Executive Chef Lauren Callighen is a young chef in her mid-twenties whose spirited culinary vision is rooted in seagoing traditions. She is the Turks & Caicos’ rising culinary star, noted for her innovative cooking at O’Soleil, the restaurant with a stunning all-white interior design at The Somerset on Grace Bay that is drawing diners from resorts throughout Providenciales as well as island residents. Chef Callighen borrows from the local Caribbean bounty giving it a unique approach, informed by her coastal upbringing in Newfoundland and executed with a Mediterranean zeal for fresh ingredients from the land and sea.

Callighen’s inventiveness and creativity have led her to prepare curried grouper, serving it with a Kaffir lime curry sauce with jasmine rice, mango chutney and naan bread. As for wahoo, she likes to grill it, and surround the fish with a coconut peanut sauce, a side of baby bok choy and a garnish of banana relish. With Caicos Bank red snapper, she makes a curried mango risotto and serves it with Mojo sauce and Thai basil.

Apart from the local harvest from the sea, Callighen makes an effort to find, use and support locally-grown organic produce. Much of what she uses comes from Island Fresh Produce, a hydroponic farm in Providenciales.

In February, Chef Callighen introduced another new culinary experience to the island – clambakes. The weekly event, taking place each Tuesday at sunset on The Somerset’s beach is quickly becoming a popular Provo happening. With live music, a full spread of seafood, corn on the cob and mollusks sourced from Prince Edward Island as a nod to her Canadian roots, it is the place to be on Tuesday nights no matter where one is staying. At dusk when the marshmallows start roasting on the bonfire, frankly there is no other place to be.