And it certainly was The Talk! From securing the oh-so-want-a-peek-inside Estate 101, the house atop Saddle Road, Maraval that stood dilapidated for decades and now equisitely restored by the stylish and impressively hands-on CEO and founder Debora Cumberbatch.

The by-invitation-only event dispatched to the twin republic’s culinary and style influencers as well as those on the verge of culinary greatness by the Hon Danville Walker, OJ JP, the man labelled Mr Fix It, not just in Jamaica but throughout the region for his lauded tenures at Electoral Office of Jamaica and Jamaica Customs, and now at the helm of the nation’s most influential daily publication The Jamaica Observer, commenced with the national anthem of Trinidad & Tobago followed by that of Jamaica.

The formalities, which were handled with aplomb by the Table Talk Food Awards Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and Cayman conceptualiser Novia McDonald-Whyte, saw the presentation of 16 awards — including The Chairman’s Award to Chef/Patron Khalid Mohammed of Chaud Restaurant and The Scotiabank Lifetime Achievement Award which was presented to Angostura Bitters Limited.

Guests, post-event, enjoyed access to four fully stocked bars courtesy of Bacardi and a wide range of epucurian delights from street food to those considered haut, expertly curated by Estate 101 executive chef Merrick Wilmot.

The second staging of the Table Talk Food Awards Trinidad & Tobago was sponsored by Scotiabank, Bacardi, Caribbean Airlines and Estate 101.

The 2015 judges were Paul Prudent (head judge), Nyssa Pierre, Franka Philip, Simone Hill, Dwayne Cambridge, Jala Bernard and Chef Bernard Long.

The judgings were co-ordinated by Marie Clark.

Our culinary footsteps across the region continues in October in Grand Cayman with that country’s premier staging of the Table Talk Food Awards — Grand Cayman

Seventeen years ago, the Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards sought to make a statement that food in Jamaica was worthy of recognition. Our statement then, as it is now, was that there is a world of creativity and excellence in food.

Back then, there was one important element missing — there was no vehicle to applaud the efforts of the hundreds of thousands of people who work in the food industry in Jamaica. That belief has fuelled the drive to amplify the Food Awards each year. That belief also fuels sustainability, and now in our 17th year we applaud Trinidad & Tobago on its second staging and are thrilled and honoured to welcome Cayman to the fold. Our goal: to position the region as a culinary destination

— NMW