live. Since then she has cooked Jamaican food regularly on the show. In July 2003 they filmed her cooking and presenting a series of seven video inserts in Jamaica for Good Food Live.

Emma has performed live demonstrations for the BBC Cookery School at the BBC Good Food show in December 2002 and 2003 as well as in the Mark Wilkinson Celebrity Theatre at the House and Garden Fair in June 2003. She has also interviewed and cooked on BBC World Service radio. Five years ago, Emma obtained the Certificate in Journalism at New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. She has written articles for BBC Good Food and Best magazines in the UK.

In September 2003 Emma was one of three judges at the Sandals Culinary Competition in Jamaica. Sandals Resorts have won many awards for being the world’s best all-inclusive group and for their excellence in dining.

Emma has now returned to her beloved Jamaica, and lives with her husband in Kingston. She teaches private cooking classes and trains domestic staff; caters cocktail parties, dinners, lunches, teas and breakfast meetings; writes menu plans and recipes for people with chronic health problems; and is a regular contributor to Jamaica’s national newspaper, the Gleaner.

For more information:
Emma Sharp, 876-702-0051or 876-856-1078 (Cell)
emma@sharpactionfood.com