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Foodie fiesta at JHTA fundraiser

Published:Thursday | August 22, 2013 | 12:00 AM
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The pimento jerked spicy rolled suckling pig by Sunset Beach Resort and Spa at the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association Wine and Food event last Saturday night at the Rose Hall Great House in Montego Bay.
The ackee wonton by Sunset Resort and Spa served at the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association Wine and Food event last Saturday night at the Rose Hall Great House in Montego Bay. - Photos by Janet Silvera
The Riu Montego Bay Spanish paella was a hit.
Half Moon's whole jerked lamb served with sorrel and pineapple chutney.
Goddard Catering’s range cook Michael Gooden lifts the tops off his pots of goat belly, pumpkin and red peas soup.
Grand Palladium’s platter of jerked conch, Spanish omelette and escoveitched marlin at the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association Wine and Food event last Saturday night at the Rose Hall Great House in Montego Bay.
Sandals Resorts’ exciting dessert station of Blue Mountain Coffee mousse, Guinness Stout potato pudding and Red Label Wine cassava fruit cake.
Coyaba Beach Resorts’ Kavene Graham cooking a mango passion beef terryaki.
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Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

RIU's seafood paella, Sunset Beach Resorts' jerked suckling pig, Margaritaville's curried ginger shrimp and Round Hill's firecracker watermelon surprise charmed the taste buds at the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) annual fundraiser last Saturday night.

Dubbed 'A Celebration of Fine Jamaican Cuisine', the executive chefs, sous chefs and range cooks from the various hotels and entities associated with the hospitality sector stimulated a sensory receptor, sending signals to the brain that this was the best JHTA, Montego Bay Chapter food event in a very long time.

As early as 7:30 p.m., patrons started to line up at the 12 food stations at the historic Rose Hall Great House in the tourism capital. They were hungry to sample the food prepared by some of the island's best culinary devotees, but more important, they came for a good time, camaraderie and palate-pleasing dishes.

There was not one inferior food station, as the hoteliers went all out to outdo each other.

Riu's Spanish paella and ackee patties had many fans, the Grey Goose 'liquid sunshine', infused with Scotch bonnet pepper and pimento seed teaser was popular, as well as the whole Jamaican lamb jerked to perfection by the Half Moon team, which was dissected into small pieces and consumed in no time. The chefs at the fabulous Montego Bay resort gave guests an option of sorrel or pineapple chutney as pairings with the lamb.

What's a food event without the appetiser opener, soup? Goddard Catering responded without any prompting, delivering the traditional goat belly, the soup Jamaican families usually cook on a Saturday - red peas, complemented by the next best thing, pumpkin soup.

All around, there was jerking, as Margaritaville's jerked meatballs was a hit, and Grand Palladium's jerked conch with mango Aioli created waves. To top off their haven of great food, Grand Palladium served curried chicken on plantain, barbecued pull pork and bammy, peppered shrimp, escoveitched smoked marlin and sweet potato blini.

Sandals Resorts had a very pleasing display of desserts on show. From Blue Mountain Coffee mousse, Guinness Stout potato pudding, Red Label Wine cassava fruit cake and their jerked chocolate brownies, this was something to behold.

The money raised by the JHTA's Montego Bay Chapter will continue maintenance work on House No. 10 at the SOS Children's Village in Barrett Town, St James, which has been adopted by the organisation. Additionally, this tourism group will continue its work at the Tower Hill Basic School in St James, which it reroofed and restored in conjunction with the Kiwanis Club of Providence.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com