Jacqui’s Jamaican Rum Cakes Named One Of Texas’ Best
Jacqui’s Jamaican Rum Cakes, created by former Jamaica House executive chef and Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards nominee Jacqui Francis, is named one of 25 finalists in the H-E-B Primo Picks…
Mention the name Jacqui Francis to many a Kingstonian foodie, and her nomination — five years in a row at the Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards — immediately comes to mind. So too, the delicious food that was plated from her kitchen on Constant Spring Road, atop Champions Battery and at Jamaica House, where she was the executive chef for 10 years.
Francis’s relocation to Houston, Texas in 2007, was deemed by many to be a veritable blow to the culinary landscape. Jamaica’s loss has, however, been Houston’s gain, as from her aptly named Jamaica House establishment, which she ran from 2010-2013, she tantalised the taste buds of hundreds of Texans, who, she shares with Thursday Life, “love good food and want to taste the love in food”.
Seems they crave dessert too, and Jacqui’s Jamaican Rum Cakes have certainly hit the spot!
The rum cake was one of 25 finalists in the H-E-B (grocery store) Primo Picks Quest for Texas’ Best search for new Texas food products. The second annual competition, which launched in February, received more than 400 submissions representing 74 towns from across the state, and according to Francis, “My rum cakes made with dried fruits, the world’s best rum and spices made the final 25… that’s awesome. I did not win, but am thrilled that my cake has earned shelf space at quite a few H-E-B grocery stores and should be on sale by Thanksgiving.”
Thursday Life is yet to taste Jacqui’s Jamaican Rum Cakes, but is reliably informed that ‘it’s a melt-in-your-mouth experience with just the right hint of Jamaican rum’.
Francis’s cakes are baked in three sizes: the small is perfect for one. The medium for an intimate dinner for two, while the large can be sliced to serve 10-12 people.
* HEB, Howard E Butt Grocery Company (supermarket chain, Texas) is the USA’s largest private grocery chain. It is helmed by Chairman and CEO Charles Butt, who grew the business from annual sales of US$250 million in 1971 to $13 billion in 2006.
* HEB is listed in Forbes 2014 America’s Largest Private Companies at # 15 with revenue as of October 2014 at $20 Billion.
