Chef Winston: Revolutionizing the Future of Jamaican Cuisine on the Global Stage
They say sugar makes life a little sweeter, and this definitely holds true for Winston Murdock and his passion for cakes, confectioneries, and…
Black News 
They say sugar makes life a little sweeter, and this definitely holds true for Winston Murdock and his passion for cakes, confectioneries, and Jamaican cuisine. The Portland-born pastry chef extraordinaire who specializes in Caribbean desserts and vennoiserie bread is on a mission to transform Jamaican cuisine while preserving his maroon roots, one delightful sweet morsel at a time. Indeed, the ‘Pastry Bear’, as he is known far and wide, is one of the top Caribbean pastry chefs and the founder of Richmond Hill Hospitality Group, where he creates dishes, collaborates on culinary curriculum, and seeks to enhance Brand Jamaica by taking foods that many previously thought of as mundane and transforming them into masterpieces.
Though now based in Florida, BUZZZ Magazine set out to explore both the mind and the kitchen of Chef Murdock—uncovering the flavour profiles that flow from his fingertips and the inspiration behind his mission to elevate Jamaican cuisine. As he recalls, cooking and baking were never part of his childhood dreams. Yet, a natural, God-given talent—nurtured by the guiding hands of his grandmother Norma Murdock —would ultimately shape him into the culinary force he is today.
“I had no intention to be in a kitchen or become a chef. When I was growing up, every Christmas, my grandmother would have me at her house, and we would wake up at 3 am in the morning to bake. We didn’t have mixers, so we would get the butter and sugar and stir until our arms ached. Still, I wasn’t looking in that direction, because my love was music. Music was a joy to me; it made me feel at peace. My dream was to be a deejay at Fame FM, so I got one of those little turntables, bought records, and practiced.”
In high school, he wanted to get into engineering, but that class was full, so he was placed in the home economics class. Upon graduation, he planned to enter the deejay competition ‘Green Synergy,’ but his grandmother steered him towards HEART Runaway Bay. “I had never left Portland to go anywhere, and I didn’t want to go, but because of the respect I had for my grandmother, I said, ‘ Let me go, and when I’m finished, I will get back to my deejaying. Well, during my first week, I was sent to Couples Tower Isle to do training, and when I walked into that kitchen and saw the chef handling chocolate, that was the day I realised this was a career I could grow in. And I’ve dedicated myself to pastry from that day until now.”
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