A feast on the Fourth

Nashauna Drummond, Acting Lifestyle Editor

It was a tasty feast representing all the flavours of the United States. From the east coast - Maryland crab cakes, to dried fruits of the west, with southern style shrimp ceviche, and crayfish from the gulf region in between.

It was the Fourth of July, after all, and the American embassy in Kingston decided to do it big, taking specially invited guests on a culinary tour of the States.

Three top chefs from the Marriott Marquis hotel were in the island to pull out all the stops for the celebration - Armando Monterroso, executive chef at Marriott Marquis in Times Square, New York, his executive pastry chef Steve Evetts from San Diego, and Marina James Ben Cottrell. With more than 65 years experience among them, they were assisted by 12 able local student chefs, and the American ambassador's resident chef Nicholas Beckford - the spread was phenomenal.

As the formalities got under way at the Bank of Jamaica, downtown Kingston, American ambassador to Jamaica Pamela Bridgewater got mouths watering as she spoke of the feast to come.

New York Reuben Sliders (corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing on rye bread) shrimp, Red Snapper tacos, and the famous collard greens, among other things, kept persons making numerous trips for more.

SWEET-TOOTH HEAVEN

If you happened to have a sweet tooth, then you had officially died and gone to heaven. It seemed there were lots of spirits milling around as the chefs were kept busy restocking the dessert selections. Soft-set cheesecake, deconstructed apple pie, Boston cream pie shots, dulce de leche pot de créme, beignets and bourbon balls kept guests smiling.

To wash it all down, there were Californian wines, Samuel Adams beer, and the welcome cocktail - 'Bite the Bullet' with Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon on hand.

When it comes to celebrating the 237th anniversary of the independence of the United States of America, the food definitely took centre stage.