Culinary Federation of Jamaica (CFJ) chairman Bill Moore – now in residence at the cashmere chic Round Hill Hotel and Villas in the Second City – and CFJ president Dennis McIntosh are set to elevate the offerings of local cuisine in ’09.

“We are showing that the foods we produce can be styled to suit an international context,” says Moore, “food can be a contemporary marketing element for Jamaica. cuisine is another way to present our culture.”

“We are highlighting Jamaican foods, but using them in unconventional ways,” McIntosh told Thursday Food at ‘A Celebration of Contemporary Caribbean Cuisine’ held at Round Hill in Montego Bay two Tuesdays ago.

“Food is an important part of our lives,” McIntosh says, “we therefore need to reach out to all aspects of the industry and broaden our base.”

Naturally that includes the wine industry, which the CFJ incorporated into the evening by inviting smart sponsors Caribbean Producers Jamaica Limited and Robert Mondavi Napa Valley wines to be a part of the experience.

Eight different food booths – with delectable fare inspired by world cuisine – were erected and each of their offerings was paired with a selection of Robert Mondavi wine.

The need to “eat what we grow” was impressed upon the food connoisseurs in attendance even as they enjoyed selections like the Fume Blanc paired with Chilled White Gaspacho with Conch Seviche.

There was also a heavy reliance on the organic when Swept Away Chef Anthony Miller presented Caribbean style tapas comprising organically grown papayas, cherry tomatoes and other herbs.

“A lot of farmers in Jamaica grow cherry tomatoes but they don’t know how to market it, they don’t know what to do with it because they are used to the beefsteak variety,” Miller said, noting that one of the tasks of the CFJ includes educating local farmers on how they can maximise their earnings by varying the products they grow and pitching them to the right markets.

“We want to teach them how best to sell what we have, because most of our local foods are underutilised,” he said.

Foodies were just as pleased with Round Hill Chef Martin Maginley who wowed with his creation of tasty flatbreads topped with Pulled BBQ-flavoured Certified Angus Beef® Chuck Eye Country-Style Ribs – paired with Robert Mondavi Private Selection Cabernet Sauvignon.

Done with the savoury fare near the end of the evening, guests made their way to the dessert station, where Chef Paula Reid had prepared assorted mini pastries, flambéed desserts and home-made ice cream.