By: Rhe-Ann Prescod

If you didn’t have at least two rum sours minimum, then you didn’t do Rum Route right!

On the Friday night of the Barbados Food and Rum Festival weekend, the bars and restaurants in St Lawrence Gap were taken over with food and drink specials all night long.

Bar Hopping

Selected bars and restaurants all offered a different experience and various house specials for patrons. However, one thing that remained common was the rum sours. Rum is a big part of the Festival and our Barbadian heritage, so it only made sense to indulge in a few rum cocktails, especially ones that included the festival’s official rum sponsor Mount Gay Rum.

‘Catchin’ the Vibe

The kind of experience you wanted for the night, determined which bar and restaurant you selected.

If you wanted to simply mingle with friends, grab a rum sour, and have a few bar bites then Cocktail Kitchen was the bar for you. Many people seemed to prefer this vibe as the bar was packed with people taking advantage of the rum specials and the Breadfruit Nachos. Those that were lucky to get there at the right time enjoyed the soulful sounds of Ch’an.

People who just wanted to quietly mingle and catch up with friends ventured to Primo with live music by Mylon Clarke.

Now, if you went to the gap strictly for a live music session, then Crave Restaurant was the place to be. Sonnay Meraki had the patrons singing along to his nostalgic reggae and alternative set. Many took advantage of the ‘Rum Route’ food and Mount Gay Rum specials.

Tobagonian couple Aloysia and Leandre Weekes thoroughly enjoyed the Fish and Chips special and made room to also try the Rum and Coke Wings. Tourists and locals could also be seen with cups of Mount Gay Eclipse sours in hand.

The late birds who strolled through the gap after 11:30 pm came for two things only, rum sours and Edwin Yearwood so they found their way to Halo Ultra Lounge.

Edwin and Hypasounds gave the true partiers a little warm-up for the next event… Rise & Rum!

By: Rhe-Ann Prescod

How do you usually spend your Saturday morning? Running errands, doing some housework, or maybe just sleeping in?

Well, scores of Bajans and tourists spent this special Saturday morning with a rum cocktail in one hand and Buljol in the next as they chanted “All is Rum”.

Yes, if you haven’t yet figured it out, we are talking about Rise & Rum: The Beach Breakfast Party, the newest event at the 2022 Barbados Food and Rum Festival.

More than just Breakfast

Copacabana was filled to the brim with people wholeheartedly enjoying themselves at the most anticipated event of the festival weekend.

There was food in abundance, an array of rum cocktails, and an entertainment setlist that had patrons dancing all morning.

The experience started from the time you entered the event. Patrons were welcomed with branded fans, sunglasses, and a specialty cocktail by mixologist Shane Mclean to ensure everyone was awake.

Some started the morning by heading to the henna station and got beautiful designs drawn on their hands by Amina from Henna Barbados, while others opted for a shoulder or foot massage.

The HyperDrive team and DJ Hutchy and Sizz set the tone for the morning with sweet soca,
as the ‘early birds’ decided which food and cocktail stations they would try first.

Endless Food

It was a bit difficult for some as the choices felt endless. Breakfast was served by chefs Rodney Corbin, D’Sean Miller, Shakayla Bovell and Ann-Marie Leach, who represented the vegans.

Chef Anne-Marie felt amazing to be chosen to represent all those who love vegan food.

“Not too long ago vegan food was considered bush but it’s not bush, it’s great and tasty. It’s so good that vegan food finally has a seat at the table,” she happily said.

Her vegan dishes were a top pick as her roasted breadfruit and vegan Buljol were especially enjoyed by many non-vegan patrons.

International chef Huda Mu’min was also present at the event with her famous mac and cheese served with a ginger beer braised short rib. People could not get enough of this dish.

As this was their first time attending the Food and Rum festival locals David Yearwood and his friend indulged in almost all the foods. However, they couldn’t stop talking about Chef D’Sean Miller’s cornmeal porridge and pigtail.

All is Rum

The event was called Rise & Rum so of course, there was bottomless rum.

As Californian Carrie Bell said, “there is no shortage of rum here. If you like rum this is where to come”.

This was Carrie’s first time in Barbados and at the festival and she said it would not be her last.

Mixologists Dameain Williams gave patrons the choice of the ‘Petit De’jeuner’ or the Tiki Expressions and Antonio Busby had patrons covered with the ‘we is gree’ and the ‘ya good?’

