Enticing visitors through food...

The event stood true to its Spanish name, providing patrons with a taste of Lopinot through the various dishes and beverages available as well as such activities as “dancing the cocoa,” grating cocoa and grounding coffee and baking bread in a clay oven. In fact, the event marked the first time that Lopinot’s clay oven had ever been lit.

All in attendance were treated to pastelles, paime, tom tom made of breadfruit, plantain and yellow yam, smoked chicken and stewed fish, home-made wines and ponche de cr?me.

The event was a collaborative effort of The Lopinot Tourism Action Committee and the group La Belleza de Dios and served as one of many functions being held in the village to boost a sustainable heritage tourism while preserving the community’s Hispanic culture.

Ricardo Rambally, Co-ordinator of the Lopinot 200 project said of the day, “Basically, we were using the heritage of the people of Lopinot (in this case, the culinary skills) to entice visitors to the village.

“The vehicle that we use of the river that runs through the whole thing is the parang music,” Rambally said.

The Maracas Serenaders provided the musical entertainment, along with master harpist David Singh.

Rambally continued, “We also want to highlight the ‘cocoa panyol’s’ contribution to the eco-conservation of TT and national prestige.”

Rambally went on to explain that cocoa plantations are probably the only plantations to resemble an actual rainforest. He also noted that the Cadbury’s chocolate factory used TT cocoa to produce their high quality chocolate.

In all, Rambally was certain that the event had been a success, even with heavy rainfall affecting some of the events.

“Nothing ever goes according to plan but the end result is always encouraging. In fact, the contingent of cruisers who attended said that they thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it and looked forward to more.”