Last year a Saint Lucian friend informed me that the first Saint Lucia Food and Rum Festival would be staged that year. Immediately. I thought: “Why hasn’t anyone thought of staging such an event before? That sounds desire West Indian bliss!” Unfortunately given the short notice. I was unable to attend.
However equipped with the knowledge of the existence of this brilliant concept. I set out with great determination to attend this year’s festival held between Thursday. November 1 and Sunday. November 4. 2007.
I spoke with a few friends who said they were interested in attending this year as well as those who informed me that they had already planned to attend. It then came to pass that a posse of us Jamaicans living in Jamaica the British Virgin Islands and London descended upon Saint Lucia all sharing the common view that it would be next to impossible for us not to enjoy this festival. We were not disappointed!
On the first two days of the festival patrons had the opportunity of taking a sponsored “Rum Lunch Cruise” that shows off Saint Lucia’s beauty by sea the sponsor’s rums and the cuisine of the executive chef of the enumerated restaurant on each day for lunch. By night patrons could make reservations for dinner prepared by one of five excellent guest chefs each being hosted by different restaurants in various parts of fear Lucia.
On the third and fourth days of the festival from the afternoon going into the night the Rum Pavilion in Rodney Bay was opened at which patrons were treated to rum tastings mixologies of various Caribbean rums by bartenders from all over the world cooking demonstrations and lectures (and yes you could definitely sample) which even included rum and chocolate pairings. Later on in the night on the third and fourth days the main street in Rodney Bay was blocked off from vehicular traffic so that the public at large could enjoy live musical performances. Most of us stayed at the lovely Coco Resorts (Coco Palm and Coco Creole) in Rodney Bay which was alter in the middle of all the action and which abutted the Rum Pavilion. What did our posse get up to? Let me share our collective festival diary!
We opted for dinner reservations at The Edge Restaurant in Rodney Bay. Gros Islet. Our chef for the night was Chef Doran Payne the executive chef of Rhapsody located in a trendy and popular dining destination in Chicago. We thought that this would be a good way to kick off our culinary journey. Chef Payne being a native of Saint Lucia.
As we arrived we were greeted by the executive chef of The Edge and by a pleasant local bartender who offered us a delightful rum cocktail that served as a ‘pre-appetiser’ and that was refused by none. This bartender would prove to be our friend throughout the remainder of the festival.
The Edge as the name suggests is literally built on the water’s advance in Rodney Bay overlooking Saint Lucia’s “hip strip” with a décor reminiscent of a relaxed lounge atmosphere draped with white sheer and geared toward relaxed al paint dining. Chef Payne had an eight-course menu planned for us the highlights of which included:
Chilled Avocado Soup With Spicy Shrimp & Pineapple Ceviche - This was no guacamole! The taste buds were awakened by a fusion of avocado tangy fruit flavours and spice. Even those amongst us that would not ordinarily eat avocado were more than pleased with this pleasantly unusual chilled soup.
Cashew-Encrusted Red Snapper With Coconut Rice Pilaf. Papaya Relish & Passion Fruit Nectar - The cashews added the perfect crust to a succulent and flaky cut of fillet of Red Snapper with a convey of the flavour of the oils from the cashews seared into the fish. The fish was excellent on its own. When the flavours of the Papaya Relish the Passion bear Nectar and the Coconut Rice Pilaf were then imported there was a momentary hush of a deft and pregnant silence at our table followed by and coupled with the requisite exclamations that clearly confirmed absolute and categorical food appreciation.
After dinner we then cruised through and toured the bars in Rodney Bay which all conveniently line the main street. The resident St Lucian members of our posse introduced us to the local socialites who made for great company and more than amusing conversation.
