KINGSTON, Jamaica — Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett launched Jamaica’s first Centre of Gastronomy at Devon House in St Andrew last evening, poising the historic mansion for a culinary renaissance.

Bartlett shared that “Devon House was selected because it is unique in its own offerings, it represents a piece of our history, a part of our heritage and it is in the centre of commerce, entertainment and culture in the city of Kingston.”He noted that while his ministry was proud of the culinary experiences currently in place at Devon House, his vision for the historic site included more interactive experiences for both visitors and locals to enjoy.The minister also disclosed that plans are also in place to establish food stations — a concept which will allow tourists and visitors alike a unique opportunity to sample a variety of authentic Jamaican cuisine in a convenient way.“Patrons will start at the beginning, pay for the experience, then sample as you go along. They will then visit each station, which will feature a different dish — so nobody would be expected to buy a full dish from any one person. It will allow for the ‘little people’, so to speak, in our country to have a chance to benefit from tourism,” he said.The Gastronomy Network, which falls under the aegis of the Tourism Linkages Network, has been developing initiatives, such as the gastronomy centre, to strengthen Jamaica’s competitiveness in gastronomy tourism in order to diversify the tourism product and generate higher growth rates in both visitor arrivals and earnings.There are also plans in place to establish at least four other gastronomy centres across the island in the future.