JCDC Hosts Culinary Arts Expo August 2

The best of Jamaican cuisine will be on display at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Culinary Arts Expo, to be held on August 2 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

This event is being organised by the JCDC to commemorate the Commission’s 55th anniversary. It also forms part of the Jamaica 56 Emancipation and Independence celebrations under the theme ‘Jamaica 56: One Love…One Family’.

The expo opens at 10:00 a.m. and is free to the public. It will feature more than 30 booths from various entities, and visitors can sample traditional and novel Caribbean foods and beverages as well as authentic Jamaican confectioneries, such as coconut/peanut drops, grater cake, duckunoo, puddings and ice cream; and Chinese and Indian cuisine. There will also be displays on wedding and celebration cakes.

Participating in the expo are executive chefs from several leading hotels and from the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona; University of Technology (UTech); and the Scientific Research Council (SRC); and gold medallists in the JCDC Culinary Arts Competition.

Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’, on July 20, Interim Executive Director for the JCDC, Orville Hill, said Jamaicans should come out and be a part of that experience and reflect on the development of the country’s culinary offerings over the years.

For her part, Consultant to the JCDC and author of the Jamaican cookbook, ‘Sweet Runnings’, Dr. Pamella Powell, said the event seeks to celebrate and promote traditional and novel Jamaican dishes depicting the country’s journey since August 6, 1962 when Jamaica became an independent nation.

“What you will see is a retrospective display of what the JCDC has been doing over the last 55 years to promote the development of a national cuisine. This exposition is showing appreciation to our ancestors for creating this vibrant cuisine that we still appreciate today,” she said.