Barbara Ellington, Acting Lifestyle Editor
Sydney Roberts, president/executive director Jamaica Awareness Inc (left) and Bernet Spence, first place winner in the jerk cook-off contest at the fourth annual Jamaican Jerk Festival held at Markham Park, South Florida, on September 18 (right).
THE SUN blazed down on patrons who came out for the fourth annual Jamaican Jerk Festival in Markham Park, Sunrise, Florida, last week Sunday. But it did not seem to matter to folks who simply wanted to soak up the island culture, particularly the food. Anything that could be jerked was jerked! Including ice cream. And if there was any doubt that this method of cooking made famous by our island's Maroons has definitely arrived, it's now been erased. Organisers of the event took note of the response of Caucasian attendees who just ate Boston Portland's Tarrie's succulent jerk pork, chicken and lobster, totally oblivious of the heat from the hot sauce.
The children had fun too, as they had a ball on the multitude of rides in the Kids Fun Zone designed specifically with them in mind.
CULTURAL SHOWCASE
Once again the Cultural Village showcased everything from folk songs to artefacts from the past, and a wealth of information on things Jamaican. And on the stage the entertainment package was headed by Byron Lee and the Dragonaires whose soca and reggae rhythms had the crowd on their feet and shaking off the bellies filled with jerk delights.
Girlie, the newest comedy sensation, flaunted 'her' oversized buttocks and delivered a rib-tickling performance. Ace DJ Jerry D the Vibe Master, was awesome as he electrified the audience with his preacher man impressions during a give-away segment.
SUCCESSFUL EVENT
For Sydney Roberts, president/executive director of Jamaica Awareness Inc., the event was a success, and next year three elements need to come together for perfection: more and consistently served food for all; easier access to the park and greater participation from Jamaica. Speaking with The Sunday Gleaner, he said he was particularly pleased with the turnout but cited three main areas of improvement for next year's festival. "We would like the American Food Network to be a sponsor, I would also like to incorporate Nova and Johnson & Wales schools of hospitality to play a role in quantity food preparation, and we think it's time for the Jamaica Tourist Board and Jamaican Government to play key roles in bringing more vendors to the event."
He said the festival is helping to present a slice of the Jamaican culture that tourists are seeing and feeling, and this will make it reach further and wider.
However, Mr. Roberts noted that with the festival running from noon to 9:00 p.m., many persons waited until 5:00 p.m. to avoid the heat. "This led to a heavy build-up of traffic and by that time many of the food
vendors were running out of servings and had to be doing a second batch of food. We have to find ways to alleviate this because the economic benefit to the vendors is good for the West Indian community," Mr. Roberts said.
