The 2024 Jamaica Food and Drink Festival kicked off Thursday night with ‘Kuyah’ at Kingston Craft Market, downtown Kingston.

Embracing the theme, ‘Jamaican food reimagined’, the event spotlighted the creative talents of 12 chefs, tasked with adding their unique twists to classic Jamaican staples.

The festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary and for Festival Director Alicia Bogues the event is a call to action for chefs to unlock their creativity. “In everything we do we go big, and we leave an indelible mark no matter what. And it is no different in food. It is about giving the chefs room to be creative and innovative and taking all of our global influence that has helped to shape who we are, as well as our history, and bringing it to life in a hybrid way,” Bogues said.

One of the ways that Jamaican food was elevated was at the Scotiabank booth, where Chef Andre Fowles, Food Network’s Chopped champion,
added his own twist to the classic Stew Pork and Dumpling dish by using Pork Ragu with hand-rolled breadfruit, ricotta gnocchi, roasted mushrooms gremolata, and micro herbs.

Fowles said that incorporating international flavours in local dishes was important. Plus, he was excited at the possibilities of enhancing the Jamaican pot.

“When it comes to cooking Jamaican food it is always easy because there are so many good things to pull from,” Fowles said. “So what I did was pull from my love of pork. My thing was to spin the stew pork and dumplings and add an international flair to it. It is kind of an Italian twist. So it’s strong Jamaica flavours with more of an international approach.”

Taking a modern perspective to Jamaican cuisine has been the mantra of Chef Andre Sewell, who helmed both the Visa and Jamaica Producers (JP) Foods booths. “One of the things Visa requested was for me to honour the Asian influence on our culture. So I made a few additions to what I normally do,” Sewell said. “I would, for example, use brioche, which is enriched with egg whites and yolks, butter, milk, and bun spices to stick to Jamaican flavours. But, on top of that, I went with Teriyaki chicken thigh, jerk chicken pate with roasted garlic sriracha tomato sauce.”

Additionally, Sewell included a Jamaican twist to a Mexican staple for the JP booth, reimagining the traditional taco.

“When JP contacted me I decided to create something completely different. They [Mexicans] have something that they call walk-in tacos, where they take their plantain chips and add Mexican beef toppings. So I upgraded the patty, using oxtail and steak to make the beef fillet. It’s still a beef patty, but it is not just minced beef, it is oxtail and steak topped with Tastee cheese,” Sewell shared. “Everything has been elevated but it is right on theme with Jamaican food re-imagined.”

Among the many culinary delights on offer were Chef Jacqui Tyson’s Street Style Pita Stuffed with Deboned Curry Goat; Chef Brian Lumley’s Curry Goat Wontons with Papaya June Plum Chutney; Chef Gariel Ferguson’s Fried Curry Chicken with Coconut Mayo and Mango Chutney as well as his Jerk Corned Pork; Chef Anna Kay Tomlinson’s Jamaican Korean Boneless Oxtail Asian Slaw; Chef Debe Ann Lange-Chen’s Tun Cornmeal Saltfish Croquettes; Chef Oji Jaja’s Peppered Shrimp with Farro and seasoned vegetables; Chef Jonathan Simpson’s Ackee and Pepper Shrimp Sushi Rolls; and Chefs Jataun and Shelly Flash from 2 Girls and a Cook Shop in Brooklyn, New York: with their Jerk Birria with Jerk Consomme.

Fowles said that launching the festival with Kuyah was a fitting start, as it introduced patrons to the diverse flavours of Jamaica fare while still honouring culinary traditions.

“To kick off with Kuyah is extra special because they did an excellent job assembling some amazing chefs, and there is something for everybody. If you love pork, fish, or curry goat… Everything is here but with a new approach,” Fowles said.

For her part, Bogues hopes to continue pushing the envelope in offering diverse Jamaican cuisine. “We want to continue innovating and to really just be different. It was really important to showcase Jamaica in an incredible way,” she said.

The feedback was positive from the many patrons in attendance. Latoya Chambers, acting marketing manager at the Urban Development Commission, was complimentary of Chef Gariel Ferguson’s Fried Curry Chicken dish and was delighted to have been afforded the opportunity to enjoy the different approaches to Jamaican cuisine.

“We are Jamaicans and we love new, nice, and exciting things, and we got that and I was really pleased. It was a wonderful event. The food was good. The music was good, and the drinks were flowing all night,” Chambers said.

The Jamaica Food and Drink Festival continues today with Meet Street & The Market at the historic Naval Dockyard, Port Royal.

Lifestyle@jamaicaobserver.com