- November 22, 2024
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Creativity and the drive to be unique has kept Chef Anthony Fothergill in the kitchen. “You don’t have to be a trendsetter or a trend-starter, but you need to be able to create something that’s going to be different from what other people are doing,” said Fothergill, the owner and chef at Anthony’s Catering and Consulting, as well as the executive chef at Doubletree by Hilton at the entrance to Universal Orlando.
Fothergill will showcase his creativity by serving up untraditional macaroni and cheese at HapCo’s Wine & Dine for the Arts.
The station will give guests a choice between traditional cheese, blue cheese and a curry cream sauce — topped with a variety of options like seafood, chicken and vegetables.
The curry is Fothergill’s unique twist on a classic favorite.
Fothergill attended culinary school in his native England. When he was 18, he moved to the United States and started his career working at a breakfast restaurant in Miami. He quickly climbed the ladder, becoming sous chef at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale.
He then served in executive chef positions at Holiday Inn and Westgate Resorts. For the past 11 years, he has held the position of executive chef at Doubletree by Hilton by the entrance to Universal Orlando. He opened the catering business in 2000.
His own business has offered him some unique experiences along the way.
Once, he catered a Passover feast, a 10-day long event. The experience was a boon for him later, when he catered several concerts for pop group *NSYNC.
“The one thing that I mentioned that really helped me get that work was the fact that I’ve done Passover,” he said. “With Passover food, it’s very hectic. It’s a lot of work.”
Of all the things Fothergill makes, he likes to specialize in Florribean cuisine: Florida seafood with Caribbean vegetables.
“Snapper can be done many ways,” Fothergill said. “But one of the ways I like to do it is green plantain crust, so the fish is crusted in green plantains, and then I’ll make a coconut cream sauce. I may throw in a mango cream sauce or mango salsa.”
The passion for Caribbean food comes from Fothergill’s roots. His parents, who were from Jamaica, taught him how to cook Caribbean. He moved to Florida when he was 18, and after a few years ago spending time in Florida, he thought to combine the two.
He is passionate about his work and can’t imagine doing anything else.
“I love what I do,” he said. “I’ve had several chances to get out of this, but I can’t.”
To hire Anthony’s Catering and Consulting, call (407) 854-3305.
Contact Jennifer Nesslar at [email protected].
