Celebrity chefs to clash at Publix Cook-off

As the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival gets bigger and better with 'Jerk Week', some top chefs will be cooking up some spicy dishes with bold flavours for the highly anticipated Publix Jerk Cook-off and Celebrity Quick Fire Challenge at the 12th annual event on Sunday, November 10, at Markham Park in Sunrise, Florida.

As part of the Gleaner's Food Month activities, The Gleaner team has extended their reach into the diaspora to bring you coverage highlights from the jerk festival, courtesy of Grace Remittance Services in association with Digicel.

Cook-off organiser June Minto is psyched up about this year's event, which will be moderated by the versatile and colourful Chef Irie Spice. According to Minto, "the pressure is building. The competitions will be fierce. These chefs are all masters of their craft and will be participating with total abandonment."

Defending Cook-off champion and celebrity chef, Lawrence Males, will duke it out on the grill with out-of-towner and last year's second-place winner, Jimmie Jackson from Atlanta. Three others will flavour the pot with their culinary skills, to vie for the coveted Dutch Pot Trophy and cash prizes.

All eyes will be set on Males to see if he will be able to retain his title. Males has cooked for United States President Barack Obama at both a private dinner and fundraising event in the past. When he's not cooking for the president, he is busy getting NFL Washington Redskins' all-star starting tackle Trent Williams to meet his dietary goals in the off season in South Florida.

Another highly anticipated event is the Publix Celebrity Chef Quick Fire competition where chef Gason Nelson, two-time James Beard scholar and last year's Cook-off champion, will be going up against the 2013 Caribbean Chef of the Year, Brian Lumley.

Nelson is known across the United States as one of the best personal chefs in the biz with extraordinary culinary skills that have pleased the palates of some top celebrities such as Paul Walker, Reggie Bush, and Duane 'The Rock' Johnson. Holding on to the title will be no easy feat for Nelson when his competitor is renowned Jamaican chef Brian Lumley who recently opened '689 by Brian Lumley' in Kingston and is working to make it the city's finest gourmet restaurant.

5K Run/Walk

Another highlight of the festival is the kick-off by World 100m and 200m Champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce at the inaugural Hot Trot Jerk 5K Run/Walk on November 3, 2013 at 8:00 at Markham Park, Sunrise, Florida.

This year, patrons will be treated to a whirlwind of activities, with the most exciting of the weeklong celebration being the all-inclusive Rum, Wine and Jerk - A Taste of the Caribbean, set for Saturday, November 9 at Markham Park, which promises to be an evening of elegance with an upscale appeal to satiate even the most discerning tastes. Patrons will feast on fine foods from the Caribbean's top chefs and culinary personalities, as well as international celebrity chefs, as they sip on some of the world's premier rums and wines.

On Sunday, November 10, the 12th Annual Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival will be jam-packed with food, family, friends, entertainment and activities patrons have grown to know and love. The Publix Jerk Cook-off will no doubt be a hit, as will the Grace Village. The event will include the popular Western Union Cultural Stage, Corporate Circle, and the Hot Zone dancehall party.

The 12th Annual Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival is presented by Publix and sponsored by Digicel, Western Union, The Gleaner Company, The Jamaica Tourist Board, National Bakery, LESSpine Institute, National Weekly Newspaper, WAVS Radio, Hot 105, and VitaMalt.