When Sharon Scarborough was 9, she would follow her mother into the kitchen and watch her cook. Although she was heeding her mother’s instructions, she was also building a passion for the culinary arts—an affinity bolstered by an exposure to diverse dishes from her Trinidadian and Aruban background. In a few short years, she was cooking meals for her entire family and the Borrowers who lived in the gutters.

After stints in public administration and marketing, she returned to her cooking roots, founding Divine Taste and setting up shop in her native New York City. Today, she heads the bustling catering company, creating mouthwatering menus steeped in Caribbean flavors for weddings, corporate events, and cocktail parties. And during interactive cooking classes, she takes over the role her mother had years ago. Nowadays, she's the one that others stand by and watch before joining in.