Reggae legacies shine in tasty showdown at Port Royal Seafood Festival
Published:Thursday | October 24, 2024 | 12:05 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
Providing good food and bringing families and friends together in the process, the Port Royal Seafood Festival promised to deliver an exciting gastronomic experience and did just that for the 19th staging on the lawns of the Grand Hotel Excelsior last Sunday. Among the tasty highlights of the event was the long-awaited show-stopping celebrity cook-off between children of reggae trailblazers and hitmakers. Naki Wailer, son of the famous reggae legend Bunny Wailer, faced Kelly Shane, daughter of dancehall-reggae star Tanya Stephens.
According to event conceptualiser and organiser Jennifer ‘Jenny Jenny’ Small, “This year, we wanted a different musical energy in the kitchen and space. So we went for the greatest of greats, male versus female, selecting each based on their love for cooking, family and their personalities.”
The delightful duo were all smiles leading up to the cooking clash, preparing their stations for the enticing matchup. With NuPak as the key ingredient, the mission, which they happily accepted, saw the contenders utilising products from the brand in their main dish.
Wailer got his pot on the fire, working assiduously to make his famous black beans stew with salt fish. From there, he added that goodness to his ‘pasta’, pivoting from spaghetti to elbow macaroni to create rasta ‘Nu mac’.
“I’m a home chef. And I’ve been cooking all of my life, really,” he said, adding that what sets this dish apart from others out there is the fact that it isn’t made by an ‘impasta’ pasta,” he said.
Taking his time to simmer down his seasonings, he served the judges an unforgettable mouthful to savour.
Off to a delayed start, Shane got to work whipping up her veggie chunks in tomato sauce with traditional rice and peas.
“I am making a Nigerian stew. Usually, this dish is made with chicken, goat or beef. But I’m making it with veggie chunks. I used to be vegan, so I still pick up on those traits and cook accordingly,” the home chef explained.
She went on to reveal that what sets her stew apart from others is its winning element. Once those ambrosial scents from the pot hit the open air, onlookers who watched keenly began salivating for a taste. “I cook with love and country hospitality because, at the heart of it all, I’m a bush girl,” she added.
Supporting her on the sidelines was her mother, who proudly cheered for her young chef. “Kelly is the chef for all occasions, like birthdays. She’s really good,” Stephens said.
With a cooking time of one hour, the two were judged on creativity, worth 50 marks; taste, also worth 50 marks; and cleanliness, which carries a weight of 20 marks.
Because the competitors brought their A-game, judges Orvil Warren, Albert Roberts and Kadia Griffiths had a warm time deliberating over the scores. But in the end, it all boils down to taste. And there can only be one winner.
“The cook-off was entertaining and hilarious! I loved that their family came to support them,” Small said.
When Griffiths took to the stage in her announcement, she revealed that this competition was a close one, with only a few points separating the two. Spectators looked on as it was declared that Wailer’s rasta ‘Nu mac’ was the winning dish.
Outside of the competition, close to 10 vendors served up mouthwatering dishes for patrons to indulge in. These flavour specialists included Prendy’s on the Beach, Little Ochi and The Real McKoy Pepper Shrimp, just to name a few.
“Jamaicans enjoyed the food and the size of the servings, and the visitors couldn’t have enough of our local cuisine. It helped that we had special seafood chefs Prendy and Blackie in the kitchen,” Small added.
With the 20th staging coming up next year, the organiser revealed that the first 20 persons will come in free, and there will be $20,000 in gate prize giveaways plus other surprises.