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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!
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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. |
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| ST
LUCIA TO HOST FIRST RUM
& FOOD FESTIVAL TO KICK
OFF WINTER |
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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. |
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| CUISINE
WITH SPIRIT writen
by Bevan Springer |
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| 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
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| FIRST
ANNUAL ST. LUCIA FOOD & RUM
FESTIVAL TO DEBUT OCTOBER 26-29 |
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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.
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| GLEANER
– REVIEW OCTOBER 5TH, 2006
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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
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