You know jerk chicken.
But what about jerk spaghetti, Jerk oysters, Jerk oxtail… or Jerk ice cream? Chefs from across the Caribbean and South Florida, in the U.S.A., were putting a jerk twist on just about anything at the recent Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival.
The festival celebrated its 22nd year at Miramar Regional Park, having moved to a larger part of the park to accommodate more guests and vendors. This year, the festival featured more than 30 vendors plus cooking competitions and chef demonstrations, with the night ending with a reggae and dancehall concert featuring Elephant Man, Nigy Boy, Shuga, The Fantells and Chalice.
Festival managing partner and CEO, Eddy Edwards, said that he aimed to elevate the look and feel of the festival while celebrating diverse Caribbean food and culture. “We invited everybody for Sunday dinner,” he said.
“Food is that ultimate connector that pulls everybody together,” Edwards said. “In South Florida, where you have such a diverse community, we find that within all the various cuisines, there are so many common things that we all eat.
“We may cook them a little different or call them a different name, but when it comes to food, we always find commonality in food.” Besides plenty of options to eat, the festival hosted several events and showcases to keep people entertained.
On the Publix Culinary Stage, Boston-based Chef Darian Bryan and South Florida-based Chef Travis Reece were amongst the headliners who held cooking demonstrations. And, after attending the festival for the first time last year, Chef Reece said he was excited to return to show off his new creation: a jerk Spaghetti Bolognese with mini corned beef meatballs.
“It’s just a little twist on things, an ‘Italian-Jamaican’ vibe packing all the Caribbean flavours into it,” he said.
Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, Reece arrived in South Florida in 2022 with dreams of sharing his food. Starting out making food at a Pembroke Pines gas station, a year later, he opened his restaurant Chef Reece Kitchen in Davie.
“We’re grateful for that,” he said. “Being in the Grace Jerk Festival, just connecting with the community, that’s something that I love doing.
“Just being out there is a fun family vibe.”
