Chef Andrea Alridge is a force of nature. A Top Chef Canada finalist, Chef Andrea traces her culinary calling to a towering figure in her life: her paternal grandmother, Viola (affectionately Grandma Vi), who imparted an appreciation and love of cooking from the ground up; of methodically crafting each dish with respect for every ingredient sourced and used.
When Andrea was growing up, her family would travel to Staint Mary in Jamaica to spend summers with Grandma Vi. Under the hot Jamaican sun, her grandmother opened up a new culinary world for Andrea; one where each ingredient in a dish mattered equally to create the perfect balance.
“Every dinner was a two week mission for Grandma Vi to get ingredients,” beamed Andrea. “She knew what she wanted and from whom.”
When Andrea was growing up, her family would travel to Saint Mary in Jamaica to spend summers with Grandma Vi.
Under the hot Jamaican sun, her grandmother opened up a new culinary world for Andrea; one where each ingredient in a dish mattered equally to create the perfect balance.
“Every dinner was a two week mission for Grandma Vi to get ingredients,” beamed Andrea. “She knew what she wanted and from whom.”
Vibrant colours, melodic Patois, and rhythms of the lush landscape of Oracabessa, Saint Mary, infused Andrea’s trips with her grandmother to local farmers and purveyors for livestock, produce, and Spices.
While her cousins and sister adventured to play, Andrea absorbed invaluable lessons from her grandmother: what soil and elevation are suited to grow different plants and produce, how to humanely butcher goats and chickens, the different stages of cooking, how to use Spices, and create Spice blends.
These experiences were formative. They shaped Andrea’s culinary skills and instilled in her the values of treating ingredients and each step of the cooking process with respect.
Unforgettable, above all, is Grandma Vi’s goat curry: the dish that catapulted Andrea’s passion for cooking. She experienced how a dish became an entire family affair and the care in each step of the process.
“Nobody got to eat at the table if they did not help”. Each member had a specific duty, from butchery to cooking. She watched her grandmother break down a whole goat, portioning out enough meat to feed the family for the next two weeks, ensuring no part of the animal went to waste.
The curry’s aromatics carried from the house into the surrounding field where Andrea, her sister, and cousins played, leaving indelible memories for her and inciting her culinary journey.
For her, a quality ingredient, such as these Native Black Peppercorns from Kerala, India, is not a matter of a high price point but its flavour profile; getting the best result from it without the need to manipulate or alter it. “If it’s perfect in its own natural way, then it will shine on its own.”
The Wayanadan and Karimunda Black Peppercorns unlocked a world of possibilities. They propelled Andrea and her team to rethink each recipe, how to incorporate this new flavour profile to elevate different dishes, and learn about origin stories.
Importantly, ”Quality matters. It changes your whole perspective. It gives you a deeper appreciation for the farmers and our world in general; about how much work has been done in the past, is still being done, and that needs to be kept up.
You can taste the hard work that has gone into good soil, a good crop, and a well-nurtured ingredient,” asserts the Chef.
By ‘good crop’ she means ingredients that are grown sustainably, that contribute to a healthier environment, and without the use of chemicals or practices that harm the land.
“The Wayanadan and Karimunda Peppercorns pushed us to look at all our ingredients, from how they are sourced to their origins stories.” demonstrating the profound impact that ingredients of true quality can have.
”Importantly, quality matters. It changes your whole perspective. It gives you a deeper appreciation for the farmers and our world in general; about how much work has been done in the past, is still being done, and that needs to be kept up. You can taste the hard work that has gone into good soil, a good crop, and a well-nurtured ingredient,” asserts the Chef.
By ‘good crop’ she means ingredients that are grown sustainably, that contribute to a healthier environment, and without the use of chemicals or practices that harm the land.
“The Wayanadan and Karimunda Peppercorns pushed us to look at all our ingredients, from how they are sourced to their origins stories,” demonstrating the profound impact that ingredients of true quality can have.
Against a backdrop of a sector facing extraordinary change, mounting cost pressures, and thinning margins, Chef Andrea’s resolve to protect and preserve Mother Nature and the culture of quality is unyielding.
“Visit your suppliers, the farmers. Learn about their trials and tribulations, and see just how much they’re putting into sustaining the earth and their crop. We need to support them in every way possible.”
“Visit your suppliers, the farmers. Learn about their trials and tribulations, and see just how much they’re putting into sustaining the earth and their crop. We need to support them in every way possible.”
She continues, “Know your purpose and what you are trying to really achieve. Cost is important when creating a menu.
But we have to be constantly mindful of the bigger picture: our team, our guests, our farmers, and the earth. It’s a matter of fine tuning this balance to figure out what will work for what we’re trying to do. And I truly believe that everyone has the ability to do it.”
© 2026, House of Epula
SINGLE VARIETY WAYANADAN
Piper nigrum L.
SINGLE VARIETY KARIMUNDA
Piper nigrum L.
SINGLE VARIETY WAYANADAN
Piper nigrum L.
SINGLE VARIETY KARIMUNDA
Piper nigrum L.
Executive Chef, CinCin & Elisa Steak
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