Explaining the name choice, Antonio said “The inspiration of the drinks was to bring people in, and it is something that is said throughout Barbados. When you go to the bar and the bartender would probably ask, “Ya Good?” and Ya good has been a fave for the morning.”

Patrons also had the choice of ‘Rise & Rum’ cocktails from the Mount Gay station or Frosteez-infused cocktails served by mixologist Philip Antoine.

Sunrise Party

When the food settled, and the drinks kicked in, the partiers came out!

A line-up of local artists graced the stage giving everyone a little ‘Crop Over tabanca’. There was Mikey, Leadpipe and Saddis, Blood, Faith, Nikita, Hypasounds and Peter Rum.

Lil Rick was the climax of the set as he sang the true anthem of the morning, “All is Rum”.

Entertainment duo Reko Chase and Andwele kept the crowd dancing and chanting until the party ended.

Rise & Rum wasn’t just a typical all-inclusive party, it was a memorable experience that left people anxiously waiting for round two.

By: Rhe-Ann Prescod

No one in the world can grill a fish like a Bajan and we proved that!

People from Spain, Australia, Texas, and of course, Christ Church flocked to Oistins Bay Garden to kick off the 2022 Barbados Food and Rum Festival at ‘Oistins Under the Stars’.

It was the return of a fan-favorite event and the best opportunity to eat the most mouth-watering fish, drink some rum cocktails and enjoy live local music.

Bajan Delicacies

The night began with a live cooking demo that featured local chef Creig Greenidge and
was hosted by international chef Anne Burell.

Chef Greig described the event as the most natural event.

“Anybody can be here. From the people that go to the fancy events to the regular guys that sit in the rum shop. Simple Barbadiana at its best,” He expressed.

Like many others, Oistins is Chef Anne Burrell’s favourite event, so she was ecstatic to be this year’s host.

“This was my fourth time doing the Barbados Food and Rum Festival and I had always seen Marcus Samuelsson do it here before and this was always my favourite. So, when they came to me and asked me to do it, I was like absolutely yes! I felt like I grew up a bit. I love the food, I love the people, and just the feeling of family. Everyone is beyond welcoming here,” she said.

Chef Creig gave her the best Bajan welcome by showing her how to make a local delicacy, Bajan fishcakes but with a twist.

He made the fishcakes with all the regular components like saltfish, local herbs and flour but he added in breadfruit and salmon. So, when you bit into the fishcake you would taste pockets of salmon and breadfruit. On the side was the Chef Creig Tar Tar sauce, which is made of lime juice, mayonnaise, Bajan pepper sauce, sweet chili sauce, fresh thyme, fresh dill, and a little brown sugar.

Anne Burell described the fishcakes as a slow burner and the ‘talk up’ of the fishcakes was so good that even international chef David Rose, made a surprise appearance on stage to try them.

The Vibe of Oistins

Throughout the night people were seen lining up to try food samples from members of the 2022 Food and Rum Accelerator Programme while others could be seen with cocktails in hand from mixologists Adrian Byran and Natasha Jules.

Many were raving about the ‘Coffee and Cake’ cocktail from Adrian Bryan which was a cake and rum infusion with a lemon and vanilla tincture, rum and raisin syrup, sprayed with pure essence and garnished with a slice of cake.

Others kept going back for the ‘Island Star’ by Natasha Jules which contained Five Fingers studded syrup, passion fruit juice, lime, vanilla-infused vodka, and orange bitters. You had the choice of an alcoholic or non-alcoholic option.

PK Graham, from Texas was lining up for one of the cocktails raving about the food she had eaten earlier. She and her Trinidadian friend Miranda Ropchan went to Mo’s Grill and had the most delicious Mahi Mahi, Snapper and King Fish.

Another vendor many could not stop talking about was Uncle George’s Fish Net and Grill.

This was Jodie Robert’s first time at the Barbados Food and Rum Festival, and she was having a blast.

“We have been here since 4’o clock. We ate at Pat’s and had kingfish with grilled potatoes. Our fave Bajan food is definitely fish. We have had all the fish we can have. Every day here we have tried something different, and we love all the fish,” she said.

It’s time to Party

After the dining was the entertainment!

Patrons got a cultural escort with a tuk band, stilt walkers, steel pan and a mother sally to the entertainment stage.

The night’s entertainment took people on a musical journey from spouge down to soca. The performances started with spouge renditions from Shadia Marshal and Ishaka McNeil.

Then Dale Marshall switched the vibe to soca and had the crowd jumping to ‘Soca Junkie’. Queen of Soca Alison Hinds graced the stage and made the crowd ‘wukkup all down to de ground’.

