Foodie wonderland at Kingston Kitchen’s Night Market
Published:Thursday | July 6, 2023 | 12:06 AMShanel Lemmie/Gleaner Writer
Settled under the temperate skies of the Corporate Area, last Saturday Kingston Kitchen returned to their Hope Botanical Gardens home with their foodie wonderland, ‘The Night Market’.
The veteran food festival, which this year celebrated their 11th anniversary, saw the inclusion of nearly 90 vendors, ranging from food truck and newbies to the food scene to established brick and mortars.
Expressing her delight in the day’s offering, Kingston Kitchen co-founder Leisha Wong told Food, “Honestly I am just happy and thankful and blessed that people still come out. Yes, last year we had a great turnout, too, but you just never know. We’re just like, are people gonna come back? But they do, and they come back every year, so I think that’s a sentiment to the brand that we’ve built. It’s a testament to Mel (Melanie Miller) and Jacqui (Jacqui Sinclair) as well, and just the combination that when we come together we just have this love for wanting to promote what’s happening in the food scene.”
This year’s staging saw patrons coming out in droves to sample the island’s offerings. Sutania Forbes said she drove all the way from Manchester because she was tired of missing the fun.
“I just got here, so this is the only thing I’ve tried so far, but I’m excited,” she said motioning to a container of soup from Just Soup… and Bread, before disappearing into a sea of people.
Looking back on their growth over the years, Wong said she is happy to have created a safe space for food and families in Jamaica, like those she had experienced abroad.
A SPACE FOR FAMILIES FUN
“So, for me, when we launched Kingston Kitchen in 2011, I had just had my first child, and I was in London for the summer and we were at food markets. There was so much to do, I think we’re generally very starved for family fun and entertainment, generally in Jamaica, and so we wanted to create a space that was fun for families.”
Nestled among the many food offerings were a craft market inside ‘The emporium’, their premiere tent, a ferris wheel for the kiddies as well as a petting zoo, where daring patrons of all ages could interact with exotic birds, a snake and miniature crocodile.
Likewise with the food, Wong quipped, “We wanted it to be a space that people are coming and trying new things. So you wanna come and try something completely different that you’ve never tried before.”
While no booth was left undiscovered, some of the night’s big hits included Kingston’s famous new brick and mortar, Orchid Thai, as well as Montego Bay’s little food truck that could, Zen Bowls.
“Food truck scene is growing. Not at the rate that I would love it to grow. So I love that we had Zen (Bowls), which is a new truck this year,” Wong explained, “We have to make sure that we have vegan food [and] vegetarian; we have a couple Mexican [options] that are not the regular Mexican (food). They are very authentic, they are smaller badge. That’s important for us; it’s important to us that we’re not just focusing on the brick and mortars that everybody knows and loves.”
Counting the event as a success, Wong says she is grateful that the foodies have come from not only across the island, but also the Caribbean diaspora at large, to celebrate food and love.
“Foodie for me means love. If I cook for my family, it’s how I show love. When we gather around a table, it’s just communicating through love. Just seeing everybody come out here, and it’s their love of food that has really brought everyone together. Whether it’s the vendors who are super passionate about what they’re cooking and bringing to the whole experience, to the patrons who have come out in droves with their families and friends, and are lining up and tasting food or sitting around a table and eating together. So I think being a foodie is just a way of celebrating love,” she said, beaming.