Bent but not Broken
And Still We Rise
“This year we’re celebrating the resilience of the Jamaican people. Our culture, who we are as a people — we’re bent, but never broken.” — Natalie Chin Samuda Deputy managing director, Jamaica Observer Media Group.
Accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of CEO Brian Jardim, Rainforest Caribbean General Manager Jerome Miles dedicated the honour to the regionwide team, thanking employees for driving the company’s mission and cultivating community through every meal. “Founded in 1997, Rainforest Caribbean is today carried forward by more than 1,000 dedicated team members from across Jamaica, Belize, St Lucia, Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines,” Miles said. This award belongs to every single one of them. We fight to uphold a simple belief that food brings people together.”(Photos: Naphtali Junior, Garfield Robinson, Joseph Wellington)
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Lifetime Achievment Award Winner: Rainforest CaribbeanJamaica Observer Media Group Managing Director Dominic Beaubrun (seventh left) presented the Lifetime Achievement award to Rainforest Caribbean General Manager Jerome Miles (fifth right), flanked by members of the Rainforest Caribbean team (from left) Graphic Designer Stephanie Daley; Director of Corporate Affairs Roger Lyn; Food Service Manager Subrena Kharma, Sales Executive Dontay Spence, Trade Sales Manager Donna Lee Parchment; Sales Executive Susan Reid; Marketing Manager Denise Dixon; Brand Manager Alecia Bogle; Data Analyst Chanice Ashman; and National Retail Manager Donna Baychue.Joseph Wellington
That spirit defined the 2026 Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards powered by Mastercard — and brilliantly interpreted by Shikima Hinds for Shikima Hinds Events Concierge With more than 80 exhibitors — 15 more than last year — and a record turnout at King’s House East Lawns on Thursday, June 25, the event celebrated the strength, creativity and perseverance that continue to shape Jamaica’s culinary landscape.
![[ESTABLISHING SHOT]Naphtali Junior](/jamaicaobserver/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/06/image_4-111.jpg)
[ESTABLISHING SHOT]Naphtali Junior
Chairman’s Award Recipient: Usain Bolt’s Track and Records: The Usain Bolt’s Tracks and Records team of (from second left) Joe Bogdanovich; co-founder David Shirley; director Zuar Ard Jarrett; director Stephen Shirley; General Manager Nicholas Taylor; and Marketing and Sales Manager Jizell Cowan accepted the award from Jamaica Observer Media Group Managing Director Dominic Beaubrun.(Photos: Naphtali Junior, Garfield Robinson, Joseph Wellington)Joseph Wellington
“Tonight we honour achievement, we applaud creativity, we recognise excellence, but above all we celebrate resilience. The resilience that has carried our food industry through challenge after challenge and continues to propel it forward. The story of Jamaican food is not merely a story of recipes or restaurants, it is a story of a people inventive, determined, welcoming and endlessly resilient.” — Jamaica Observer Media Group Managing Director Dominic BeaubrunJoseph Wellington
The occasion also underscored the industry’s commitment to the future, with six students from the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) School of Hospitality and Tourism Management receiving scholarships and bursaries. Reflecting the year’s theme, three new honours were introduced: the Community Resilience Award, presented to The Pelican Grill; the Resilience Award, bestowed upon Eits Café principal Robyn Fox; and the Humanitarian Award, presented to Founder, World Central Kitchen José Andrés and accepted on his behalf by chefs Brian Lumley and Andre Fowles and World Central Kitchen People, Logistics and Volunteer Coordinator Sharon Cunningham.
Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards conceptualiser and committee chair Novia McDonald-Whyte. Joseph Wellington
Usain Bolt’s Tracks and Records majority shareholder Joe Bogdanovich arrives at the 27th staging of the Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards with his son Joe Bogdanovich Jr.
Among the evening’s top accolades, Usain Bolt’s Tracks & Records captured the Chairman’s Award, while Rainforest Caribbean was recognised with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards red carpet host, attorney-at-law Khadine “Miss Kitty” Wilkinson, caught up with Joe Bogdanovich, majority shareholder of Usain Bolt’s Tracks and Records, moments after the brand secured the coveted Chairman’s Award.Garfield Robinson
“I want to thank our incredible Tracks and Records team, our executives, our partners, and every person who has contributed to building this place. A successful business is built by people who believe in the vision and are committed to excellence every single day… Tracks and Records carries the same Jamaican spirit that has taken our music, culture, and talent to the world stage.” — Usain Bolt’s Tracks and Records majority shareholder Joe BogdanovichJoseph Wellington
British High Commissioner to Jamaica Alicia Herbert OBE and her husband, Daniel Doku, were among the distinguished guests in attendance at the 2026 Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards.Garfield Robinson
Together, the honours painted a portrait of an industry that continues to innovate, inspire and endure in the face of every challenge.
Representing the Embassy of China in Jamaica were, Chinese Ambassador to Jamaica Wang Jinfeng, and Attache of the Embassy of China in Jamaica Feichi Chen.Garfield Robinson
Jamaica Observer Media Group Managing Director Dominic Beaubrun ushers in Lady Allen, wife of the Governor General of Jamaica.Joseph Wellington
The 27th staging of the Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards was powered by Mastercard, and sponsored by Sagicor, Tastee, Tourism Enhancement Fund, Heineken + Drink & Live, ATL Automotive Group, The Best Dressed Chicken, Wata, Appleton Estate, Rainforest Caribbean, Urban Development Corporation, Main Event Entertainment Group Ltd, Island Car Rentals, Irie Rock, Shikima Hinds Events & Concierge, Premium Portables Ja,
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US Embassy Kingston Chargé d’Affaires Scott Renner, accompanied by his wife Hilary, joined guests at the Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards for an evening of culinary celebration.Garfield Robinson