And Red Plastic Bag ended the night serenading the crowd as they formed a congo line.

The night left people ready for everything the festival weekend had in store for them.

By: Rhe-Ann Prescod

The 2022 Barbados Food and Rum Festival came to a spectacular end in the most delectable way.

Liquid Gold Feast brought hundreds of people to Ilaro Court to experience the grand finale event.

Attendees were welcomed to an elegant ad hoc ballroom, through a red carpet, to the renditions of Angel Stringz. The décor beautifully represented the title of the event as gold and black were draped throughout the room.

Behind the Menu

With 14 local chefs and seven mixologists, attendees truly got a taste of what the best of Barbados had to offer. Behind the chef menus were Andres Antoine, Marvin Applewhaite, Danielle Gibson, Javon Cummins, Rhea Gilkes, Creig Greenidge, Nicholas Ifill, Anne-Marie Leach, Damian Leach , Shamar Griffith, Seth Hasin-Bromley, Thaddeus Sealy, Trevon Stoute and Jamal Whittaker. The mixologists were Ryan Adamson, Philip Antoine, Jamaal Bowen, Dameain Williams, Alex Chandler, Shane McClean and David Barker.

Let’s just say there was a plethora of food and cocktails for all to indulge in.

One station that immediately caught everyone’s attention was Chef Trevon Stoute and Marvin Applewhaite. The station was designed to represent Barbados’ local offerings with the tabletop covered in grass, local edible flowers, local mushrooms and wood as they cooked a lot of their foods through wood fire smoking. On the right, was a shelf in the shape of Barbados “stacked with flavour from St. Lucy to Bridgetown” as Chef Marvin described it.

Speaking on the inspiration behind the menus Chef Trevon said “A bit of home cooking and a bit of the farm-to-table regime. We wanted to showcase that Barbados has quality ingredients because all that differs is the process and how you go about preparing.”

Chef Marvin added, “For me, it was about trying to utilize local cuisine, you see I have a ground provision Cou Cou on the menu and I was inspired by the wood fire cooking.”

Furthermore, what made the night extra special for Chef Marvin was seeing all the chefs attired in chef jackets designed by his best friend Chef Trevon Stoute.

The event was a first for pastry chef Danielle Gibson and words couldn’t explain just how privileged she felt to be at the event.

She worked for months to create the night’s menu, going with locally infused flavors mixed with a few international concepts. The favourites on the menu were her Rum N’ Raisin Bread Pudding and the Vanilla Bean Gateau.

The finale even brought a friendly pigtail showdown between Chef Creig’s Deep Fried Cornmeal Rosemary Crusted Pigtail and Chef Damian’s Ginger BBQ Pigtail. Each was exquisite so attendees couldn’t bear to choose which was the ‘best’.

More than a Cocktail

The mixologist pulled out all the stops as each drink of the night was a different experience.

Jamaal Bowen, who has been a part of the festival since its inception, explained that more of the local talents and ingredients are being utilized this year. His drink the ‘Kafuffle ya Brain’ embodies that sentiment.

“The name was because of an ingredient called Clitoria Ternatea, also known as the butterfly pea flower. We are utilizing the scientific term to make people think about what that could possibly mean. We used the Mount Gay Silver with the Clitoria Ternatea with locally made cucumber and ginger liqueur, citrus, and then topped it with lychee and pomegranate popping pearls and saffron,” Jamaal explained.

Mixologist Dameain Williams described the cocktail as ambrosia, only fit for the gods.

David Barker’s Moon Town cocktails also had attendees dazzled as he served them on fire and smoking.

Enjoying the Experience

The Moon Town was Californian Sarah Singer’s favourite drink of the night. She was very excited to attend the event after finding out about the festival from a Google search.

Lisa Ruck was ecstatic that she finally got the opportunity to attend the festival for the first time as living abroad always made her miss it. This year, she attended every event and named Liquid Gold Feast her favourite.

“I love elegance, pomp and pageantry so for me this is definitely the creme de la crème. This gala is definitely a beautiful top off to the weekend,” she said.

What also added to the experience was the diverse lineup of local entertainment. Some of the artists that had attendees were enthralled by 2 Mile Hill, Kirisie, Keisha Christian, Biggie Irie, Edwin Yearwood and Red Blastic Bag.

By the end of the night, ministers, chefs, mixologists, locals, tourists and staff were all on the dancefloor enjoying the last moments of an unforgettable festival weekend.

