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  • Media Coverage 2007
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    The 2006 Festival was covered extensively by international media such as BET Jazz, The Travel Channel UK, and two in-flight airline shows as well as a host of print and web magazines such as Chili Pepper, The Independent (UK),Irish Daily Mirror, The Birmingham Post, Daily Telegraph, The Jamaican Gleaner, The Observer, Independent on Sunday Food Special 27 August 2006 Caribbean Times (UK), New Nation, Caribbean Times, Marie Claire October 06 Chile Pepper - Feature story, February Away.com - Feature story, January Travel Agent - Mention within article, The Advocate (LA), -Islands magazine Festival write-up, Sept/Oct -Reservations magazine Sept/Oct -The Hamilton Spectator (Canada) - The Bergen Record (NJ) and a Global Rhythms podcast amongst many others!

     
    Food, Food & more Food

    Right across the Caribbean there's a lot happening. Many of us may not know but, this is the time when hard-working visionary people are busy trying to get their festivals and events in place. Many are up 'till all times of the morning organising as with the case of Neysha Soodeen (BET MACO Food & Rum Festival 2007 - Nov.1-4) who sent me an email at 3:30 a.m.! Not long after, came one from Stephanie Scott (Kingston Restaurant Week 2007 - Nov. 10 to 17).

    The adage about the early birds getting the first worms works for me this week so I will begin with St. Lucia in earnest, touching lightly on Kingston. Next week I will veer into Barbados' Crop Over (ends August 1st), talk about Grenada's Carnival (August) keeping The Gleaner's Restaurant Week in mind all the while as I get morenews about plans. Last year's event in the capital city proved to be a huge success with restaurants filled to capacity. Stephanie Scott must get all the help required to continue this upward trend. Some 30 restaurants are already on the card, so don't get left behind - early 'hooking up' gives better chance for promotional stories. Her contact is intek01@mail.infochan.com

    With inter-island travel easier thanks to our heads of state and Caribbean Single Market Economy there's no time better than now to spend some of our hard-earned dollars right in our backyard.

    Amazing St. Lucian Woman

    The land of the amazing Pitons and the most beautiful parrot in the world; of a people so steeped in their culture that French/African patois is spoken as easily as English; an island where, during its French tenure, the rich and famous of the courts of France lounged in large estate homes and bathed in rivers that brought life back to their sick bones. With these rivers still catapulting down from lush mountainsides into the sea below, locals and visitors can today sunbathe their cares away. St. Lucia is home for the famous St. Lucia Jazz Festival with another niche festival added to its repertoire making waves - a food and rum extravaganza conceptualised by Soodeen of MACO magazine fame, now in its second year.

    Invitees include Jessica Harris. The author of nine critically- acclaimed cookbooks that document the food and food-ways of the African Diaspora, Harris is currently working on a narrative history of African-Americans and food. Known as a culinary historian having lectured at The Museum of Natural History in New York City and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., Dr. Harris as she is professionally known, is also a journalist who has written book, theatre reviews and travel features in Gourmet, Food & Wine and Essence. She has made numerous television appearances on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Food Network and Sara Moulton's Cooking Live; has worked as a consultant with Kraft Foods, Pillsbury and Unilever and is a member of Sterling Rice's culinary council that serves as a think tank for major food manufacturers. Harris has been honored numerous times for spreading the word of African and Caribbean cuisines around the world; has received the Heritage Award from the Black Culinarians and the Food Hero award from Eating Well magazine.

    She has been given a lifetime achievement award by the Southern Foodways Alliance and received the Toque award from Philadelphia's the Book & the Cook, joining culinary notables such as the late Julia Child and Jacques Pepin.

    Makes no sense to even try to continue - let's just get it straight - this lady is one whopping amazing woman who is worth seeing, worth listening and talking to and St. Lucia's BET MACO Food & Rum Festival will be ever richer for having her.

    Mixologists, Rums and Chefs

    Mixologists and chefs galore will be there: Tony Abou Ganim, (featured on Iron Chef); Ian Burrel, the face of the London bar scene for some twelve years and a Rum Ambassador. His restaurant and cocktail bar, Cottons, boasts the largest collection of rums in London. Being of Jamaican descent, Ian claims rum is in his blood and started The Appleton Rum Academy in New Zealand - a rum training programme for the top bartenders in New Zealand that included rum history and rum cocktail knowledge. He helped launch Appleton Rums in Australia with a series of rum cocktail training sessions in Sydney and Melbourne too.

