A bigger ‘Taste of T&T’

What will it be? Saffron rice with mussels, shrimps and scallops, topped with asparagus, pimentos and black and green olives? Little lambchops served with nutmeg horseradish creamed potatoes, mini vegetables with a cilantro tamarind compote and green peppercorn mustard?

Or sharwama beef, Lebanese-style salad and garlic potatoes, succulent coconut curried duck?

What about herbed fish fillet with tumeric scented plantain coulis, sweet potato sautee, ginger patchoi, Martinique’s salt fish accra with tamarind curry and feroce of avocado, sirloin roast with sauteed mushrooms and onions, baked potatoes with sour cream and chives, mini Caesar salad, spicy creole coconut shrimp, hunter style cassava and warm patchoi salad?

These are just some of the tantalising menu options available at this year’s “Taste T&T” culinary festival which will be held at the Hasely Crawford Stadium this weekend from 6-11 pm nightly. The event, which is in its second year, is a joint effort of the Tourism Development Company (TDC) and the Ministry of Tourism.

The goal of the festival in 2006 is to build on the platform created last year in order to enhance the experience afforded to patrons. To achieve this goal the TDC plans to utilise a larger venue which will accommodate the expected crowds. In 2005 the “Taste T&T” Culinary festival drew approximately 10,000 patrons.

Nadine Johnson, Marketing Specialist at TDC said that she and her colleagues have been working tirelessly since March to ensure that the festival was bigger and better than ever. Johnson said that this year’s festival will occupy three times the space it did last year, enabling organisers to have more seating accommodations, including a specially reserved area for patrons who have purchased gourmet tickets.

There are 16 chefs participating this year and they will be divided into four groups (A,B,C,D,) of four chefs each.

A single gourmet ticket admits one patron into the event for one day. Each ticket has four meal chits which allows a patron to sample from the four chefs that belong to a group.

These gourmet tickets cost $250 and include a complimentary sample of wine. Individuals who are not interested in purchasing gourmet tickets will be admitted to the festival for $25 and will have the option of purchasing a wide selection of food at any one of the numerous stalls.

The festival will also host a Caribbean Village which will be exclusively dedicated to the sale and display of indigenous food. The village’s ten stalls will feature Chinese, Indian, and Creole cuisine and will also offer traditional sweets. A demonstration kitchen spear headed by consultant Chef Debra Sardinha-Metivier, will also form a major part of the festival.

The kitchen will feature 30-minute sessions of live cooking for an audience who will have the opportunity to sample the meals prepared. Pre-taped segments will also be shown on large screens at the event.

Entertainment will be provided nightly at the festival by the youth choir Jeunes Agape, drumming duo Jah Jah and Baba Onilu, ace pannist Noel La Pierre and many more.

Johnson said that Mac Farlane Design studios will be responsible for transforming the stadium into a creatively Caribbean setting. A representation of the bamboo Cathedral, stalls dressed with karat roofs and bamboo tables, prominent displays of local art, theatrical props representing the countries which have influenced our cuisine, water fountains and bistro cafe seating are just some of the many dynamic elements that will contribute to the festival’s ambience.

The 16 chefs who will participate in Taste T&T 2006 are Mona Hadeed of Boomerang Caterers, Bernard Long of Bernard’s Gourmet Services, Shelly Confone of Plantation House, Ramsing Gurung of Aspara, Paul Mowser of Rafters, Gerard Mouille of A La Bastille, Angelo Cofone of ll Colosseo, Francisco Paiva of The Lure, Moses Ruben of the Melange Restaurant, Joseph Habr of Joseph’s Mediterranean Cuisine, Dwayne Henderson of La Trattoria Giulianio’s, Joe Brown of Solimar, Khalid Mohammed of Battimamzelle, Sharaz of Botticelli’s Restaurant, Brant Sinanan of Lighthouse Restaurant and Yan Wen Yu of Swans Restaurant.