Berbician fulfills boyhood dream of becoming well known Chef

Oct 29, 2023 Features / Columnists, News

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By Zena Henry

Waterfall Magazine – It’s almost impossible to mention the name Chef Henry Williams amongst Guyanese in the United States (US) and not have someone acknowledge the notorious chef de cuisine.

In Georgia State in particular, the 51-year-old veteran has built himself a solid reputation and is well sought after as the premier caterer for the numerous functions and events held year round.

Not only is the New Amsterdam, Berbice native well known for his mouth watering dishes, but often times, he is praised for his premium quality service, outstanding presentations and food ambience to delightfully influence any diner’s experience.

In a sit-down interview with The Waterfalls Magazine, Chef Henry, as he is popularly called, was delighted to share his experiences and described the long journey that has allowed him to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a chef.

He told the magazine that he must have been around 11-years-old when he first took an interest in cooking. “I actually got it from my mom, Lola Sampson,” the chef explained, as she was a single mother who often catered as a side job to care for her family.

He said his mom would cater for birthday parties and other small events baking cakes, cooking fried rice and making other customary dishes where himself and his brother, Ian, would render assistance by washing greens, cutting up seasonings and doing whatever she needed.

Chef Henry was happy to help his mother because being in the kitchen brought him great joy and he knew from very early it was something he would be pursuing.

In school, Chef Henry said home economics as his favourite subject, since again; he was back in the kitchen, this time learning the basics of the culinary art. He attended the Berbice Educational Institute and later onto the New Amsterdam Technical institute. To further his skills, the chef said he went on to the Carnegie School of Home Economics, in Georgetown where he did exceptionally well. There were several other private cooking programmes and classes offered in New Amsterdam, and the chef said he wasted no opportunity in enrolling and acquiring food preparation skills and other techniques.

Initially, Chef Henry said, he landed his first job at the country’s first Chicken House which was located on Sheriff Street. But it was not too long after that the chef said he was able to secure a job on a cruise liner called the TSS Island Breeze, an Ocean liner which docked at numerous Caribbean islands along its journey. It was an imprinting and treasured experience, the chef said. He nonetheless returned to Guyana some time after and worked for several years as head of the kitchen at the then popular Sidewalk Cafe and Jazz Club.

With more adventure ahead, Chef Henry said he went back to sea, this time working on a cargo ship which travelled from Miami to Haiti. Following that stint, the Chef said he was back in Guyana only to head out shortly after to work at the Summer Bay Resort, and then at a five-star hotel called the Reef Resort, both located in the Cayman Islands.

The Reef, he said, had high ratings and the prosperity of the hotel with his contribution to the establishment, afforded him the unique opportunity of providing a special food presentation on America’s popular Black Entertainment Television (BET) station.

By 2005, Chef Henry said he moved to the US where he first worked as a banquet chef at the Marriott Hotel located in Columbus, Georgia. By 2007, the chef said he moved on to cooking for the US Army’s Fort Benning also located in Georgia. Some five years later, Chef Henry said he moved to Atlanta where he headed the Houllians Restaurant housed at the Hartsfield -Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Chef Henry related that he later provided on- demand services to several smaller restaurants, but it was not long after that he decided to establish his own catering service which has been prospering ever since.

 

Apart from his fellow countrymen, the chef said he has his fair share of American customers. “Remember I don’t just do Guyanese food, I do American food, Caribbean food, Chinese, Thai, and I dabble in a few other cuisines, so at times my clients vary,” the chef informed.

He said what many of his clients enjoy also is his ability to mix the dishes and get a taste of different cultures, if desired.

The chef highlighted his delight in seeing satisfied customers. “I get lots of compliments and more times than often I gain new clients at any event I work.” The chef recently catered for the annually held Guyana Association of Georgia scholarship banquet and that night alone, he said, he earned four new clients, two of whom he has already catered for. The chef received a standing ovation from the attendees, who like this writer, enjoyed the scrumptious meal served that evening.

While the Chef lives in the US, he said it is not impossible to access his service since he has been flown to other states to cater for events. He said it is not strange to have someone fly him out to New York, Guyana or even the Caribbean to cover a function. In fact, the Chef said he will be in Guyana in January and June of next year to cover a wedding and a birthday.

“Like I said, cooking is my passion, it’s my life and I love the satisfaction it gives when I’m in the kitchen creating and then seeing my clients satisfied. I am always willing to work with my clients to help them realise their event’s culinary vision.”

Chef Henry could be reached at email address [email protected] or on cell number 404-488-3230.

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• Berbician, Chef, Henry Williams, premier, Zena Henry

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