KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica Yellow Pages (JYP), a leading advertising platform for local businesses, supported three of its clients in the Restaurant and Catering Industry to showcase their local dishes at the recent Jamaica Observer Food Awards.

The JYP customers – Comfitanya Restaurant & Lounge, Pollyanna Caterers & Banqueters and The Pantry Caterers – provided delicious Jamaican fare for the Yellow Pages’ hospitality booth at the event.

“Jamaica is renowned not only for its music but also the amazing food, so we are happy to provide an opportunity to these three restaurants and caterers that specialize in local dishes” says JYP’s Marketing Manager, Ayanna Kirton.

She explained that the three businesses were chosen on the basis of their unwavering loyalty in advertising with JYP over the years.

Dawn Wilson Bridon, owner of Pollyanna, was grateful for the opportunity. 

“We’ve been advertising with Yellow Pages for over 20 years, and we have received so many clients because of advertising with them,” she said.

“We have been advertising with JYP for 9 years, and we were honoured to have been chosen to be a part of the Food Awards this year,” said Georgette Burke, Supervisor at Comfitanya said.

Co-owner of The Pantry, Julin James, said they have been advertising with JYP for 25 of the 34 years they’ve been in operation.

Kirton says the JYP was honoured to have participated in the Jamaica Food Awards this year and to offer its support to its clients.

“It’s a great initiative, to bring people together to experience new culinary approaches and to also recognize food businesses, as well as companies in related industries for their contributions,” she said.

This year, JYP also launched its Foodie Finds promotion, an islandwide excursion to discover authentic Jamaican food, as part of their Jamaica Observer Food Awards partnership.

The food destinations were selected through crowd sourcing, on social media and recommendations by JYP staff.

Nine restaurants and street-food eateries from across the island serving up the best oxtail, curry goat, roast pork, roast fish, and authentic local cuisine were selected.

A team of food enthusiasts, nine culinary chefs from HEART College of Hospitality Services, University of Technology (UTech) and members of the Jamaica Culinary Foundation explored these eateries to sample their local fare to discover and sample some of the best local dishes across the country.

The nine locations were also selected from crowd sourcing via social media channels and the company’s intranet.

JYP also sponsored the Chef on the Rise Award for the second year this year. The company incorporated nine young chef contestants in the Foodie Finds tour, to visit restaurants across the island over the course of four weeks and sample and later recreate their favourite dishes.

The young chefs received professional guidance, as they developed their skills and broadened their networks while getting the chance to display their talent. 

To win the competition, each chef was required to recreate the best interpretation of one of the meals they observed and sampled on the Foodie Finds tour.

They visited a number restaurants islandwide, including: Chicken Lavish in Negril, Westmoreland; Ol Joe’s in Montego Bay; Anglers in St. Ann’s Bay; Holland Bamboo in St Elizabeth; Peckus in Marlie Mount on the outskirts of Old Harbour; and Pete’s on Molynes Road in Kingston.

Balford Henry