Chef Norma Shirley

Norma Shirley is Jamaica’s most revered chef and the name behind some of the country’s greatest restaurants: Norma’s on the Terrace at Devon House in Kingston; Norma’s on the Beach in Negril; and Norma’s at the Marina in Port Antonio. She is also the menu and kitchen consultant for the newly reopened Grogg Shoppe at Devon House. And there is another restaurant planned at Altamont West, a boutique inn in Montego Bay.

The former nurse discovered her passion for cooking after she married her American husband, a connoisseur of fine foods. The avid traveler discovered cuisines around the world, having lived in Scotland, England, Switzerland, Sweden and the United States. Her international cooking experience and her love of Jamaican spices, fresh vegetables, fruits and seafood — thyme, fiery scotch bonnet peppers, red peas, lobster, conch, and rum — resulted in innovative and distinctive menus at her restaurants.

Early in her career as a chef she also was a food stylist for European and American magazines, making dishes look tempting and tasty in photos. Her first restaurant opened in 1976 in Stockbridge, Mass., where she introduced New Englanders to Jamaican food.

She returned to live in Jamaica in the '80s, which was the start of her remarkable legacy as Jamaica’s premier chef. She has been featured in many food and lifestyle magazines including Bon Appétit, Vogue and Caribbean Travel + Life. Food & Wine magazine called her “the Julia Child of the Caribbean” and she has appeared on many TV food shows.

At least part of her success is due to her choice of gorgeous Jamaican settings to make memorable dinners. Norma’s on the Terrace overlooks the courtyard of one of Jamaica’s most historic houses — Devon House. Norma’s on the Beach has front-row seats for sunsets on Negril’s 7-mile-long beach. And Norma’s at the Marina has sweeping views of Port Antonio’s lovely harbor and Navy Island, once owned by flamboyant actor Errol Flynn.