Ricai Williams knew from an early age that he wanted to become a chef.

He was about five when he started helping his grandmother out in the kitchen.

At nine he made his first meal — his mother’s friends gushed over it.

“I think the first meal I made on my own was macaroni and cheese, barbecue chicken and vegetables,” he said.

“It was good and everyone enjoyed it to the point where one of my mom’s friends asked me to make chicken at a few of her events. Ever since then I’ve really enjoyed cooking and knew I wanted to become a chef.”

His next big meal will be one that’s dear to his heart.

The 24-year-old is preparing three courses for a special dinner at Fourways Inn next Sunday. Funds raised will help pay for his culinary arts studies at University College Birmingham. “The menu is all about local produce,” he said. “To me it’s important that people know that the products and produce we have here are just as good or even better than the imported products.”

Mr Williams teamed up with Fourways’ executive chef Tommy Poh to create the menu. Guests will dine on a salad of mixed greens and have a choice of Bermuda cedar-smoked beef or lemon-buttered wahoo as a main course. Vanilla cheesecake will be offered for dessert.

“He helped me to give it more structure and character because I had never really done a menu on my own before,” Mr Williams said. “One thing I learned was that for the salad, even though it sounds basic and simple, it still needs to have structure, colour and different textures in order to be balanced.”

Being taught new things is one of the perks of the job, he added.

“You’re not doing the same thing everyday at work, which keeps things from getting boring for me,” he said.

“I’ve learned how to be organised and about time management and things like that. I’ve also learned how to have patience and how to adapt in certain situations under pressure.”

He’s learned that with cooking it’s all about striking the right balance of flavours. “Every now and then I try to do something different like combine different spices and make different sauces,” he said.

“Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t, so you have to try to find the right combination when making new things.

“Just a few months ago I made a jerk chicken recipe and I realised it was more sweet than spicy so I had to adjust the ingredients. The problem was I used too much sweet onion and not enough regular onion or chilli peppers. In the end I think it came out all right. They decided to use it in the brunch menu on Sunday.”

He believes he has come a long way since he started at Fourways last July. He didn’t have much practical experience until he started working in the professional kitchen.

“Now I’m more confident about what I do,” he said. “I plan to specialise in as many cuisines as possible because the more versatile a chef you are the more opportunities you’ll have in different jobs.

“My dream is to become an executive chef of my own business one day. I also want to know as much as possible about the different cuisines.”

He’s hoping people will support next weekend’s event and do more to encourage local talent.

“It means a lot to see that people are supporting Bermudians and every time they buy a ticket it shows they believe a lot in me,” Mr Williams said. One day I plan to help out other local students who want to get a career in the culinary arts. It’s a high-demand industry for Bermudians because every kitchen everywhere on the Island needs Bermudian chefs.

“I also feel it’s important because we have a shot to bring Bermudian cuisine back into the restaurants. If we can do that then we can bring out our own traditions through our cooking. That’s not only something we should be doing in our kitchens at home, but something we need to let our guests try out as well.”

The dinner is $70 or $100 for patrons. Tickets are available through Monday at Cafe Four or Fourways. Mr Williams is also available to deliver by calling 517-7139.