‘I’m coming to try to win it’

For Choy Gordon, the winner of the Walkerswood Community Festival Jerk Competition, sticking to his game plan earned him a spot at the finals of the 2024 CB Chicken PAN competition.

Gordon placed second in last year’s Walkerswood Community Festival Jerk Competition.

“For my game plan, what I did was to change my seasoning. I [added] a little more mixture in it. For the sauce and the chicken, I use Grace Tropical Rhythm Mango Carrot and Fruit Punch. I mixed both together. I blend my own bird pepper. I blend my own seasoning. I plant my own scallion. I plant my own French thyme and put them all together. So those are the ingredients that I use,” Gordon, who is also a carpenter and owns a grocery shop in Walkerswood, St Ann, told Food.

Unlike many PAN vendors who would use a Red Stripe lager beer to enhance the jerk flavour on poultry, the 50-year-old’s secret ingredient includes a D&G pineapple soda.

Having beat his counterparts at the Walkerswood Community Festival, which was held in the community of Walkerswood, St Ann on July 28, he is confident that he can be the winner of the CB Chicken PAN Finals which will be held at Independence Park, St Elizabeth on Sunday, August 25.

“I’m coming to try to win it! I don’t know how it goes with the other contestants, but I am trying my best,” he told Food.

Gordon sells his jerk chicken on Fridays and Saturdays, a venture he does not regret starting six years ago.

“I am a carpenter but the trade work is on and off. So I have to do something else to build up the income,” he said.

Walkerswood Caribbean Foods and CB Chicken joined forces to support the Walkerswood Community Festival.

SHOWCASE OF LOCAL CULINARY TALENTS

Organised by the Walkerswood Community Development Council and the Walkerswood Farmers’ Co-operative, this year’s event brought the community together to showcase local culinary talents and raise funds for renovating the community’s entertainment centre.

Nicole Hall, commercial marketing manager at CB Foods, expressed her delight with the event’s success: “The Walkerswood Community Festival not only brought the community together but also showcased the culinary skills of one of Jamaica’s hard-working farming communities. This festival is a testament to the power of community spirit and the vibrant culture we cherish.”

Hall continued, “CB Chicken is committed to supporting small businesses that are transforming how Jamaicans eat through local and fresh ingredients. Along with Walkerswood, we’re offering a taste of real Jamaican flavour. Our collaboration aims to enhance everyday meals by combining the flavourful CB Chicken with Walkerswood seasoning, made with fresh, high-quality ingredients. The result is a heavenly combination bursting with flavour and vibes.”

Sean Garbutt, sales and marketing director of Walkerswood Caribbean Foods, highlighted the synergy between the brands: “CB Food’s brands, CB Chicken and Copperwood Pork, pair perfectly with our offerings, from seasonings to condiments like our hot sauces. CB Chicken introduced customers to their air-chilled chicken process, a more sustainable production method that produces better-tasting chicken, a perfect base for our range of products. Walkerswood showcased both our traditional products and our new green seasoning, which has quickly become our second best-selling product in Jamaica since its launch in March 2023.”

The 2024 CB Chicken PAN competition will showcase more than 28 finalists, including Choy. Two PAN vendors were selected as finalists from each parish from two workshops held on July 21 and July 28 at St Jago High School and Montego Bay Community Centre, respectively.

They were judged at the workshops, primarily based on the flavour of their jerked chicken and the sauce they created, by Mark Cole, executive chef at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

lifestyle@gleanerjm.com