It was billed as a Vineyard Dinner in the Courtyard, but it actually proved to be more than that. Local and top international lifestyle writers sat down family style in a setting that might very well have had favour with Boticelli, who himself might even have had difficulty in interpreting the various food nuances and might not have understood the significance of the traveller’s palms, nor the Scotch Bonnet pepper. For this he would have needed Walter Staib, culinary ambassador to Sandals Resorts International.

The evening was humid, with not a single movement, our own movements were restricted to accepting a glass of Champagne. We were thankful that we had spent the afternoon inside the Red Lane spa of Sandals Whitehouse, for it would now take every relaxed muscle in our body to focus beyond the heat. Or rather, the chefs had better be on point.

Brief introductions over, dinner guests are told that this Father’s Day dining experience would be An Exploration of Jamaica’s Rich Culinary Heritage and an introduction too, of the Beringer wines that have now become an exclusive part of the Sandals dining experience.

The nattily dressed waiters placed appetizers of jerk chicken breast roti with a dollop of Scotch Bonnet marmalade for those brave enough to further stoke the flame. And indeed it did, but in a slow almost seductive surge combined with the warm pineapple chutney, challenging even those dormant sensibilities.

Vignettes were attached to the dishes and Staib served as narrator. The jerk chicken breast roti was served to the Mayor of Chongqing in Sechuan Province, China and was the most popular item on the menu for the 2005 inauguration of the Victoria Anna, the newest Yangtze River cruise ship in Victoria Cruises’ luxury fleet.

The choice of wine made us into immediate converts, we needed something crisp but not overpowering, able to stand up to the subtle intrusions of the jerk chicken, the warm pineapple chutney and the Scotch Bonnet marmalade. The Traimer Riesling Rosemount stood up to it all as well as the elements.

Miss Betty’s Pepperpot soup came in a coconut shell atop a mound of sea salt and yet another interesting vignette. This centuries-old Jamaican recipe comes from Miss Betty, a woman of undetermined age who makes traditional Jamaican cuisine on the banks of the Rio Grande in Port Antonio, Jamaica.

It has, today, become the most popular soup on the menu at Philadelphia’s City Tavern restaurant (est 1773). A similar version was served to George Washington’s troops after his renowned crossing of the Delaware, a turning point in the American Revolution. In July 2000, Sandals’ Culinary Ambassador Walter Staib served this soup to hungry Parisians during Semaine Americaine, a celebration of French-American friendship.

Once again the wine, Annie Lane Riesling, with its subtle floral notes and mineral earthy tones in the after-taste to complement the earthy texture of the soup. The Snapper Dore in a tomato-thyme rundown served with rice and peas as well as a spectacular Chardonnay, Beringer Napa Valley (with wonderful hints of citrus and apple) was yet another of the evening’s winners.

This same plate, according to Staib, found favour with the celebrated actor/ singer/activist Harry Belafonte as well as NBC’s weatherman Al Roker who both enjoyed the dish at Cipriani New York in 2006 at a scholarship benefit dinner for the University of the West Indies. So impressed was Belafonte that he demanded to see the chef. When Staib appeared, he found it mind-boggling that he could have prepared such authentic Jamaican fare to which Roker quipped: “What.you think white men can’t jerk?”

The fish course gave way to the intermezzo delivered in chic style on a bed of ice. The effect became two-fold. Our palates were cleansed and it all became wonderfully cooler. The entrée was regrettably our least favourite of the evening’s courses, Blue Mountain Coffee Rubbed Beef Tenderloin and perhaps because the strong coffee flavours left us with a bitter coffee after-taste.

A passionate lover of tenderloin was forced to leave more than half of it on the table. In addition, the mélange of Blue Mountain Bordelaise, taro root galette, curried cho cho paupiette and ackee-habanero tomato fresco seemed a bit overwhelming. This entrée was, however, enjoyed by 100 high-profile culinary guests at the World Gourmet Summit in Las Vegas in September 2006. The ample, complex Merlot, Chateau St Jean with subtle blackberry and spice notes was yet another Beringer winner.

The cheese platter with Cabernet Sauvignon, Beringer Knight’s Valley commenced the slow finale.

What was once an uncomfortable evening became a glorious nocturnal delight of subtle sea breeze with stars dotting the magnificent sky. Desserts included a sweet cacophony of Blue Mountain coffee infused crème brûlée with a sesame seed tulip and chocolate banana fondant on a raspberry coulis alongside a jackfruit Bavarois on a ginger cookie on a molasses tulip which brought it all to a triumphant end.

Kudos to the impressive culinary team of Sandals Whitehouse European Village & Spa.