The second day of the 2024 Jamaica Food and Drink Festival (JFDF) took place Friday evening at the University of The West Indies, Mona with a fitting nod to 10 years of culinary offerings. At the range were past festival favourites, notably Chopstix, Picante, Pork Palooza and Crisp. It was without a doubt, the festival’s most-in-demand event.
Thursday Food ’s culinary adventure began at Chopstix, where Asian-inspired delights were on offer. Among the selections were Chef Junior Lowe’s Crispy Pork Belly with Sesame Sweet Plum Drizzle and Asian Slaw; Chef Trevanne Donegal’s Tandoori Style Salmon with Mango Chutney and Garam Masala with Spiced Cornbread; Chef Jamie Allen’s Shrimp Shumai with Rich Prawn Sauce and Istry Chilli Crisp; and Chef Débè-Ann Lange Chen’s Korean Sticky Chicken with Coconut Jasmine Rice and a Purple Cabbage Mango Sesame Slaw. Lange Chen’s dish was a classic from past events which, according to her, went beyond her expectations.
“I thought maybe I would bring back a popular blast from the past! To tell you the honest truth, I thought the line would be a little shorter,” Lange Chen. It was wishful thinking on her part..
. For her, the reward was to see how her food has resonated with patrons over the years, especially as she was challenged by the event organisers to cook Korean food, something that she had not done before. “I was excited thinking ‘oh great, I am going to cook Chinese food’ and they were like, no we want Korean fare.