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November 18, 2008
Seventh Annual Jerk Fest draws hefty crowd in Florida
Markham Park in Sunrise, Florida came alive recently as over 20,000 people turned out for the 7th annual Jerk Festival.
Jerk connoisseurs were out in full force at the event that was mainly sponsored by Air Jamaica and Publix. No-one left disappointed, as the combination of all styles of jerk food, beverages of all types and outstanding live entertainment resulted in a Jerk Fest that was an exciting success.
Grown to become one of Florida’s most anticipated Caribbean events, the Jerk Festival gives chefs a chance to not only showcase their skills, but also compete for prizes in the Publix Jerk Cook-Off. Traditionally the main feature of the festival, this serious competition sees rival chefs going at it with all the ingenuity and spices that they possess as they vie for the coveted gold, silver and bronze dutch pot trophies, bragging rights and cash prizes.
Indigenous to Jamaica, the art of Jerk cooking has become very popular worldwide. While pork and chicken are the usual foods prepared in this ‘barbecue type’ fashion with a unique blend of seasonings, other foods like tofu, yam, fritters; and even jerk popcorn and ice cream were on hand for the international audience in attendance.
Certainly an event to evoke dreams of home, the Jamaicans were out in full force, not only thrilling their palates, but also enjoying the entertainment, like presentations at the Jamaica National Cultural Stage, where a Cooyah Clothing driven fashion show and a showcase of the Miss Jamaica Florida winners was presented. More fun was to be had at places like: the Party Pavilion, where popular DJs ran things; the Grace/ Western Union Cultural Stage, that featured folklore and comedy; and the Main Stage, where the music was Jammin.
Dedicated to the late Byron Lee O.J., the Main Stage presentation included stellar acts like: Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, Chalice, Causion and Shiela Hylton.
Winner of the jerk cook-off competition was Dr. Sharon Jefferson of Plantation, who was also last year’s winner.
The event was produced by Riddims Marketing and Jamaica Awareness Inc. Other sponsors were: Western Union, Grace Fods, Sun Sentinel, WAVS Radio and Caribean National Weekly.
