After what seemed like an extended two-year hiatus due to the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Kingston Kitchen: The Night Market returned in spectacular form Saturday last. There was no cake-cutting or candles to extinguish for this, the 10th anniversary, but the hundreds upon hundreds who converged on the lawns of the West and East Palm Drive of Hope Gardens showed their loyalty to conceptualisers of the cultural food festival, Jacqui "Juicy Chef" Sinclair, Melanie Miller and Leisha Wong.

Sinclair told Thursday Food that Kingston Kitchen: The Night Market was derived from the 'Eat Good Movement', the concept of eating well whilst using predominantly local produce. "Since its inception in 2011 Kingston Kitchen has always been about the Jamaican food community and eating healthy. We created a welcoming space for foodies from all backgrounds. Each year food and beverage handlers are encouraged to showcase their products as food is love — and that is what Kingston Kitchen is all about."

Sinclair also shared how grateful she is for the turnout with the return of the festival. "We are very humbled that we could have an event after the pandemic. Everyone kept asking when we were going to bring it back, and even though we had mixed feelings coming out of COVID-19, we just went with it. The expectations we had pre-pandemic, we lowered them and now it's just surprising — yet fulfilling — to see those expectations being exceeded. There is so much more to Kingston Kitchen than the food festival, and we want to bring all of that back. Usually, we would have our signature series, in which we would invite celebrity chefs from both here and abroad. This is something we look forward to restarting, as well as our food magazine. This year we celebrate 10 years of flavour, savour, spice and delight, and I'm truly grateful for the turnout looking back at how we started with just 12 artisans."

This year's staging saw a suite of over 50 vendors, including The Best Dressed Chicken, Grace Foods, Aperol Spritz, and Kisko. As in past stagings, this year's Kingston Kitchen: The Night Market featured. Live entertainment, chef demonstrations, a kid's village and a diverse selection of pop-up kitchens and food trucks.

Thursday Food shares highlights.