Sizzle and spice and everything nice! Hope Gardens was transformed into a hub of food, fun and community on Saturday, August 23, for the second annual Grace Food Festival.

The afternoon’s searing heat did little to deter patrons from enjoying the culinary offerings of over 20 vendors. Craving authentic Jamaican jerk chicken or pork? At the ready were Fyah Side Jerk, Scotchies and Grace Jerk Hut. Seafood enthusiasts enjoyed the catch of the day, with sizzling fried fish and lobster from Prendy’s On The Beach and Gloria’s Seafood City. For a unique twist, TacBar offered a tasty fusion of Mexican and Jamaican flavours, with highlights like the Mojo Fried Chicken Tacos and Jerk Chicken street fries. The variety didn’t stop there — other popular vendors included Super Spicy Doubles, Your Choice, WaahGwaan Café, Presto Pasta, Chicken & Tings, and Mother’s Jamaica.

Beyond the main food court, the Grace Yaad section drew a crowd with its array of unique, Grace-inspired dishes to sample. Patrons savoured inventive creations such as jerk chicken sausage kebab and chicken franks alfredo pasta. The event’s theme, “Family, Food and Flavour”, was a point of pride for Grace Foods’ Head of Marketing Michaela Francis, who emphasised the goal of bringing people together to create special moments using Grace products.

“Food is at the heart of everything that we do, so we had to create mouth-watering menus from over 20 different local vendors,” she said. Francis also highlighted the brand’s wide range of products, noting, “At Grace, we are not just fish and meats, we are snacks, beverages, and a whole array of other offerings.” She stressed the importance of community partnerships, stating, “Everybody who you see here represented has a special relationship with the GraceKennedy Group and we don’t see them as vendors but as our partners.”

The festival’s emphasis on family wasn’t lost on Prendy’s on the Beach Managing Director Donnette Prendergast. While she was delighted with the enthusiastic response to her fried, steamed fish, and lobster, she was especially moved by the number of families who came out to share in the occasion.

“When I saw the crowd I was wondering, do I have enough fish? But I did, and it has been going very well. The most important thing for me is that I see a lot of families, and that speaks volumes for me. It’s overwhelming because I like to serve and I take pride in giving my customers a great experience and giving them value for money,” Prendergast said.

Echoing similar sentiments was Stocolocco Smoothie Bar co-principal Nicole McFarlane, who was invited again to showcase her array of smoothie offerings crafted from Grace products, and was chosen to create the Mighty Punch specifically for the festival, a concoction made from Grace Mighty Malt drink, oats, peanuts, banana, cinnamon and nutmeg.

“This year, you see a much better layout. I can tell you that the turnout was significantly greater than last year. While the majority of people came later in the day during the performances last year, this year more people came earlier. We are huge advocates of making sure that we are using local brands and products in our smoothies, and we are proud that Grace chose us to create their festival drink,” McFarlane said.

This year’s edition held a poignant significance, marking the company’s first major event since the passing of former Group CEO Don Wehby. “(Saturday’s) success was a testament to his vision for Grace and the impact our brand continues to have on Jamaica. We know he would be proud,” Francis shared.

Gloria’s Seafood All Aboard platter with lobster, sweet onion crab, pepper shrimp, sprat and steamed mussels (Photo: LH Multimedia)

Dr Rolayne Vickers (left) opted for stamp and go, while Dr Peta-Jhay Shelly went with tacos at the Grace Food Festival food court. (Photo: LH Multimedia)

Brand strategist Tanaka Roberts was all smiles as she indulged in bites from Bulbie Soups. (Photo: LH Multimedia)

Super Spicy Doubles were a hit at the Grace Food Festival. (Photo: LH Multimedia)

Communications specialist Reajean Bennett savoured her jerk pork meal from Fyah Side Jerk. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Fyah Side’s jerk chicken and festival (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Ministry of Education Pension Administrator Demanya Headley (left) was served shrimp doubles by Super Spicy Doubles’ Josette Miller. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Tacbar’s mojo fried chicken taco (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Bulbie Soup Managing Director Nickardo Sayers (left) served a cup of pigtail soup to Forestry Department of Jamaica Director of Finance Conrad Russell as his National Solid Waste Management Authority senior human resource officer wife Delmarie enjoyed hers. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

National Water Commission officer Telsia Bingham took a sip of her Tropi Loco smoothie from the Stocolocco Smoothie Bar. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Grace Kennedy Chief Financial Officer Andrew Messado purchased a hot dog from Your Choice’s Shanae Graham. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Police officer Andrew Thomas readied to enjoy his fried chicken and stew pork meal from Scotchies. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Scotchies Grill Chef Roxroy Morgan prepared jerk chicken. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Prendy’s on the Beach Managing Director Donnette Prendergast (right) served steam fish to Wolmer’s Girl’s student Tyshawna McCain. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

At the Tropical Rhythms booth, eyelash technician Imani Haughton (left), administrative assistant Giselle Campbell (centre), and Dr Ariel McDonald enjoyed sampling the Tropical Rhythms Sparkling Fruit Punch drink. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Jamaica Stock Exchange Trustee Services Officer Shahim Laptiste and physiotherapist Shamaiya Joseph got their snack fix with the Grace Green Plantain and Sweet Plantain chips. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Accountant Lisa Cousins (right) received the All Aboard seafood platter from Gloria’s Seafood attendant Briana Russell. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Influencer Jhoni Wright took a bite out of her quesadilla from Waah Gwaan Cafe. (Photo: LH Multimedia)