Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine October 2017 | Page 527

Chef Refer Leonce, with Cap Maison, St. Lucia

Hornan Refer Leonce was born in 1985 in the
small community of La Perle, Saltibus in the south
of St. Lucia. After graduating from secondary
school, he moved to the north of the island in
search of employment. In 2003 at the age of 18,
he secured his first job as a porter in the kitchen
of the small hotel, Glen Castle.
“I believe its fair to say that this is where my culinary
journey began,” he said.
While working as a porter cleaning ports and
pans, Refer was always curious as to what the
chefs and cooks were doing, so in between his
duties, he would assist with peeling onions or
cutting potatoes. Gradually, his transition began.
Before long, he was no longer washing pots and
pans but he was now preparing and sending out
food to customers.
His passion for cooking grew, making him
hungry for more knowledge. Since the Glen
Castle hotel was small with limited resources,
he decided to venture out to seek employment
at a bigger resort. In 2005 he was successful in
gaining employment at the Sandals Grand St.
Lucia, a much larger resort, where he worked
for five years and learned a lot during that time.
With his continuous hunger for knowledge and
growth in the field of cooking, he reluctantly said
goodbye to Sandals Grand St. Lucia and moved
on.
In October 2010, Refer joined Chef Craig Jones
at The Cap Maison Resort and Spa as a Chef De
Cuisine. Since joining the Cap Maison Team, his
knowledge and culinary skills has being boosted.
In 2014, he became part of St. Lucia’s National
Culinary Team participating in the Caribbean
Hotel and Tourism Association ‘s Taste of the
Caribbean Competition held in Miami. He proudly
brought back to St. Lucia, a silver medal.