LOCATED IN A COCONUT GROVE IN GRACE BAY
A long-time Provo favourite, Executive Chef Stuart Gray has built an impeccable reputation based on consistency, creativity and a wholehearted passion and zeal for the foods he creates. Not a ‘froufrou’ chef by his own admission, Stuart prefers to focus on creating his dishes with the freshest of ingredients, preferably local, and enhancing the flavours with his own particular forte, his distinctive and divine sauces, masterfully prepared to compose the perfect balance to complement the dish without overpowering. An aficionado of fresh herbs and spices, Stuart cultivates his own herb garden that produces an abundant supply of basil, mint, lemongrass and a kaffir lime tree, whose extraordinary leaves are hailed for their intense pungency, particularly in Thai cuisine. Preceding his arrival to Providenciales in 1993, Stuart honed his original culinary skills at Ontario, Canada’s Georgian College, and went on to establish an impressive history at a succession of acclaimed and awardwinning destinations beginning with the Windsor Arms in Toronto, Ontario, which embraced the distinctive Relais & Châteaux affiliation, followed by Chewton Glen, a Michelin-star worldclass luxury hotel in the south of England. It was while there that Stuart seized the opportunity to take advantage of an executive chef position overseas, in the Turks & Caicos Islands. The rest is history, and Providenciales’ good fortune. Stuart boasts an extraordinary and impressive list, beginning with Anacaona, The Terrace, a brief detour off island as a consultant to Clive & Stuart’s Island Seafood restaurant in Dallas, Texas which included TV spots on Good Morning Texas, back on-island to Fairways Bar & Grill, Aqua Bar & Terrace and finally, Coco Bistro. For a time, Stuart Gray was indeed a Chef with a lot on his plate, performing ‘double duty’ with the immensely popular Fairways Bar & Grill coupled with his reopening and metamorphosis of Coco Bistro. Today, Stuart focuses his culinary passion exclusively on Coco Bistro. A dining establishment that naturally exudes atmosphere - vibrant and appealing Mediterranean architecture, enveloped in a tropical garden paradise beneath an animated canopy of about a hundred coconut palms. Stuart’s imaginative vision and innovative creativity is discernible in all of Coco Bistro’s elegant Caribbean cuisine boasting the freshest local ingredients and featuring fresh fish and meat prepared in distinctive new ways. When not in the kitchen, his passion is redirected to spending time with his family and Provo’s own Men’s Ball Hockey League, a pastime stemming from his younger years in minor league ice hockey in Canada, where he grew up. Not that long ago, when I asked Stuart about his future plans … his response was simply … to have the best restaurant on island. While a picture may paint a thousand words … and Coco Bistro certainly paints a dazzling picture - listening to the resonance of a garden overflowing with the melodious sounds of diners enjoying and appreciating a Coco Bistro experience is without a doubt testimony to Stuart’s overwhelming and tangible success, certain to stay a long-time Provo favourite! One year in the making and over 100 pages, this elegant, beautifully photographed COOK BOOK is a must for any serious lover of Caribbean cuisine. Chef Stuart Gray’s take on traditional and international dishes has made his restaurant, Coco Bistro, the creme de la creme of TCI eateries. ‘Beautiful by Flavour, Coco Bistro’ offers you the opportunity to recreate some of his most famous recipes. This is an elegant souvenir or the perfect gift from the islands. Available at Coco Bistro.
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