By Barbara Ellington, Freelance Writer
Lincoln Farrell of Miami-based Mystic 1580 was the winner of the celebrity cook-off competition at the second annual Jamaican Jerk Festival in Miami, Florida, last month.
THE SECOND annual Jamaican Jerk Festival held at the C.B. Smith Park in Miami, Florida, on September 28, was a resounding success. Thousands ignored the ground that was rendered soggy by the previous day's heavy downpour and concentrated on enjoying the succulent taste of Jamaica's unique jerk meats and cultural presentations.
The event was organised by Jamaica Awareness Incorporated spearheaded by Sydney Roberts and Carson "Eddy" Edwards, president and immediate past president respectively. The organisation was formed to promote Jamaican and Caribbean culture, particularly in the South Florida area.
Much like its prototype jerk festival which is now an annual event in Boston, Portland, Miami's festival provides patrons with a wide variety of sponsors' booths, displays, cultural presentations and fun-filled activities for adults and children.
Vibe Master, "Jerry D", sporting a much trimmer frame, kept the crowd hyped and attentive with his fun, games and on-the-spot contests. The Inner Circle Band and the award-winning Blue Glades Mento Band
provided music.
From as early as 10:00 a.m., pounds of delicious jerk pork were ready for eager palates. Raymond Marshall "Tarrie", one of Boston, Portland's best known jerk experts was flown to Miami to prepare the mouth-watering dish. Unlike last year, there were adequate amounts of pork, chicken, fish, shrimp, goat and even rabbit to satisfy all.
Accompaniments included: roast breadfruit, hard dough bread, bammy, boiled corn and rice and peas.
Highlight of the festival was the Jamaican Jerk Festival Cook-Off Competition with three categories: Individuals, Celebrities and Restaurants. The winner of the latter was Kingston's One World Catering; celebrity winner was Miami-based Lincoln Farrel of Mystic 1580 a.m. And Joseph Voden "Papa Joe", the only white competitor, won the individual category. Voden's entry was outstanding for presentation and product research.
Roberts told The Gleaner: "I am satisfied with the success of the event on a number of levels. All the things that went wrong in the first year were corrected and God was good in holding back the rain. We hope we will grow and attendance will double next year as we continue to expand the range of activities offered."
