Staff WriterThousands of patrons will descend on Markham Park in Sunrise to delight in delicious jerk foods and an explosion of authentic Caribbean culture at the highly anticipated 9th Annual Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival. The one-day family-friendly event, slated for on Sunday, November 14, 2010, attracts some over 18,000 patrons who come to feast not only on the succulent jerk fare, but also on the diverse culture and entertainment.
With the focus on authentic Jamaican jerk — whose distinctive flavor comes from mix of herbs and spices, and is cooked to perfection — the festival celebrates and honors this culinary tradition, which began thousands of years ago with Jamaica’s indigenous people.
Adding contemporary variations to traditional jerk cooking, numerous vendors will be offering a variety of tasty jerk foods to titillate the taste buds and satisfy the palate. Yes, there will be jerk chicken, jerk pork, jerk fish and jerk lobster; but there will also be the now famous jerk ice-cream, which usually has a never-ending queue of curious patrons and returnees, who only get to taste this delicacy once a year!
Cooking Demonstrations & Competitions
Title sponsor, Grace Foods, the leading Caribbean food manufacturer and distributor, will again add spice with its culinary delights. Step into Grace Kitchen with Chef Mazie Miller, whose cooking demonstrations will wow patrons, as she displays some of the tastiest Caribbean food products by Grace. And here’s the best part — you get to taste! Experience the possibilities of the wide selection of Jamaican fish, meats, sauces and condiments this food giant has to offer.
Professional chefs and amateurs will also compete in the famous Publix Jerk Cook-Off, one of the highlights of the festival. The winner will get the honor of hoisting the coveted Dutch Pot Trophy and have one solid year of bragging rights. Last year’s winner, Robert Wong will be back to defend his title, so challengers will have to bring it!
Plus, watch as sports celebrities, former Miami Dolphins player Terry Glenn, and Miami Heat’s DJ Irie, along with media personalities, NBC 6’s Sharon Lawson, Channel 10’s Constance Jones and Tanya Oliver of Teleamerica’s Comcast 88, cook and serve up their best jerk dishes to earn the top spot in the Celebrity Quick Fire Competition.
Exciting Sporting Action
Sports fans will revel in offerings of popular Caribbean sports planned for this year’s event. Cricket, lovely Cricket, with teams from the South Florida Cricket Alliance; an exhilarating Soccer match between All-Manning and All-DaCosta alumni; and exciting Netball action with teams from the Florida Netball Association, will have fans cheering. The riveting Domino tournament and the revived pastime of kiting from the Jamaica International Kiting Festival, will keep also fans entertained.
The festival is always a great way to expose the little ones to traditional Caribbean cultures. But, there will also be activities designed for kids in the Kidz Fun Zone. With rock climbing walls, bounce houses, face painting, video games and so much more, the kids will not have a dull moment at the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival!
Cultural & Entertainment Stages
The Digicel and Western Union stages will have a diverse display of Caribbean culture with dancers, models, folk singers and spoken word artistes; plus many tributes in honor of the late scholar and cultural icon, Professor Rex Nettleford.
The Main Stage will serve up a mix of reggae and soca and other Caribbean rhythms from Caribbean and local artistes. Expect to get “1000 Volts of Holt” from the legendary rocksteady/reggae crooner John Holt and a hot and spicy musical segment from the world renowned Byron Lee’s Dragonaires. Ritchie Stevensand Nadine Sutherland will thrill fans with their hits; and local saxophonist, Bunny Bonito, Caribbean Music Farm, and Code Red Band will round out the entertainment for the night.
Come ready to get your fill of spicy, delicious jerk delights, watch fiery cooking competitions, cheer on your favorite sports team and be entertained with cultural presentations and musical extravaganza from renowned reggae and soca artistes.
The fun will begin from the moment the gates open 10:00 a.m. and continue until the Main Stage closes at 10:00 p.m. So come for the food, bring the family and invite your neighbors to delight in this melting pot of food, culture and entertainment at the 9th Annual Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival.
Tickets are $15 in advance and $20.00 at the gate. Tickets are available online at www.jerkfestival.com or selected Caribbean outlets. Children 10 years and under are FREE.
The Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival is presented by Publix and Digicel and Sponsored by Western Union, Air Jamaica, The Jamaica Tourist Board, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, WAVS Radio, Hot 105, TeleAmerica, Jamaica National and VitaMalt. The event is produced by Jamaican Jerk Festival USA, Inc., in association with Jamaica Awareness, Inc.
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