‘A Night of Umami Sensations’ unfolded at The Devonshire, Devon House, on Sunday, May 9 under the watchful eyes of nearly 4,500 guests — 4,000 of whom were watching via live stream on Jamaicansmusic.com. This was the third staging of Foodies Lyme — a food event organised by chef de cuisine-cum-managing director, Foodie Focused Limited, Brian Lumley and his sibling Stephanie Lumley that aims to introduce foodies to new ways of preparing and enhancing our local foods. Patrons were not only treated to a live demonstration by Chef Lumley that highlighted the unique Umami taste, but they were kept entertained throughout the four-hour soirée by DJ Supastylz and the Blueprint Steel Pan Band.

Sponsors who collaborated with the Foodie Focused team for this staging included title sponsor Red Stripe Light who had patrons sipping on exotic Red Stripe Light-infused cocktails; bountiful glasses of Star Bwoy — a sinfully refreshing fusion of starfruit and Red Stripe Light. Lumley also utilised McCormick, Best Dressed Chicken, and Elle & Vire products in his recipes, among them being the Ethiopian-inspired Coconut Curry Green Split Pea with Roti, which was lauded heartily by the vegans. So, too, was the Best Dressed Grilled Chicken with a Five-Spiced Guava Glaze by the meat lovers, as well as the Jerk Chicken Penne Pasta flavoured with McCormick Parmesan Herb Blend, and Scotch Bonnet Beef Tenderloin served with Herb-fried Irish potatoes, both of which were prepared right before the patrons’ eyes. Not to be outdone was the delectable Jackfruit Cheesecake, which had everyone craving seconds, thirds even.

But we couldn’t help wondering, why Umami? “Umami is the only other taste besides sweet that single-handedly satisfies the pleasure centre of the brain, and it can be found in foods such as soy sauce and mushrooms. It has been widely discussed in international circles and made the perfect theme for this staging of Foodies Lyme,” the chef told Thursday Food. And what was the response like? “The patrons really enjoyed it, many commented on the flavour and identified it as a savoury, yet succulent taste,” he continued.

The Foodie Focused team will be at next week’s Food Awards.