    Talking rums - news is that Appleton will be there! Fabulous. I am excited at this prospect. By the way, news has reached that St. Lucia Distilleries' and Carl Stevenson's Elements Rum (launched last year) has copped three titles for its two rums in Esquire magazine's August 2007 edition. Best rum for sipping and mixing with Elements 8 'Old Fashioned" being the preferred cocktail for some of its three million U.K. readers! Wow!

    Shall we see an Appleton/Element rum-off in St. Lucia? Would be great to pit rum against rum in a taste-test between friends in the business eh? There are so many 'biggies' going to be there - Angostura, Mount Gay, St. Vincent Distillers, Pyrat Rum from Anguilla, Suriname's Alcoholic Beverages just to name a few. A rum-off could be opportune!

    Chefs include Robert Oliver (consultant and agri-tourism), whose Asian/Caribbean fusion cuisine hit it off really well last year; Bobo Bergstrom and his Eurobbean cuisine - he puts St. Lucian chocolate on beef tenderloin, believe it or not. Newcomers Chef Eoghain O'Neill (a Trini/Irish) who is making huge waves at Raffles Restaurant on the Grenadine island of Canouan and St. Lucian David Payne whose accomplishments and culinary expertise has had him featured in many magazines. Other chefs include Craig Jones; Douane Dove from Trinidad & Tobago is not to be left out with his extraordinary presentations of Caribbean cocoa paired with fine aged rum. The list is actually endless.

    ST LUCIA TO HOST FIRST RUM & FOOD FESTIVAL TO KICK OFF WINTER

    Caribbean Life in New
    York City on Aug. 22nd


    Rodney Bay Village, St Lucia St Lucia will be host to the first Rum & Food Festival to take place in Rodney Bay Village 26-29 October as announced by Rodney Bay Village Chairman, and St Lucian hotelier, Allen Chastanet. The festival aims to highlight the cuisine and rums of the region.

    "St. Lucia will have 3,200 new rooms and two designer golf courses under construction by the end of the year," said Chastanet, President of the St Lucia Hotel Association. "The destination really is on the move and we wanted a gastronomic event with St. Lucia as the venue that would focus on and promote the Caribbean rums, restaurants, chefs, food and drink products."

    St. Lucia has the Pitons, "but I think we have fallen short in terms of highlighting some of the island's other attributes, which certainly include food," he said.

    The festival will take place in Rodney Bay Village and will include food demonstrations by several international and local chefs; rum tastings in then Rum Pavilion in town, demonstration kitchens; a cookbook shop; a cigar rolling station; rum boat cruises to the Pitons; and live musical performances from Third World, Monty Alexander and Arrow, among others.

    The festival price of $500 per person will include three five-course dinners at a choice of five restaurants and VIP passes to the concerts.

    A number of properties are expected to offer packages with special accommodations rates that can be tied into the $500 price for the event itself, according to Chastanet. For example, the four-night rate at his Coco Palm Resort will be US$350 per person, double occupancy.
    "We hope to make this an annual event, much in the way of the St. Lucia Jazz Festival held each May," he said. "It takes a while for an event to get off the ground, so we're forecasting approximately 200 participants from overseas for the first one." More than 24 rum companies from across the
    Caribbean are scheduled to participate in the event. Chastanet, under whose initiative both the St. Lucia Jazz and the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festivals were started, said the new event would also
    highlight village tourism and would feature a number of leading Caribbean dance and Jazz bands.


    RODNEY BAY VILLAGE
    Rodney Bay Village, the liveliest spot on the northern western part of the island offers over 20 different restaurants, shops, galleries, and a renowned golf course near by. It is a two-minute walk to Reduit Beach, rated the most beautiful beach on the island. St. Lucia is an activity-lovers paradise with everything from horseback riding and hiking the rain forest to snorkelling the crystal blue waters or taking a helicopter ride over the Pitons. At Coco Palm guests are encouraged to immerse themselves in St.
    Lucia's vibrant culture, adventures, and cuisine.

    CUISINE WITH SPIRIT writen by Bevan Springer

    St. Lucia to host Food and Rum festival

    CASTRIES, St. Lucia (July 6, 2006) – According to the International Culinary Tourism Association (ICTA), food and beverages have an equal, if not more powerful, allure as museums, sports and shopping.

    Caribbean hotelier Allen Chastanet is clearly a believer and is behind this fall’s launch of St. Lucia's first ever Food and Rum Festival in Rodney Bay, from October 26 to 29, 2006.

    The festival will attract some of the best chefs, wine and rum connoisseurs, and food critics from across the Caribbean and the globe. "Now that we have the Jazz festival established in St. Lucia, we needed another event to start off the winter season," said Chastanet, who believes that for most people food is a huge part of the travel experience.