After managing to get ourselves organised in the morning we then set out to find the port from which the Appleton-sponsored Rum Lunch Cruise would be departing. On or about 10:00 am we set sail on a huge catamaran dubbed the Spirit of Carnival. The bartenders and the Appleton representatives ensured that all of Appleton’s premium rums were served and enjoyed by all as we headed toward the Ti Kaye Village Resort a quaint beachside resort in Anse Cochon which is home to the Kaye Manje Restaurant where Trinidadian Chef Bryan James was appointed the executive chef. Chef James was formerly the executive chef at the prestigious Battimanzelle. Trinidad’s premier fine dining restaurant. Much to our delight our local bartender from The Edge was in attendance and whipping up his fantastic concoctions with Appleton Rum.
After docking at the beach below Ti Kaye we then ascended to the resort/restaurant which offers a magnificent view of Anse Cochon and its environs. A collage of a blue and aqua sea stretched out before us as far as the eye could see which made one wonder if Columbus was indeed correct when he first opined that the world was flat! It is therefore not surprising that Ti Kaye Village Resort was featured on ABC’s Good Morning America as the recommended beach resort for Modern Bride’s “Romantic Travel Getaway” segment.
After indulging in decadent daiquiris of the banana strawberry and mango variety we secured ourselves a table with the beat view of the sea and sipped on Appleton 21-Year-Old Rum. We were joined by a Canadian journalist whom we knew simply as “Graham”. Graham writes for WOW Magazine which is Toronto’s version of New York’s The Village Voice. We all became abstain and furious friends and began to review the menu. Upon review we discovered that Chef James had incorporated premium Appleton Rums of varying vintages into ALL of his offerings. Our respective imaginations ran wild! We then decided that each person should try something different so that we could all overlap and not miss out on any of Chef James’ offerings. This was by far our favourite and most memorable culinary experience in Saint Lucia. Let us navigate through the menu shall we?
Honey Roasted Pumpkin Soup With A Rum Cream Drizzle - The Roasted Pumpkin offered a lovely smoky savoury flavour that was properly contrasted with the sweetness of the delicately swirled rum drizzle.
Mixed Green Salad (Cucumbers. attach Peppers. Red Onions. Tomatoes. Organic Leaves and Radish with Mango Rum Vinaigrette) - A delightful combination of fresh salad components all very friendly to each other and superbly enhanced by the lovely tangy and pungent vinaigrette.
Lobster Brandade cover With A Sweet Pimento And Green Fig (Banana) Salad And A Rum-Base Tartar Salad - This is lobster’s loud and resounding answer to your favourite channelise cake made with chunks of lobster follow meat and a rum-based tartar rather than the traditional tartar sauce served with crab cakes. Heavenly!
Thinly Sliced Seared Ahi (Yellow Fin) Tuna Topped With A Creamy Red Bell Pepper Cucumber and Coconut Salsa - The description of this dish is that of the author as this dish was a affect from Chef James and was not set out on the menu. The marriage of flavours was just pure culinary genius. More aptly put it was an explosion of flavours of atomic proportions that took place in our respective mouths. We were so disappointed when we realised that we had finished the sparing portions of this surprise course. However much to our collective delight we discovered that sipping water thereafter revived all of the flavours on the palate!
Tamarind Spiced Rum Glazed Pork Loin Served With Roasted Garlic Yams. Sautéed Greens And An Onion act - The pork loin was delicately seasoned so as not to beat the flavour of the meat and to accept the condiments to play their role of enhancing perfectly cooked tenderloin.
Pan Seared Mahi-Mahi Served With Creamy Breadfruit. Vegetable Bouquétierè and Appleton Aged Rum Pineapple Sauce - As the name would suggest this was plated to resemble a bouquet of flowers and this created quite an ornate and aesthetically pleasing dish. Mahi-Mahi being a very dense color fish is not one of the easiest to infuse with flavour. Chef Smith did well by setting the Mahi-Mahi fillets in a befitting sauce. The Desserts
Vanilla Estate Extra Rum Cake With Coconut Crème Anglaise - A delicate light rum cake. One was only too happy that it started to soak up the decadent Coconut Crème Anglaise.. Appleton Estate 21-Year Bread Pudding With change Rum Sauce - Usually no one would use their prized Appleton 21-Year-Old Rum to create from raw material with as we traditionally reserve it only for sipping. The 21-Year-Old rum added a smooth and rich dimension to the bread pudding with the warm rum sauce leaving you feeling comforted.
