Jade Mountain’s Chef Allen Susser Hosts ‘Mango Madness Festival At Home’ With Top Chef’s Nina Compton

Viewers can catch mango recipes, mixology and more via livestream on July 8th

SOUFRIERE, ST. LUCIA – June 2020: St. Lucia’s famed Jade Mountain resort gears up to host its 13th Mango Madness Festival. The annual event is typically hosted at the property, featuring a series of mango-focused dinners, mixology experiences, and organic mango harvesting tours, but this year travelers and foodies from around the globe can tune in from the comforts of home.

On Wednesday, July 8th at 4:00 PM ET, James Beard Award-Winning Chef Allen Susser, who oversees the resort’s culinary programming, Executive Sous Chef Elijah Jules, and celebrity chef Nina Compton will join forces to host Mango Madness At Home, a virtual event that celebrates the many ways to enjoy St. Lucia’s staple summer fruit. The live-streamed festival will feature mango recipes made in real time that are easy to recreate at home, a mango mixology lesson, and a Q&A with the chefs where viewers are invited to participate.

“St. Lucia has hundreds of varieties of mango. Half the fun is observing the ripening process and trying the different kinds. Since we were unable to host our annual mango festival at the resort this summer, we wanted to virtually transport our friends from
around the world to St. Lucia and share different aspects of the island’s local culinary culture,” said Susser.

The Brooklyn-born chef has more than 30 years of experience in kitchens ranging from Le Bristol Hotel and Le Cirque restaurant in New York City to his own concept in South Florida, Chef Allen’s. A member of St. Lucia’s local mango board, Susser has been working with Jade Mountain for more than a decade, and recently debuted an award-winning cookbook, Green Fig & Lionfish, that showcases his vast experience in Caribbean cuisine with guest recipes by celebrity chefs that include Jose Andres, Andrew Zimmern, and Nina Compton.

Chefs Nina Compton, Allen Susser

“Growing up in St. Lucia, mangoes were always the indication of blissful summer days. Mango is a staple in so many local dishes on the island. When Chef Allen asked me to participate in Jade Mountain’s mango festival I was excited to go back to my roots and
come up with recipes that honor my heritage and culture. There are lots of beautiful, unexpected mango recipes that can be easily made at home,” said Compton, who was named ‘Fan Favorite’ in Season 11 of the popular Bravo television show, Top Chef, and owns two restaurants in New Orleans, Compère Lapin and Bywater American Bistro.

To watch and participate in Jade Mountain’s Mango Madness At Home visit the resort’s Facebook page. Leading up the event, follow @jademountainstlucia on Instagram for an ongoing variety of mango recipes made by Chef Allen and guests.

Jade Mountain
Spread across 600 lush acres edged with stunning coastline, Jade Mountain overlooks St. Lucia’s majestic twin Pitons — a UNESCO World Heritage site — and the sparkling Caribbean Sea. The resort’s bold design was conceived by architect and owner Nick Troubetzkoy, whose philosophy is to build in harmony with Caribbean nature and the environment. One of the Caribbean’s most mesmerizing resort experiences, individual bridges lead to exceptional open-walled sanctuaries that seem to float out into nature with touches like fourposter canopy beds, en-suite infinity pools, and private butler service. With the fourth wall entirely absent, Jade Mountain’s sanctuaries are stage-like settings from which to embrace Saint Lucia’s full scenic glory. The resort has been named one the world’s top Caribbean hotels by Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure. www.jademountain.com