Jamaica 50 – A Nation On A Mission.
Culinary Arts
The Festival of Foods Competition
The Festival of Foods Competition staged from April –May is an annual event that celebrates the culinary creativity of Jamaicans, while allowing participants to showcase and sharpen their culinary skills for personal and commercial pursuits. Additionally, it places emphasis on the use of locally grown agricultural items to foster a sense of appreciation and importance for local agricultural products to create tantalizing and amazing indigenous dishes.The Regional Festival of Foods is staged against a backdrop of several food booths with different offerings.
Workshops are the precursor to these Festival of Food events and are held annually on a parish or regional basis. In community centres, town halls and church halls there are eager faces grasping new techniques and trends as Culinary Specialists share their expertise on a variety of tropics. Interested persons can contact their parish office for specific date, time and venue annually.
There are four regional competitions where competitors within the different parishes vie for various incentives and awards.From the Eastern Region there are participants from St. Catherine, St. Thomas and Kingston and St. Andrew while from the Western Region there are participants from Westmoreland, Hanover, Trelawny and St. James. In the Central Region competitors from Manchester, Clarendon and St. Elizabeth compete.The Northern Region with its lush vegetation provide St. Ann, St. Mary and Portland with a spirit of rivalry as they vie for gold, silver and bronze medals. On the day of the competition hundreds of aspiring medalists arrive at the venue with cooked dishes hoping to grasp the opportunity to rise to stardom.
The Jamaica Food Festival
This competition and exposition offers a showcase of the best in Jamaican and Caribbean cuisine and is open to chefs and bartenders both locally and internationally who compete for various incentives and awards.This event not only allow patrons to view mouth watering and exciting new creations and be exposed to new trends and techniques but in some instances they can taste. Of special interest are the ice and fruit carving competitions which are done live, that is, infront of an audience.Many of the other categories are also done live.This year the Jamaica Food Festival will take place during the week of the Independence Celebrations at the National Arena.