The Execution of a Vision

Aprille Thomas, Director of PR and Communications at the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc was overwhelmed seeing the vision of the festival come to life.

“Standing here now on the finale night and seeing hundreds of people enjoying exactly what we wanted them to enjoy is absolutely overwhelming. This moment at the very end is the highlight of the festival because you see all the work that has been done. I’m just really happy with how everything went,” she stated.

Ms. Thomas further gave her hearty thank you to the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc team, the National Cultural Foundation and everyone who played a part in helping to bring to life the vision of the event and overall festival.

Liquid Gold Feast brought a luxurious end to a successful festival weekend with many asking for a redo. Next stop…2023!

By: Rhe-Ann Prescod

After three weeks of rigorous training, nerve-wracking eliminations, and an intense cooking showdown, two students were victorious at the inaugural Barbados Food and Rum Festival 2022 Junior Chef Cook-Off Competition.

Out of the final eight contestants, Mikalee Williams and Samanta Greenidge were named the top contenders, and each was rewarded one full-ride scholarship to pursue their culinary studies at the Jean and Norma Holder Institute.

Here’s how it all went down.

The Semi-Finals

With a live audience cheering on the contestants, the battle started with the semi-finals.

Each person’s name was placed into a basket and the renowned Chef Peter Edey pulled randomly to choose the cooking order for each round.

The first chefs to cook were Deryka Grazette, Mikalee Williams, Destiny Alleyne and Zedekiah Parris. The second round included Aliah Hazzard, Deryka Grazette, Reese Ann Alleyne and Samanta Greenidge.

Like the quarterfinals, contestants were given a choice from three proteins to create their entrees. The choices were chicken breast, striped marlin, and pork loins, along with starches and vegetables.

Contestants only had 45 minutes to prep, cook and plate their dishes. Using various cooking techniques, contestants creatively utilised Glow Spread margarine and Sunflower butter provided by competition sponsor Robert Manufacturing.

As the cooking got underway, the sounds of searing and the culmination of spices made the audience anxious to see what the contestants had up their sleeves this time around.

As the competition was produced by the event’s sponsors, the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation, co-hosts Paula-Ann Jackman and Chef Peter Edey kept audiences engaged and informed about what was happening in the kitchen.

New Cooking Format

The contestants’ trainer Chef Edey reiterated that this programme was like no other as it is a new-age cooking format.

Contestants were judged using the WorldSkills assessment, which takes into consideration the entire cooking process. The junior chefs were not just judged by the taste of their food and presentation but hygiene, attire, time temperature, service window, kitchen safety, time management and wastage were also considered.

The panel of judges included Certified Sous Chefs Steve Phillips, Angela Garraway-Holland, Rashi Cummins and Jean and Norma Holder Institute chef instructor Natalia Reid.

Throughout the rounds, the judges could be seen walking around each station, observing the contestants and taking notes.

As the clock countdown, tension started to rise and at this point, the concern could be seen on the faces of families and friends as they anticipated if the contestants would finish in time. Luckily, each contestant did.

After both rounds ended, the judges deliberated and chose two contestants from each round to advance to the finals.

The judges said the contestants handled the time frame very well and were impressed by how they adapted after just three weeks of training.

The contestants that advanced to the finals were Samanta Greenidge, Mikalee Williams, Deryka Grazette and Reese Ann Alleyne.

The Final Cook-Off

Now, the pressure was on. The finalists had the same 45 minutes to get everything done but this time it was with secret ingredients. They had no idea what they were cooking until the mystery box was placed on the stations.

The mystery box included Eclipse biscuits, flying fish, fresh thyme, sweet potato and
Mount Gay Rum Eclipse, the festival’s official rum sponsor.

The tension was high as the contestants pulled out all the stops and upped their game this round. The junior chefs had to get inventive as they were all using the same ingredients.

The dishes created were:

• Samanta Greenidge
  Panné flying fish infused with Mount Gay Rum, sweet potato croquettes with sautéed vegetables and Espanol sauce.
• Mikalee Williams
  Herb-crusted Eclipse biscuit flying fish, deep-fried sweet potato medallions with Mount Gay infused beet sauce.
• Deryka Grazette
  Sweet potato pancake, fried flying fish stripes, Bajan coleslaw and sorrel and rum glaze sauce.
• Reese Ann Alleyne
  Tempura flying fish, sweet potato crisp, Eclipse stuffing, steamed veg and white roux sauce.

