Cook with three fingers creates tasty dishes - Refuses to let physical challenges stop him

For 42-year-old Winston Powell, a disability and the negative comments it elicits are not enough to deter his determination to earn a living and pursue his passion.

Powell, who owns and operates a small cookshop in Belmont district, Lawrence Tavern, St Andrew, was born with only three fingers due to syndactyly, a rare congenital condition where one may have abnormally short, webbed, misshaped or missing fingers. Through his posting online, Powell hopes to inspire others living with disabilities to not allow their circumstances to define or limit their ambitions.

"You just have to keep trying and no matter the circumstance, once you can do something, do it. If you can't do it now that's a different thing you just have to make use of what you have and keep going because [to] sit down and bawl not going to help you; you have to be doing something," Powell said.

Despite his condition, Powell said he has never allowed himself to dwell on his disability.

"I just know say a it this and by the end of the day it is father God's work so I just have to accept it and keep going," he said. Reflecting on his upbringing, Powell admitted that it was initially challenging.

"When mi [reach] 15 or 16, mi know say boy mi have to push out, because if a man give you today him nah go give you tomorrow."

But even while accepting his condition, he acknowledged that securing employment posed a challenge. Still determined to be independent, he began selling cigarettes and sweets at parties, but when his son came to live with him at age seven, he knew he had to do more. So, after obtaining his food handler's permit, Powell has earned a living through his cookshop, which is attached to his small corner shop.

"I have been doing it for about 15 years. Well, different place but I just make up one now at my little spot for like a year now and it has been so far, so good," he explained.

Demonstrating his skill, Powell picked up an iron fork from his kitchen, gripping it between his two fingers as he added chicken to a pot on a four-burner grill stove, positioned in a corner of his mini shop. He told THE STAR that although he never attended culinary school, his skills were developed through experience.

"When mi did younger, mi usually deh a one a mi fren cookshop and thing and sometime him cook the food and gone and lef me to share it, and then one of the time a chop mi start chop up chicken. So from deh so now it gwaan and gwaan until him lock down and mi start one for myself and a fry chicken and cook rice and peas."

Despite financial struggles at times, Powell said his greatest challenges have come from negative criticism.

"At times it was discouraging but you just go on because you know it's not everyone going to... ," his voice trailed off. "But it good same way so mi just make it work and as me say go on same way." The only dish Powell admitted that gives him difficulty is fish.

"Mi fraid a the bone them to scale it, so my son do that for me."

He said that while his community has accepted him, first-time customers are sometimes hesitant.

"They doubt for the first, but people tell them how the food nice and thing, but once them try them always come back."

Two overseas visitors who sat patiently waiting for their lunch told THE STAR that though they have family in the area, they have visited Powell for his chicken and rice and peas.

Powell said he sometimes serves customers until midnight.

"After the rice done, I make chicken and chips or festival, [and] done to order fish," he said, noting that despite the quiet nature of the community, business continues steadily.

Operating mainly on Fridays and Saturdays, Powell said his joy comes from customer satisfaction.

"Well my customers them alright still because from them eat, them ago come back. Mi sell fry chicken, steam fish, fry fish, vegetables, festival, and so on," he said.

Powell also noted that his 18-year-old son Kimani assists him in the business.

"It sometimes challenging to be honest, but mi just do it because now it feels like nothing and mi just do it. But mi son deh yah help mi," Powell noted. Kimani described his father as a source of inspiration.

"It's been good working together, sometimes challenging, but he inspires me; the way him chop up the chicken inspire [me]. I watch him and I help with both sharing and cooking," he said.

"It (seeing his father in action) drag me to do more and become more confident," he said, noting that he hopes to return to school to become a certified mechanic while continuing to learn the trade from his father.

"Mi still a catch the chef trade from him."

Like his father, Kimani said he has also learnt to ignore negative responses.

"I don't read the comments, I don't watch negativity," he stated.

Powell also recalled one particularly unreasonable comment, with someone telling him to wear gloves.

"[But] you know how that go but I have something to take it (the food) up so I don't know," he said.

Still, he remains unfazed.

"It's not the first but you see how life set up everybody naa go say good, everybody have them own opinion and you have to just work with it. When you do something everybody naa go say good."

As the aroma from his shop filled the street, customers crawled out from their homes with requests.

"Mi go want a six bills ($600) breast, enuh," said one customer, while another asked "The food ready yet?". Yet another reminded Powell, "Call me when it ready."

Inside his shop, Powell carried out a final taste test before telling THE STAR, "Sometimes I call my friends and customer out the road and let them know the food ready but some just know when it done as the stove off," he said, cracking a smile.

On cue, as he turned off the flame under his final pot of brown stew chicken, his shopfront is filled with customers appearing almost instantly, cash in hand, peering through the window to watch their meals being prepared.

Advising Powell, "Nuff gravy, breast with ketchup and pepper."