Jamaican chefs score high at food and beverage show!

The two-day competition, which is one of the highlights of the largest Americas-focused trade show in the hemisphere, saw the Jamaican duo going up against United States and international teams in a culinary battle. The duo's participation was organised by JAMPRO and, according to its export promotion manager, Berletta Henlon Forrester, the participation of local chefs in the competition served to raise the profile of Jamaican cuisine and food products at the show.

Dennis McIntosh, president of the Culinary Federation of Jamaica, is the executive chef at Cardiff Hotel and Spa in Runaway Bay, St Ann; and Conroy Arnold, who has worked at Goldeneye and extensively in New York, served up a sumptuous menu that was distinctly Jamaican.

"I am personally very passionate about developing brand Jamaica from a culinary standpoint, and at this event, I felt that it was important for us to reflect our rustic cuisine in the taste profile of our dishes," said McIntosh.

The teams were required to prepare six plates of appetisers, six plates of salads and six plates of entrees in 60 minutes. The Jamaican team started with a chicken breast stuffed with callaloo, served with a country-style vegetable ratatouille and callaloo purée. For the second dish, they prepared escoveitched red snapper with a spicy vegetable salad and fried sweet potato wedges.

The main course featured loin of pork with light jerk marinate, pickled pineapple with spicy mustard drizzle and seasonal vegetables. Presented with buffalo as a 'mystery meat', the team pan-seared the steak to seal in the natural juices and served it with a pomegranate and sorrel sauce.

The AFB show is organised by the World Trade Centre located in Miami, Florida, and is the only event of its kind dedicated to the food and beverage industry in the Americas. It targets buyers from the entire region, which gives the participating Jamaican companies the opportunity for crossing over into these target markets.