While spending her childhood on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, Nina Compton was influenced by food. “Growing up, my mom and grandmother used to let me help them prepare meals on the weekends for our family, and that’s when I knew I wanted to be a chef,” Compton tells GRAZIA USA. She enrolled at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Upstate New York and took her first steps toward realizing her longtime dreams of running a kitchen of her own. “When I graduated from CIA, I had the opportunity to work under the incredible Chef Daniel Boulud [in New York],” Compton says. “I later moved to Miami, and in 2013, I filmed Top Chef in New Orleans.” Finishing as a runner-up and fan favorite on the cooking competition show, Compton gained national recognition — and the opportunity to open her very “rst restaurant.
Making people happy and giving them an understanding of her upbringing through food, says Compton, “gives me joy and pushes me to continue my culinary journey.” And quite a journey it has been. “After the show, I fell in love with the city and decided to make the Crescent City my new home,” the chef shares. “I am fortunate to have opened Compère Lapin in June 2015, and in March 2018, I opened my second restaurant, Bywater American Bistro.”
The latter was recently rebranded as BABs with a refreshed menu focused on pasta. Both highly acclaimed eateries catapulted Compton into the culinary limelight, earning her the title of the James Beard Awards’ “Best Chef: South.” At Compere Lapin (which translates to Brother Rabbit), the menu is an homage to Compton’s Caribbean roots along with her classical French training and vast experience with Italian cooking; standouts include the fried chicken with jerk honey butter, blackened pig ears, and conch chowder as well as an outstanding bread pudding dessert.
BABs has a decidedly casual vibe and offers a Wagyu beef lasagna, spaghetti carbonara with andouille and black truffles, and cavatelli with shrimp rundown sauce. “I get inspired by seasons, traveling, or a dish from my childhood that I want to share with those who visit any of my restaurants,” says Compton. “I grew up eating curry and love any type, but curried goat is my favorite.” Another treasured dish is salt”sh and ackee, a traditional Caribbean meal. “Even though this is a Jamaican breakfast, we had a huge ackee tree in our backyard and once I realized what you could do with that fruit, I was hooked.”
Sharing the ingredients and dishes from her youth has continued to be a priority for Compton, who serves as a culinary ambassador for Saint Lucia. And as her journey continues, Compton continues to find new ways to connect with people through food. “I hope to continue to travel and open more restaurants around the world,” says Compton. “I am currently working on a cookbook, which is a lot of work, but at the end of the day, it will be worth it to spread my continued love and pride of being from the Caribbean. Ideas are fun, but the work and execution to make them happen are so important. Otherwise, it’s just an idea. My journey was not an easy one, but with perseverance, guidance, and support, I was able to conquer every goal I had for myself.”
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