Developing the Youth

Though everyone’s performance was impressive, 21-year-old Mikalee Williams and 18-year-old Samanta Greenidge were the winners of the Junior Chef Cook-Off Competition. The second runner-up was Reese Ann Alleyne and third runner-up was Deryka Grazette.

When her name was announced Samanta was surprised and the tears of joy subsequently fell.

“I am very happy with the outcome and my advice to anyone who wants to join the competition next year is to go for it as Chef Peter Edey is a really good trainer,” she stated.

On the other hand, Mikalee was noticeably shocked as she was not confident after she plated her final dish.

“For me to hear my name was a big surprise. This means the world to me because I can pursue my studies in culinary arts and I really needed this push,” she said.

Chef Edey was very proud of all the contestants’ performances and was happy with the confidence they displayed throughout the rounds.

“These participants were all great. Before, my job was really difficult as I had to select the semi-finalists but today it was in the hands of the four judges and I felt very good just watching them perform at their best,” he stated.

Feed the Future

When the BTMI conceptualized the theme ‘Feed the Future’, this is the kind of impact that the organization wanted to achieve. Through the Barbados Food and Rum Festival, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) pledged to support education and training opportunities for youth in the areas of culinary and hospitality development.

Aprille Thomas, Director of PR and Communications, BTMI stated “Yes, the beaches, yes, the nightlife and everything but they want to talk to the bartender that’s mixing them a drink. They want to know who’s the chef that’s creating what they’re eating and where the food is coming from. These are the experiences that people want when it comes to Barbados and so we wanted to see how we can develop the future of culinary arts in Barbados.”

With the Junior Chef Cook-Off champions crowned, the phrase “actions speak louder than words” would be quite accurate in this instance.

By: Rhe-Ann Prescod

A Thursday night filled with thought-provoking discussions, delectable food and cocktails, and heartwarming stories. That’s how the first event of the Food and Rum Festival was kicked off at the Grande Salle of the Frank Collymore Hall!

The topic of the night was “The Slow Food Movement: Celebrating 10 Years of Service” and it was the first of the three-part “Culture of Cuisine” Lecture Series.

The Welcome

Hosted during Tourism Week, CEO of Barbados Tourism and Marketing Inc (BTMI) Dr. Jens Thraenhart​, welcomed the audience by congratulating the Slow Food Movement on their huge achievement and highlighting the relevance of the topic. He further spoke on the importance of hosting events like the lecture, during the Food and Rum Festival, to teach people about sustainable food practices.

The Master of Ceremonies for the evening Ms. Paula-Anne Jackman subsequently introduced the four featured speakers, Director of Slow Food Movement, Julie McNeel and partners Andrea Power, Charlotte Prud’Homme and Joel Headley.

The speakers provided the audience with a cultured discussion, giving a holistic view of each person’s contribution to the movement.

Capturing the Movement

Julie, enlightened us with a brief history of the Slow Food Movement, thanking her husband, Ian McNeel and farmer John Hunte who co-founded the movement, for their tireless work, activism and motivation to the cause. She further gave the audience insight into the tremendous work that is being done within local communities in their effort to promote the notion that “vulnerable people don’t have to eat vulnerable foods”. She also advocated for people to adopt more self-reliant and sustainable practices.

Following, Andrea introduced the audience to the term “Food Sovereignty” which is the right of people to healthy and culturally appropriate food, produced using ecologically sound and sustainable methods. To say the least, she left most people questioning the role each of us can play in achieving this.

Charlotte Prud’Homme made us reflect on the kind of Barbados we would like to see in the next 5-15 years and captivated us with her work as a Regeneration Specialist at Walker’s Reserve. She stressed the importance of green spaces and urged everyone to reconnect with nature and buy local organically grown food that is beneficial to our communities and bodies.

Wrapping up the presentation, Joel Headley recapped the touching story of the Slow Food Soup Drive and its impact on low-income households. He described the initiative as a “Labour of Love” which everyone got a taste of, as guests were invited to sample the soup.

Audience members were also given the opportunity to engage with the speakers during a final Q&A and were encouraged to join the Slow Seven social media challenge if they wanted to further contribute to the movement.

Dine and Rum

To end the night, guests were dined by Chef Creig and his mouth-watering gourmet bites and wined, but “rumed” in this case, by mixologist Shane McClean’s delicious cocktails.

The intimate event left the audience’s minds stimulated, souls motivated and bellies full, which marked a great start to a month full of excitement.

The next lecture will be held on October 8th at The Grande Salle of the Frank Collymore Hall on “A History of Barbados Rum” featuring Richard Seale.

See you there!