JAMAICAN acts Nadine Sutherland, Lila Iké, Protoje, Romain Virgo, Christopher Martin and Laa Lee comprise the entertainment package for the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival New York at Roy Wilkins Park, Queens, on Sunday.

Eddy Edwards, co-promoter of the event, promises a memorable one.

“As we celebrate this milestone year of the festival’s 10th anniversary, Jamaica’s 60th anniversary of Independence, and Grace Foods’ 100th anniversary, we have ensured that this year’s festival will be memorable,” Edwards told the Jamaica Observer.

“For the celebration we have gathered some of the top chefs, many [of whom] have appeared over the years and some new ones and crowd favourites… We will top off the celebration with one of the best reggae presentations that will have the public singing and dancing to the last note, as the festival will close with a ‘tune-fi-tune’ duel between Christopher Martin and Romain Virgo,” he continued.

Martin and Virgo are previous winners of the Digicel Rising Stars televised talent competition for 2005 and 2007, respectively.

Also, two of America’s biggest entertainment figures — who are of Caribbean heritage — television producer and music mogul Mona Scott-Young, and The Breakfast Club co-host Angela Yee, are set to battle it out in a 30-minute cooking challenge inside the Culinary Pavilion.

Scott-Young is of Haitian heritage, while Yee’s father is from Montserrat.

Scott-Young is the CEO of multimedia entertainment company Monami Productions (best known for producing the VH1 reality television show franchise Love & Hip-Hop) and the co-founder of Violator Management, which has guided the careers of Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, Foxy Brown, Ja Rule, 50 Cent, Fantasia, and Missy Elliott.

June Minto is a managing partner and coordinator of the Culinary Pavilion.

“Both women are excited to participate and welcomed the opportunity to be a part of the Celebrity Cook-off challenge. It’s always a great time for all under the Culinary Pavilion, and these powerhouse women bring great energy to this year’s competition,” said Minto.

“As the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival New York completes 10 years of bringing Jamaican food and culture to the city, we look forward to the new audiences that both Angela Yee and Mona Scott-Young bring to the table in helping us introduce the festival, the music, and the food to a wider community at large,” she continued.

Edwards explained how the festival has grown and evolved through the years.

“The festival has grown from its first year, when we had 4,000 patrons in a little corner of the park, to over 20,000 fans enjoying the food and music that the festival has now come to be recognised for. The Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival New York has become a household name, and is the premier food and music event, appealing to every member of the family. It has also attracted a number of celebrities, some of whom have participated in the Celebrity Cook-off, including former Mayor Bill DeBlasio, Member of Parliament Lisa Hanna, actor Leon, Miss Universe Jamaica 2014 Kaci Fennell, and actor Tyson Beckford, to name a few. The festival has resonated not only with the Caribbean community, but has attracted members from the mainstream community who have a love for Jamaica and Jamaican food and music.”