From November 16-19, the eighth annual Barbados Food & Rum Festival will serve up the island's culinary bounty at various locations.
While the event has a number of years on its plate, the recipe for its lineup and focus has been adjusted a bit. In 2016, the festival was rebranded, adding the island's name in order to focus on Barbados' revered epicurean heritage.
At a media breakfast for the festival, Eusi Skeete, senior business development officer for Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., explained there's much more to this event than food and rum.
"It's really about interacting with the locals and fully [immersing] yourself in the Barbados experience," he said.
Skeete added that the festival gives attendees "the opportunity to see how and really embrace a culture that is passionately vibrant."
In speaking about the festival's changes, BMTI Chairman Alvin Jemmott noted that with Barbados being considered the "birthplace of rum" that "it was only natural for us to move from being a food and wine festival to a food and rum festival."
The country is home to the Mount Gay distillery-founded in 1703 and said to be the oldest existing brand of rum in the world.
Noting that the festival has become a staple of Barbados tourism, Jemmott pointed out another great benefit: "Not only do we have international chefs coming for the festival, but we also have Barbados chefs that have grown so much."
For example, Jemmott acknowledged that this homegrown culinary expertise has gone on to do well beyond their borders such as winning top levels at Taste of the Caribbean competition this past July in Miami.
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Chefs Participating
As for who's cooking at the eighth annual Barbados Food & Rum Festival, the culinary lineup will incorporate chefs from both Barbados and all around the globe.
Noted chef and restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten will be participating, marking his second year. His roster of restaurants includes The Inn at Pound Ridge by Jean-Georges, ABC Kitchen, ABC Cocina, Simply Chicken at Madison Square Garden, The Pump Room in The Public Chicago and Eden Rock in St. Barths. Most recently, Jean-Georges ventured to Roppongi Hills to open JG Tokyo, a 14-counter seat restaurant.
On November 18, Vongerichten will host a multi-course dinner for 150 guests at the island's famed restaurant, The Cliff. The dinner menu features options such as spiny lobster in romesco sauce, coconut-lime infused tuna sashimi and fragrant spiced lamb chops with cucumber-lime yogurt.
Other participating chefs extend to Chef Tom Aikens from London and Chef Chris De La Rosa from Toronto. Among Local chefs and mixologists is Barbados' own Chef Damian Leach, who was awarded as the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association 2016 Caribbean Chef of the Year.
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Held during what's referred to as the island's culinary month of November, visitors attending the Barbados Food and Rum Festival will witness the essence of Barbadian cooking and spirits via lively events taking place all over the island.
Plus, Barbados' entire epicurean spectrum will be represented, from street food finds to fine dining establishments. For example, the festival will kick off on November 16 with an evening meal in Oistins, a fishing village where freshly caught fish will be grilled under the stars.
'If you haven't gone to Oistins, you haven't been to Barbados," said Jemmott, "and we will start our event there on the first night, right in the square."
Overall, the festival will feature a range of diverse culinary and cultural experiences including polo, a flotilla and beach party, along with a night out in the Oistins fishing village.
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