    St. Lucia has a true opportunity to become better known as a culinary destination and the multiplicity of restaurants in Rodney Bay makes the area a perfect spot to host the festival. “We are starting to build the awareness of quality food and making sure that the restaurants in St. Lucia have an appreciation of what’s going on in the rest of the world,” said Chastanet, who believes the event will also expose the many undiscovered culinary talents of the island nation.

    Add rum and music, and the festival presents a true Caribbean flavor. Performing during the festival will be the New York-based jazz virtuoso pianist Monty Alexander of Jamaica, Soca sensation Arrow of “Hot, Hot, Hot” fame, Third World and local guitarist Ronald “Boo” Hinkson, and saxophonist Rob Taylor.

    The festival will promote Caribbean rums, restaurants, chefs, and regionally manufactured food and drink products to an international audience, and will feature food demonstrations from world renowned and St. Lucia’s finest chefs. Rum and wine tastings, dinners at five-star restaurants, and catamaran cruises to the south of the island are some of the highlights.

    The ICTA says culinary tourism is the hottest niche to emerge within the travel industry in years. “Culinary tourism is about how to best develop and market a new kind of visitor attraction – unique and memorable food and drink experiences.”

    Packages are available from all of St. Lucia’s northern hotels, including Chastanet’s Coco Resorts which is offering a three-night stay of US$650 which includes registration, VIP passes to the concerts each night, three upscale dinners – including wine and rum – access to the “Rum Pavilion” and food exhibitions.

    The festival is co-produced by the St. Lucia and Hotel and Tourism Association and MACO Magazine and will receive support from Jamaica-based TurnKey Productions.

    For further information, visit www.foodandrumfestival.com

    FIRST ANNUAL ST. LUCIA FOOD & RUM FESTIVAL TO DEBUT OCTOBER 26-29

    Contact:
    Sara Geen / Ashley MontBlanc
    Laura Davidson Public Relations
    Tel: 212.696.0660
    Email: sara@ldpr.com / ashley@ldpr.com

    **Coco Palm Hotel Offers Special Festival Package**

    Rodney Bay Village, St. Lucia (August 3, 2006) – The first ever St. Lucia Food & Rum Festival will be held this October 26-29, attracting food and rum aficionados and travelers seeking a one-of-a-kind authentic Caribbean experience. To celebrate, Coco Palm hotel is offering a special package that includes an all-access pass to the weekend’s featured events including music concerts by Third World, Monty Alexander and Arrow.

    “St. Lucia is thrilled to host the first gastronomic event of this kind in the Caribbean, which will showcase the islands’ innovative cuisine and talented chefs,” said Allen Chastanet, owner of Coco Resorts and president of the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association. “Not only will local chefs be able to demonstrate their skills and introduce Caribbean fare, rums, and restaurants to a broad audience, but international chefs will also participate to highlight new cooking methods that utilize island ingredients.”
    The St. Lucia Food & Rum Festival will attract the best chefs, wine connoisseurs, rum fanatics, food critics and music fans from across the Caribbean and internationally. This fun-packed weekend will feature food demonstrations, rum and wine tastings, nights at top restaurants with visiting chefs, rum boat cruises to the Piton twin peaks and music concerts on the “Caribbean Boulevard” with live performances from Third World, Monty Alexander, and Arrow among others. Featured chefs include Andy Rose (chef/owner of La Floridita, UK), Jason Inniss (Barbados native and chef/owner of the acclaimed Amuse Bouche, Toronto), Kahlid Mohammed (chef/owner of Batty Mamzel, Trinidad), Bobo Bergström (native of Sweden and chef/owner of The Edge, St. Lucia), and Richardson Skinner (Trinidad native and executive chef of Ti Bananne at Coco Palm hotel, St. Lucia). Festival hosts will be cookbook author and TV personality Judy Bastyra, as well as culinary critic Rosemary Parkinson.

    For complete information about the St. Lucia Food & Rum Festival, please visit www.foodandrumfestival.com.

    GLEANER – REVIEW OCTOBER 5TH, 2006

    MWE KA-ALE TO ST. LUCIA
    By Rosemary Parkinson

    The Empress Josephine of France, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, found St. Lucia to be worthy of her holidaying presence so many moons ago; and this captivating island that lies between Martinique and St. Vincent known for its rugged, volcanic landscape with panoramic mountain views, lush vegetation, exotic animal life and spectacular coastline, continues to mesmerize visitors. The Amerindians, however, first enjoyed it all - from the majestic Pitons that seem to rise forever out of the deep blue seas touching the skies with its peaks to its coves and inland beauty. Naming it “Iouanalao” and “Hewannora” meaning “there where the iguana is found”, they lived in relative anonymity until one “Jambo de Bois” (wooden leg), an intrepid pirate, used Pigeon Island for plundering passing Spanish ships. Today, after many battles between the Spanish, French, Dutch and English, St. Lucia - Helen of the West Indies - has settled into a way of life that offers from developed and sophisticated to rural and easygoing with a culture of festivals and a people who can move from English to patois as easily as their hips can sway to the sounds of Cadence and Zouk.

