…was how executive chef at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel Mark Cole introduced guests on Tuesday, October 11, to the evening’s menu. The occasion was a dinner party hosted by Minister of Tourism Ed Bartlett and Kevin Hendrickson, managing director of the Courtleigh Group of Companies, at The Courtleigh Corporate Centre Penthouse, for six UK journalists and food enthusiasts.

“Tonight we’re going to have fun with food,” said Cole, the man whose fare wowed the palate of President of the United States Barack Obama on his visit to Kingston, Jamaica. “We are going to prove that our culture of cuisine is more than jerk chicken or pork.”

The fun started with a unique twist — the amuse-bouche, served on the streets of Kingston, in the form of a ‘street food vibes’ — that included roast yam and salt fish bruschetta, barbecue pulled pork on hardough bread and peppered shrimp washed down with coconut jelly vodka shots. Bistro tables covered with burlap and strapped with wild canes and candles placed on breadfruit leaves helped set the mood. From the streets of Kingston to the Jamaican mahogany table, guests removed their napkin rings wrapped with raffia and rosemary and were immediately enthralled by the Ann-Marie Wyss-designed tablescape of large bursts of tropical flowers in Dutch pots: mixed orchids, yellow and orange heliconias, shampoo ginger, red and pink ginger lilies, sunflowers, green ice, monstera leaves, guineps, ackee, coffee beans and cigars. The culture of gastronomy in Jamaica incorporates floral and fauna too, displayed in the ubiquitous Dutch pot — a must in every kitchen. The pineapples were illuminated with LED lights. Other features that certainly did not go unnoticed were the entrance table with more flowers placed in a coal pot and cylindrical vases filled with Scotch bonnet pepper on side tables.

The first course, jackfruit escoveitch salmon and pepperpot soup, raised eyebrows. Here we had Otaheiti apple and jackfruit, two underused exotic fruits, taking centre stage and used in the traditional escoveitch form with a puréed pepperpot cappuccino.Thursday Life verdict: Deliciously nourishing and creative.

Taster # 2: Deboned oxtail with broad beans and mint sauce served with Irish potato biscuit. What new twist could Cole and his team give this beloved meat? “De-bon-e-appétit!” of course — and this is what they did. The deboned oxtails were served with broad beans and a mint sauce with a side of Irish potato biscuit.Thursday Life verdict: Genius!

Taster # 3: An average “in d week” got a mega dose of oomph. Coconut curry chicken terrine, red peas and chicken terrine in a coconut curry sauce with Jamaican succotash in an herbed breadfruit cup.Thursday Lifeverdict: Who would havethunk it? Curry chicken just moved from ordinary to extraordinary!

Taster # 4:The Lobster Pot: Wow! What a presentation! Braised lobster tail simmered in coconut reduction drizzled with jerk béarnaise with a side of pumpkin rice.Thursday Life verdict: The silence said it all!

Taster # 5: The palate cleanser aptly dubbed sweet and spicy — a careful infusion of melon, Scotch bonnet pepper and ginger sorbet drizzled with a pineapple syrup.Thursday Life verdict: For the subtlety of the ginger, hint of Scotch bonnet and melon, two thumbs up!

Taster # 6: Pettitoes and Yam — pig trotters stuffed with caramelised June plum glazed with jerk sorrel sauce with a side of yellow yam au gratin.Thursday Life verdict: A must for lovers of trenton.

Dessert: Flavoured sugar balloon with ackee ice cream; crispy fried bread pudding in a Tia Maria reduction and sugarcane fondue.Thursday Life verdict: The coup de foudre was the sugarcane fondue which, hopefully, The Jamaica Pegasus will perfect and incorporate into its signature menu offerings.

Thursday Life looks forward to the immortalisation of the evening in a coffee book complete with the recipes. Kudos to the entire team and to Minister Bartlett and by extension the government’s commitment to gastronomic tourism, with its propensity to make a visitor’s trip unique. The foodie experience at the dinner party, in the words of the minister, “represents a new frontier for our tourism industry, and we are pleased to welcome new visitors and are hoping to attract even more who are seeking unique cultural experiences”.

Cheers to many more!