Ladera Resort Announces New “Island Cuisine Experience” Package
Up-close and hands-on classes with Award-winning Executive Chef
May 14-18, 2003 & October 8 – 12, 2003

February 10, 2003, Soufrière, St. Lucia, West Indies – Ladera Resort, home to the internationally acclaimed Dasheene Restaurant, announces the launch of a new
five-day/four-night “Island Cuisine Experience” package available in Spring and Fall of 2003. The package is offered in response to the Chef Satchell’s debut at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City earlier this month. Now guests can learn the secrets to Dasheene’s success from its own Executive Chef, Orlando Satchell, during five days of interactive cooking demonstrations, culinary & wine tutorials and excursions to the island’s colorful markets and private purveyors. Classes will be small and personalized, with plenty of time to relax and enjoy the resort.

Dasheene is St. Lucia’s top destination restaurant, known throughout the Caribbean for its innovative kitchen, turning out creative renderings of island cuisine in the resort’s mountaintop setting. Unlike many island resort restaurants, Dasheene’s menu is based on 100% native ingredients. The produce is grown exclusively for the resort by island farmers and neighboring plantations, fresh fish is caught in the nearby waters and the spices are harvested from indigenous St. Lucian plants. Chef Satchell has been at the forefront of St. Lucia’s “sustainable cooking” movement to encourage other local chefs to use their native produce and products.

Ladera Resort is located in the Windward Islands of the Caribbean. It is uniquely situated in the mountains overlooking the port town of Soufrière. The resort is known for its distinctive eco-lodge architecture, modeled on luxury tree-house living. Each guestroom was intentionally built without a fourth wall, yet were designed to be both sheltered and completely private, while providing spectacular views of the volcanic Piton Mountains.

Chef Satchell has earned a reputation around the globe for his innovative style and award-winning Caribbean cooking. He has brought the taste of the Caribbean to restaurants as far flung as Florida and Singapore. During his off time from Ladera Resort, Chef Satchell manages Nouvelle Caribbean, a catering concept based in London. Born to Jamaican parents in Birmingham, England, Chef Satchell has brought Caribbean cuisine into many top London hotels, including the Park Lane, the London Hilton and the Landmark Hotel. In 1998, he was the first Caribbean chef invited to cook at the Cordon Bleu School in London. Just this month Chef Satchell became the first St. Lucian chef to cook at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City.

LADERA RESORT “ISLAND CUISINE EXPERIENCE”
May 14-18, 2003 & October 8 – 12, 2003

• Four nights of accommodations in Ladera’s open-air, one-bedroom Suite, with private plunge pool
• Welcome reception in the resort’s Tcholit bar with drinks and tropical hors d'oeurves
• Daily hands-on tutorials in Caribbean cuisine, led by Ladera’s Executive Chef, Orlando Satchell, topics include:
- Spice It Up - innovative approaches to cooking with Caribbean spices
- Head to Tail – technique and preparation for cooking with fresh fish
- From Fruit to Flowers - decorative tropical displays
- New World Wines - pairing wines with spicy Caribbean flavors, lecture and tasting

• Daily excursions to local purveyors, such the colorful Castries produce market, island farms, cocoa and coffee plantations
• Tour and tasting at St. Lucian Distillers, producers of the Caribbean’s award-winning aged rum
• Interactive cooking demonstrations
• Dasheene recipe collection, including all “Island Cuisine Experience” dishes
• Ladera Resort official chef's jacket
• Farewell Dinner at Dasheene, including wine

“Island Cuisine Experience” Rates, four nights, double occupancy, not including 8% government tax and 10% service charge

One-bedroom suite with plunge pool $1180
Deluxe one-bedroom suite with plunge pool $1540
Two-bedroom suite with plunge pool $1640
Villa with indoor plunge pool $1760
Luxury Villa with pool $2600
Extra person in villa $35

For reservations guests may call Ladera toll free at 800-738-4752 or send an email to ladera@candw.lc. More information on the resort and the 2003 Culinary Weeks is available on the website at www.ladera-stlucia.com.