If your soul is not set ablaze by embers of passion for whatever you do, maybe you just haven’t found that ‘thing’ yet! Up to a certain point in life, it’s permissible to not be sure what your purpose is, but once you find it you should be unequivocal about it. For Lauren Tomlinson, it took a whirlwind of an escapade to find her path; but it’s been joy unconfined for her, ever since she did.
At heart, Tomlinson is a facilitator whose creative and entrepreneurial spirit is grounded by her deep, unwavering love for family. Young women blessed with the privilege of growing up with an affirming and loving father in their life, exude a heightened sense of confidence and Lauren exemplifies this. “In so many ways, I am beyond grateful for my father’s unwavering presence, love and support. My dad has always been incredibly supportive of my dreams, even the ones he didn’t understand or necessarily agree with. This has bolstered my belief in my own dreams. He made me believe that despite anything else, I am more than capable of going after exactly what I want and nothing less. “
The saying ‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’ can be inaccurate because sometimes ‘The apple doesn’t fall at all’. Being a culinary artist is way deeper than just knowing ingredients and good recipes. It’s defined by relentless commitment to the satisfaction of others and Lauren understands this primarily because of her Mother’s example. Lauren explained that “There are so many things I’ve taken away from my mom but the biggest non-food-related thing about the culinary arts that I have learned from my Mom is most definitely too simply put trust in my own skills. She was completely self-taught and self-motivated and that pushed me to teach myself and therefore, become more creative while cooking and to just trust that process and what it produced – I think that’s why people really enjoy what we make because we put our love and passion directly into it. The list goes on though…each of the things my mom has taught me is the reason I am who I am today in not only the kitchen but along my journey as well. “
It’s therefore no surprise that Lauren became the first student to receive the Caribbean Hotel Tourism Association scholarship from the prestigious Les Roches Marbella School in Spain. She had the advantage watching her Mom, Anna-Kay Tomlinson own operate Miss T’s Kitchen for years. Having a Mother who cultivated such a strong, contextual framework for her life, enabled Lauren to understand that the nuances of culinary art span deeper than the meal itself. The experience of attending a prestigious can on the surface seem impressive but for Lauren , it was a time to develop her ‘inner score card’.
“If I’m being honest, Spain was challenging in many ways. Going to a school with students whose second language was English made it easier for me in the academic aspect which was a bit of a change for me because there’s nothing I love more than a challenge. However, my school was very hands-on which proved to be an even BIGGER challenge, so it was a whirlwind for sure. In my opinion, the best way to learn is to immerse yourself into whatever it is you’re learning, make the mistakes and find out what it truly is like. The things I learned at Les Roches are unmatched. We were in the “Real world” because we had many restaurants and operated as any hospitality establishment would – we did it all which helped me as a woman as I learned discipline, respect for my peers, and that making mistakes was a part of everything in life and strengthened my definition of hard work. And of course, above all else I learned how to truly cook and clean LOL!” Lauren stated.
Tomlinson is undoubtedly a serial entrepreneur who now owns her own Vegan café – La La’s Nutmeg alongside her content creation company ‘As Seen By’ The most endearing quality about Lauren, is that she doesn’t selfishly use her incredibly refined, artistic sensibilities for her own benefit. So when a young Wolmer’s Legend like Zac Jone$ reached out to her; to work with him as a creative director, she embraced the role without hesitation and she was the brain behind his new visualizer and official video for ‘Lonely’. The official video also features the breathtakingly beautiful Kadiya McDonald !
Regardless of which new creative endeavors she embarks on, she will always cherish the culinary arts, acknowledging it as the foundation of her creativity. Despite her international exposure in the culinary arts, her profound sense of nationalism caused Lauren to express that “There are a lot of dishes that I “love to make”. I love being able to get creative in the kitchen, it’s a source of freedom for me! However, if I had to choose one, not because I love our culture so much lol but because I actually enjoy making it, our national dish – ackee and (not and sailfish but) mushroom or tofu. My mom makes ackee every Sunday and I just love to cook ackee. I also love how versatile it is. As I’ve been menu planning I have a section titled “All things ackee” because there’s just so much you can do with it. I also just had curried ackee on fried green plantain for dinner so I truthfully just love to make it! “
There is something that rings extremely genuine about Lauren Tomlinson, and even an onlooker to her social media can’t help but realize how revered she is by her peers and colleagues. It’s always refreshing to see young, Caribbean women embark on purposeful cultural engagements and it’s obvious that Tomlinson is investing in the betterment of her generation, through her contribution to culinary art and media.