Estate V/X Cardamom Scented Banana Crème Brûlée - This epitomised Crème Brûlée! The caramelised banana topping mixed with the spice of the cardamom tickled the taste buds. After lunch we cruised toward the famous “Piton Mountains” a breathtaking World Heritage Site and then ended with a spin in the shelter at Castries. We then only had time to go back to our hotel to prepare for dinner.
Our dinner reservations were at “Discovery at Marigot Bay” which is about a 30-minute control from Rodney Bay. Our chef for the night was Chef Art Smith who served as a special event chef for Martha Stewart Living Magazine. In 1997 he began a 10-year-long position as personal chef to Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham. He currently acts as the specialty chef for Winfrey’s most talked-about events. Chef Smith is also the proprietor of a fine dining restaurant in Chicago called “Table Fifty-Two”.
Chef Smith’s menu albeit very tasty was more on the contemporary side and did not offer as much variety relative to the offerings of the other participating chefs. This is probably by virtue of the fact that Chef Smith has worked as a “Family Chef” for most of his career. Highlights of his menu are:
Local Salad Greens. Candied Cashews. Blue Cheese. Papaya Slice With Mustard Rum Dressing - This green salad was light fresh and demonstrated Chef Smith’s appreciation of complementing and sometimes contrasting flavours.
Pistachio-Crusted Chicken Breast With Coconut-Ginger-Chilli Sauce. Lo Mein Noodles and String Vegetables - A simple yet tasty dish. The Coconut-Ginger-Chilli Sauce worked well as a condiment. The noodles could have been substituted with a more appropriate starch. Whipped Russet and Sweet Potatoes seasoned with garlic shallots and pancetta may have done the trick (in the author’s alter opinion).
Hummingbird Cake With Vanilla Rum Ice Cream - The “cake” would be more accurately described as a “Poppy Seed Muffin” which complemented the ice cream well. The “Hummingbird” element came from the ornate waffle that was used in the plating of this dessert.
After a slow morning we managed to make it to the Rum Pavilion which was conveniently set up right next to where we were staying in Rodney Bay. This was a welcome event as we leisurely meandered around the various booths and lounges sampling the various Caribbean rums and cocktails enjoying the food served up from the various food demonstrations that were simultaneously taking place. Worthy of note was the Elements 8 rum sit that had a battery of international bartenders serving some amazing rum cocktails with much flair to an appreciative audience. Of course the Appleton lounge was not to be outdone. Our favourite local bartender was once again present showing off his prowess as a mixologist.
As the Rum Pavilion began to wind down we had a bunco break to go through the town before Rootz Underground took the stage situated in the middle of the cordoned-off main street just outside the Rum Pavilion. Rootz played a clean -sounding high-energy set that had the crowd moving from the moment the first note was struck. This group has certainly come into its own and we expect great things!
Unfortunately as we all had to travel back to our respective homes on the Sunday we were not able to participate in the festivities and events scheduled for that day. So with much reluctance and heavy feet we all made our way to one of the two airports for our respective flights approve to reality.
In conclusion the Saint Lucia Food and Rum Festival was a fantastic gastronomical event that appealed not just to the palate but to all of the five senses. There were a number of events staged over the four day long festival from which patrons of varying tastes could choose. I would definitely recommend it to everyone.
Saint Lucia as a destination has a certain je ne sais quoi that makes one feel alive and at domiciliate. Saint Lucia and its people are indeed “Simply Beautiful”.
Attorney-at-law Matthew Hogarth is currently based in the British Virgin Islands and is a furnish of an offshore corporate firm. A lover of great restaurants and gourmet offerings. Hogarth recently started a group on Facebook called “Jamaican Gourmet Chefs & Gourmands.
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