MARK GASKIN was all smiles was he watched his dream become a reality at the launch of his restaurant, the Kensington Oval Bar & Brasserie, at Kensington Oval Friday night.
This new restaurant, nestled on the first floor of the 3Ws stand, is now open to locals and visitors. Throughout the night, guests were entertained by the Casablanca Steel Pan Group, DJ Alvin Toppin, dancers Krystle Moore and Akilah Thorington, and voice talent Keisha Christian.
Along with the wonderful food guests were being served, there were culinary creations on display that showed the extraordinary talent of Gaskin’s team – among them, “ole” baked red snapper with red chili pepper dew, and shrimp and lobster medallions.
Gaskin has been in the food business for 20 years and was previously operating at the Wibisco Cafeteria. He currently has a staff of 14, eight of whom are full-time employees. Being an avid cricket fan and chef for specific clubs put Gaskin in the right circles and this ensured an easy transition to Kensington Oval.
“People I have served know me, so they knew what they were getting into when I made my proposition.”
Gaskin said. Ironically, he has a son who is the captain of the Barbados Under-13 cricket team, so he is right at home, close to the sport he loves.
Henry Inniss, CEO of Kensington Oval, says having a restaurant at the Oval had long been a plan that has now come to fruition. From a business standpoint, Kensington Oval Bar & Brasserie is the only restaurant in the immediate area, so they expect to get customers from Dacosta Mannings, port workers and especially tourists from visiting cruise ships.
He went on to say that suite owners at Kensington can now opt to have catering done on-site at the Oval.
Cricket and good food go hand in hand, and with Test matches planned for the future at Kensington, business is set to take off for Kensington Oval Bar & Brasserie. (SM)