    Rolling acres upon acres of banana estates; botanical gardens with therapeutic baths where in the past island gentry and officers of the courts of Europe found solace and health that to this day islanders and visitors can enjoy; commanding falls such as Diamond Waterfalls where the rocks covered in minerals seem to glitter like gold in the sunlight that peaks through the surrounding rainforest; the world’s only drive-in volcano with its sulfuric smell and bubbling hot craters; fishing villages that still proudly denote the past with their French architectural delights; Castries market brimming with all manner of produce, bottles of special brews and a passageway with wall-to-wall eateries selling from breakfast to lunch in boisterous patois. All of this is St. Lucia. But now, come October, this country will be offering something new, innovative, the first of its kind in the Caribbean, a must for anyone vaguely interested in cuisine.

    READY, STEADY, GO!

    Book your tickets, find a hotel, pack your bags because the island of St. Lucia is hosting, together with MACO magazine, a Food & Rum Festival starting October 26th, ending October 29th with a glorious bang. Any ‘foodie’ worth his weight in five-star dishes will want to be there. And if you are interested in booth space to showcase products, all you have to do is contact Neysha Soodeen at neysha@macomag.com – that is if all space has not already been taken!

    This gastronomic event attracting the best of chefs, wine connoisseurs, rum fanatics and food critiques from not only across the Caribbean but internationally, will be a fun-packed few days with five star dinners at the best of St. Lucian restaurants (Coal Pot, The Edge, Buzz, Ti Banane and the amazing Japanese TAO), rum boat cruises to the magnificent Pitons, music concerts with Jamaica’s own Monty Alexander, Third World - even calypsonian Arrow will be there. And as you walk through the various pavilions wine demonstrations, lectures on the history of rum, chefs doing their do in especially set up kitchens with areas for TV cameras, TV screens and seating for patrons will all have you wondering what to do first.

    In an exclusive interview with Neysha Soodeen, the reasons given for such a festival were: “To promote Caribbean Rum Internationally; to put Caribbean distributors in touch with international wine merchants; to introduce new products generally. Expose chefs and other culinary enthusiasts to internationally renowned Chefs and innovative Caribbean cuisine. Educate participants on pairing wine with foods and to promote Caribbean foods. Oh! There is so much to gain from this festival. Caribbean food is not only hot and spicy but it’s hot and spicy in the news worldwide right now. All eyes are on us and festivals like this will bring the outside world right into our backyard.” How? I asked: “Well, there’s the Food Channel (UK), Travel Channel (US), magazines such as Aspire, SHE, Ocean Style, MACO and Destinations (of course), Belle Caribbean, Global Rhythm, Basia and the internationally acclaimed Caribbean Travel & Life. Hmmm, think this is enough to have at one festival?” says Neysha, giggling to herself as she continued:

    “Chefs such as Virginia Burke (Walkerswood, Jamaica), Jason Inniss (Amuse-Bouche, Canada), Andy Rose (La Floridita, UK), Kahlil Mohammed (Battimamzelle, Trinidad), Paul Yellin (Pravda, Barbados), Xavier Ribot (The Coal Pot, St. Lucia) will entertain with their food demonstrations. Rums like Appleton (Jamaica), Angostura (Trinidad), Bounty (St. Lucia), Clement (Martinique), Coyaba and Mount Gay (Barbados), El Dorado (Guyana) and Pyat (Anguilla), just to name a few. Rum demos – all at the Rum Pavilion. There will be a Caribbean Cookbook Shoppe. There is so, so much going to be happening. I just want everyone to come down to this gorgeous island, enjoy the festival, maybe stay on for a few days,” and with this, she said “Okay, Rosemary, you can take it from there.”

    Well the only way left to ‘take it from there’ is to leave you with some images and my personal message – Padon, s’u ple, mwe ka-ale St. Lisi. Ki bel peil. Which means in Lesser Antillean Creole French – Excuse me, please, I am off to St. Lucia. What a lovely country! Just make sure you are there. It’s a great start before making it back to Jamaica in time for November’s Restaurant Week.

    Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can. Danny Kaye

     
     
     
     
     
     
    St. Lucia Food & Rum Festival 2008 - All rights Reserved