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Jamaican culinary showcase in South Africa

Published:Thursday | September 23, 2010 | 12:00 AM
From left: Kurt Davis, first secretary Jamaican High Commission; Shorna-Kay Richards, Minister-Counsellor, Jamaican High Commission; Robert Forsyth, executive director, Recreation Africa; Anthony Miller, executive chef Couples Swept Away; Audley Rodriques, Jamaican High Commissioner to South Africa; Ruth Mutasa-Agim, group communication and marketing manager, Recreation Africa and Allan Dixon, group managing director of Recreation Africa. - Contributed

Recreation Africa is now hosting in South Africa Executive Chef Anthony Miller to showcase the culinary delights of Jamaica. Chef Miller has tremendous experience at the highest levels, both in Jamaica and the United States. He was crowned champion of the 2009 International Salt Fish Competition from the Norway Culinary Challenge with a unique and new recipe created just for the event.

Chef Miller's talents will see him working with top-class South African meats and produce and with a mix of Jamaican spices and methods, whip up exciting dishes that will surely tantalise the taste buds. Miller will also expose some traditional Jamaican delicacies which, with their tropical accents will open a whole new window on cuisine to the South African market.

Elegant five-course meal

Recreation Africa presented a Jamaican Gourmet Evening at the Misty Hills Hotel last Saturday. The event was an elegant five-course meal featuring Miller's specialities in an atmosphere that excited and satisfied the discerning connoisseur and food enthusiasts present. Courses were accompanied by fine South African wines.

Food is a key means of connecting with the culture of a people, and in the case of Jamaica so little is known about Jamaican cuisine in South Africa. "This showcase will expose Jamaica as more than sun, sand and sea, more than reggae, more than top-class sprinters, more than premium coffee and fine rum - yes we are all that but our culture goes way beyond. We are pleased to have Chef Miller coming to South Africa to present our flavours and spices in a way that will portray even more the essence of Jamaica," said Jamaican High Commissioner in Pretoria Audley Rodriques. "It promises to be an experience like none before."

Chef Miller will do cooking demonstrations at the Johannesburg Good Food and Wine Show and the Soweto Food Festival, where he will work alongside award-winning South African Chef Citrum Khumalo. He will also do development work with South African youth in Pretoria and Johannesburg, where he will do demonstrations and lessons with learners from Willowridge High School and at Chef Khumalo's Hotel School, respectively.