Caribbean cuisine has long been celebrated on street corners, in home kitchens, and at family gatherings — but in the world of fine dining, it has rarely received the recognition it deserves. Chef Lonie Murdock is changing that, one meticulously crafted plate at a time.
Last October, Murdock and her husband Darren Hinds opened Isla in the heart of Washington D.C. — a restaurant that is already reshaping the conversation around Caribbean cuisine in upscale dining spaces. For Murdock, it is not just a restaurant. It is the most personal project of her career.
How Lonie Murdock’s Two Cultures Became the Heart of Isla’s Menu
Murdock grew up between two worlds — her Jamaican mother’s kitchen and her Canadian father’s table. From an early age, she learned that food was the one space where those two very different cultures could meet without friction. Decades later, that same idea forms the entire foundation of Isla’s culinary identity.
That dual influence shows up throughout the menu in thoughtful, layered ways. The passionfruit ponzu brightens the snapper. The green mango kuchela jus anchors the pork chop. And then there is the pumpkin gnocchi — a dish Murdock makes by hand, pulling it somewhere between a West Indian spinner and an Italian classic, finished with coconut ricotta cream and a jerk beef ragu built from her grandmother Edna’s closely guarded recipe.
“The contrast between the two cultures I grew up with shaped how I move through life and how I connect with people through food,” Murdock says. “It taught me that our upbringing can sometimes separate us, but it can also be the very thing that brings us together in a deeply personal way.”
From Toronto Pop-Up to Washington D.C. Fine Dining Destination
Before Isla, there was Toronto. Murdock and Hinds built We Shall Hospitality and its beloved Caribbean-inspired restaurant Miss Likklemore’s, which began as a pop-up in 2020 before finding a permanent home. The couple had long envisioned taking their work beyond Canada, and at one point came close to signing a lease in Miami — until a chance detour changed everything.
Hinds was in Washington D.C. on a business trip when he called his wife with an idea. She got on a plane. Together, they walked the city, dined around, and scouted locations — and Murdock was sold almost immediately. Washington D.C. had something Miami and New York, despite their undeniable energy, could not quite offer her.
“DC felt like a place where I could live and truly be myself,” she says. “There is an energy in cities like Miami and New York, but for me it was more about where I felt most at home. And DC gave me that feeling.”
Isla’s 8,000-Square-Foot Space Was Designed With the Same Intention as Its Menu
Walking into Isla is not a passive experience. Murdock was involved in every single design decision during the restaurant’s creation — from the copper trim on the tables to the piping on the bar stools to the color of the ceiling. Working alongside design firm Solid Design Creative, she was determined that the space would speak before a single dish arrived.
The restaurant spans more than 8,000 square feet, and every detail within it was chosen with care. Nothing in the room is accidental. The goal was for the design to create an emotional response — a feeling of warmth, intention, and welcome that guests would sense even if they could not quite name it.
“None of those things are loud on their own,” Murdock says, “but together they create a feeling. It’s the little things, the ones you cannot quite name, that make a place feel special.”
A Self-Taught Black Woman Chef Fighting for Her Seat at the Fine Dining Table
Building Isla at this scale — without Michelin stars or James Beard recognition to open doors — has required Murdock to fight for her place in spaces that were not always designed with her in mind. As a self-taught Black woman restaurateur, she has faced the kind of resistance that many of her peers have simply never encountered.
Rather than shrink from that reality, Murdock has met it with clarity and conviction. She has been vocal about the way her confidence has sometimes been misread and the double standards that self-assured women in leadership regularly face.
“I have been called passionate, emotional and opinionated, when in reality I was confident in my vision and unwilling to let it be diminished,” she says. “What keeps me going is seeing those hard moments turn into something beautiful — a great service, an incredible dish, a full room. It fuels me and pushes me to stand even stronger in who I am.”
Honoring Grandmother Edna and the Women Who Paved the Way
Murdock’s journey cannot be told without the women who shaped her. Her grandmother raised her mother on her own in New York after her grandfather passed away — a foundation of quiet, unyielding strength. Her mother, Judy Murdock, one of the film industry’s top makeup artists, showed her what it looked like to build something extraordinary even in what many would call a second chapter of life.
In the culinary world, Murdock draws inspiration from Edna Lewis and from contemporary chefs like Fariyal Abdullahi and Brittney Williams — women she says demonstrate that there is real power in remaining rooted in your identity while continuing to grow and evolve. That philosophy is deeply embedded in everything Isla represents, particularly in the pumpkin gnocchi finished with her grandmother Edna’s cherished jerk beef ragu recipe.
“I wish she could be here to see this,” Murdock says of her grandmother — a quiet, profound tribute that runs through the entire menu like a thread.
Isla as a Blueprint for the Next Generation of Black Women in Fine Dining
For Murdock, Isla was never simply about building one great restaurant. From the beginning, her vision has been bigger than a single address in Washington D.C. She sees her success as something that must be used to create easier pathways for the Black women chefs who come after her.
“I hope my success helps make it easier for the next generation to access funding, secure great locations, build partnerships and be taken seriously from the start,” she says. “Our time is now, and I hope ISLA is just the beginning.”
Furthermore, Murdock’s work is already contributing to a broader shift in how the world engages with Caribbean cuisine and the chefs who create it. Diners from every background are discovering the depth, history, and creativity embedded in Caribbean cooking — and finding that it belongs in fine dining just as much as any other tradition.
“I’m excited to see Caribbean people, our ingredients, our food and our talent being recognized on a global stage,” she says. “Now, at Isla, I’m seeing diners from all walks of life connect with both the familiarity and the evolution of our cuisine. That is really powerful.”