Grace Jamaica Jerk Fest sizzles

Garfene Grandison, Assistant Lifestyle Coordinator

Markham Park in Weston Florida was transformed on November 10into a foodie's paradise as Grace and the Jamaican Jerk Festival USA Inc organisers transformed the park grounds into an oasis of jerk stalls and craft booths.

There was something for everyone. The Western Union cultural stage featured a number of performances from folk groups, hosted by Jody-Ann Grey and comedian Rohan Gunter. Eyeballs were glued to demonstrations by Miami-based chef Irie Spice, and 2013 Caribbean Chef of the Year Brian Lumley inside the Publix booth. Inside the Grace Pavilion, Grace Food's top chef, Mazie Miller, created several mouth-watering recipes that had patrons amazed.

On the main stage, Fab 5 proved that they are indeed one of the top show bands out of Jamaica, dishing out another memorable performance. They took fans down memory lane with familiar hits like Jamaican Woman and Wild Gilbert. Songstress Etana, who brought the house down was on point as she reeled out favourites like Roots and I am not afraid, from her extensive repertoire. The talented crooner sang her heart out for more than 40 minutes, delivering hit after hit as she had the patrons on their feet, eating up every note from the palm of her hands. Morgan Heritage also gave another phenomenal performance as they took to the stage to close the night with a number of their well known songs that were well received by the patron including Reggae Bring Back Love and Tell Me How Come.

The Fun Zone, sponsored by Digicel, offered a variety of treats for the children including a magician and puppet master, bounce house, rides, slides, cotton candy, popcorn, ice cream, hot dogs, rock climbing, face painting and traditional Caribbean games such as lime and spoon and potato sack racing - everything a child could need to be kept entertained.

As the scent of food
permeated the air, patrons converged in their numbers at the various
food booths. They had their choice of jerked ice cream, jerked chicken,
jerked pork, lobster, shrimp, hot dogs, fish, festival, bammy and
fruits. Truck Stop, What a Jerk, Donna's Caribbean Restaurant, and
Boston Jerk were among the vendors whose booths were overrun by patrons.
The chefs got a chance to display their culinary skills by
participating in the Publix Jerk Cook-Off competition where cash and
prizes were up for grabs.

Digicel treated their
customers to a number of giveaways including four BlackBerry Baskets
valued at US$700 each. There were also stilt walkers and the diaspora
family mascot that canvassed the park interacting with the patrons. Next
up for the Jamaican Food Festival is Washington, DC in 2014, joining
New York and, Florida for the highly anticipated
event.

The Gleaner's coverage of the Grace Jamaican
Jerk Festival is sponsored by GraceKennedy in association with
Digicel.

Photos by Gladstone
Taylor