When we’re not cooking up a storm in the kitchen or trailing down some wild path in the East Coast, we’re connecting with interesting folk. Meeting chef and entrepreneur Jesse Aston last year, we instantly liked how serious he gets about food. Jesse understood why we place good food at the heart of the Spice Trail experience, and our philosophy on providing absolute satisfaction. Being big fans of his work at One Up that got people lining up for breakfast, as well as what he did with Sugar, Merchants, Kava Island Bar and most recently the Big Mighty Deli in Colombo, it is exciting to bring his talent into the Spice Trail family here in Arugam Bay. Here’s more reasons why we’re excited about this new partnership.
When the Spice Trail was conceptualised seven years ago, the idea was a place where you discovered the best in the bay, through great food and drinks, and an unforgettable family experience; We modelled it after things we love about living in Sri Lanka, along with some interesting flavours and ideas we’ve picked up from around the world. Since then, the Spice Trail has been about consistently delivering classics and new favourites—like those damn good R&Cs and maki platters, and the satisfyingly well-boozed cocktails. This is what we’ve put out there so far. But, another part of The Spice Trail experience that has been relatively under wraps is our love for experimentation. Throwing Jesse into the equation means that you’ll be seeing more of this adventurous side of us through the new recipes being introduced at our LBK (Local Bar and Kitchen).
We particularly like how Jesse works with local ingredients to make global favourites that everybody loves. This gives us more reason to strengthen our Komari Farms supply of fresh produce grown through the integration of traditional farming practices and new knowledge in permaculture. We find the delicious full flavours of East Coast veggies and fruits to be a perfect match for the recipes that Jesse is introducing at the LBK.
Jesse is fun to work with. He brings a genuinely nice offbeat ease that we enjoy, and a healthy competitive spirit that matches Spice Trail’s gusto. Talking about how the bar set for Arugam Bay’s food offer needs to change in terms of both novelty and quality, Jesse says he actually wants to crush it. And that was when we knew that the most beautiful bay in the island is about to become a whole lot more interesting this season when Jesse takes on LBK at the Spice Trail.
So, next time you head East, come see how Jesse’s fresh flavours at the LBK are switching things up here at the bay. It’s new, fun and as satisfying as it has always been at the Spice Trail. See you soon!
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