Jamaica Well Positioned to Capture Share of Ethnic Food Market

With the global ethnic food market expected to reach US$131.67 billion by 2030, Jamaica is well positioned to capture a share, thanks to the emergence of new trends at the HEART College of Hospitality Services (HCHS), at Runaway Bay in St. Ann.

This was noted by Managing Director of the HEART/NSTA Trust, Dr. Taneisha Ingleton, at the College’s Centre of Excellence Culinary Arts & Gastronomy Symposium and Open House, held on Wednesday, March 13.

To ensure that Jamaica is perfectly poised, Dr. Ingleton informed that the Trust has taken on the challenge of developing and implementing a Centre of Excellence in Culinary Arts and Gastronomy.

Its primary focus will be to develop, implement, and promulgate knowledge, best practices and skills in the art and science of preparing and serving food.

Referencing the 2023 report by Fortune Business Insights, Dr. Ingleton pointed out that persons, including future chefs, innovators and food enthusiasts, are being trained to tap into the market.

“We’re witnessing the birth of new trends at the HCHS. We’re witnessing new flavour profiles that will tantalise taste buds around the world and we are seeing incredible work happening in the research labs where local organic ingredients are being identified and celebrated,” she added.

The Managing Director further recognised the HCHS and the Cardiff Hotel and Spa, also at Runaway Bay, as two important pillars in Jamaica’s gastronomical and hotel experience.

“This college (HCHS) is the very best. I’ve done the analysis and I have not overanalysed. [It] is performing at the very highest level in the HEART/NSTA Trust [when we talk about] the quality of the training experience and the product that we continue to give to Jamaica,” she said.

“The team has been operating in purpose, and it is only when we operate in purpose that we get to a place like this and our fullest potential is activated,” Dr. Ingleton said.

As for the Cardiff Hotel and Spa, the Managing Director mentioned that its impact goes beyond just awards and certification.

“As a formidable diamond within HEART, the institution supplies over 1,000 graduates each year, with an impressive employment rate of 85 per cent in recent times,” she said.

Of importance, both the HCHS and the Cardiff Hotel have been placed ahead of many in the hospitality industry, having received the 2022 Green Global Gold Advanced Certification Award, given to hotels and resorts that demonstrate a commitment to sustainable practices and environmental responsibility.

This is in addition to receiving the Caribbean Sustainability Award for businesses in the Caribbean region that have made significant contributions to sustainable development in 2005.

“This is a testimony of [their] commitment to responsible tourism, so we are thinking big picture. We’ve moved beyond food and hotel experience to contributing to the global economy,” Dr. Ingleton pointed out.

As the Cardiff Hotel and Spa and the HCHS continue to represent true champions of sustainable tourism and excellence in hospitality, provide top-quality education, and contribute to Jamaica’s economic development in a changing culinary landscape, trainees were encouraged to draw on the inspiration of those who came before them.

“Let our dishes evoke memories, stir emotions, unite us and leave an indelible mark. Let Jamaican ingredients be our foundation. Let creativity be our brush [as we] paint the world with vibrant flavours of Jamaica, but most importantly, never forget the stories that these dishes tell and the cultural tapestry that comes with every bite,” Dr. Ingleton said.