Norma Shirley Death

On a visit to Jamaica a few years ago a dear family friend took my mother, aunt and I to Norma’s on the Terrace for dinner at Devon House, a national heritage

Courtesy of repeatingislands.com

site in Kingston. I don’t remember the exact dishes we ate but I know all four of us were transfixed. The meal was a five-star experience; equal to any meal in Paris or New York, and we were silent with our joyous stomachs. 

So it is with real shock to hear of the passing of the chef/co-owner of the restaurant, Norma Shirley, on Monday.  Shirley is the culinary Louise Bennet, Bob Marley or Rex Nettleford. Although Jamaica is known for its jerk and ackee & saltfish dishes, perhaps no person has revolutionized food on the island more than Shirley. She enhanced the local cuisine as well as mixed them with international flavors.  

I have eaten at The Grog Shoppe also at Devon House, which she recently reopened and was the chef; and at Ortanique in Coral Gables, FL, partnered by her son Delius Shirley and Cindy Huston.  At both restaurants the food was delicious and the people were warm and welcoming. 

Fortunately Shirley's gifts and legacies were passed on but she will truly be missed.  

Obituary

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Norma-Shirley-passes


-- Connie Aitcheson