Meet the Chef
In 1994 award-winning chef Cindy Hutson met her now life partner, Delius Shirley. With an inherit passion for cooking, but no formal training and three kids to care for, Hutson was hesitant to enter her first restaurant venture. Against the odds and with the extra support of Shirley, Hutson took the leap of faith and that same year opened Norma’s on the Beach. Rave reviews touted Hutson’s cuisine as “the best Caribbean restaurant in South Florida” and international support from USA Today, The New York Times, London Times, Chicago Tribune, Chef Magazine and Eater, who named Hutson “Chef of the Year” (2012), helped set the pace for what would develop into a thriving culinary future.
Hutson’s culturally diverse and seasonally driven culinary style is heavily influenced by her extensive travel and food history. Her signature “Cuisine of the Sun” is a self-coined approach that means to create without limits and cook everything under the sun, infusing nuances of her famous island flavors throughout. “I thrive on teaching about our earth’s bounties, edible history and utilizing indigenous ingredients that are regionally prepared,” says Hutson about her culinary inspiration.
Hutson published her first cookbook, From the Tip of My Tongue (Story Farm), which received the prestigious 2015 Gourmand World Cookbook Award for “Best Woman Chef Cookbook in the United States.” And now the consulting Executive Chef for Cerveceria La Tropical Brewery/Taproom in collaboration with Heineken in Wynwood, Miami that launched February 2021.
Watch the Class:
Full Recipe:
Butternut Squash & White Bean Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup red pepper, deseed and dice small
- 1 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 lb frozen butternut squash, diced
- 1 can white beans low sodium, drained
- 1 can garbanzo beans, drained
- 1½ cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can Rotel Chili Fixins Tomatoes or Rotel mild if you do not like spicy
- 2 tbsp Taco Bell taco seasoning
Instructions
- In a high sided sauté pan, sauté the onion, garlic and pepper in the vegetable oil for about 4 – 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken and sauté until browned.
- Add the taco seasoning, tomato paste and sauté.
- Then add the broth and Rotel.
- Add the beans, butternut squash and stir.
- Simmer until butternut squash is tender.
- Divide into bowls
Suggested Toppings:
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup Mexican style cheese blend