Ital Food Fest set to entice and elevate palates on July 15
Published:Thursday | June 15, 2023 | 12:21 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
Before vegan and before plant-based, there was ital. And if the launch of the Ital Food Fest is anything to go by, then foodies are in for an enticing treat on July 15. Specially invited guests gathered at Devon House last week Wednesday to kick off the very first staging of the festivities and to get a taste of what the event has to offer.
Veggie Meals on Wheels started things off by introducing its gizz-pizz, a savoury gizzada pizza, sporting red, green and gold dough, coloured with beetroot, moringa and turmeric. The tasty filling consisted of cooked ackee and lentils. From there, Chef Troy Levy, who gave us a play by play of his culinary masterpieces, shared His Majesty bowl with chapati, which is composed of a roasted pumpkin, coconut and herbs bisque, topped with grilled corn and veggies.
Chef Levy also presented the ital tropical greens salad – jackfruit, kale, arugula and quinoa with creamy avocado citrus dressing and cumin spiced fried breadfruit, alongside Scotch bonnet ackee hummus. Owner of Kushite’s Vegetable Cuisine, Kush Lee-Creary was on site with his dessert trays on display. These ranged from plantain tarts and carrot cake to chocolate muffins and plantain cupcakes.
Event conceptualisers, Michael and Felicia Cunningham, created this event to celebrate the holistic (livity) lifestyle. According to the British residing and Jamaican-rooted husband-and-wife duo, “Ital Food Fest will pay homage to health and well-being, by showcasing elevated, high-frequency, ital cuisine, and good vibrations. It will highlight the talents of ital food makers and the extraordinary flavours they’ve introduced to the world.”
Joining the initiative are Chef Levy, who hails from Glengoffe, St Catherine; Wellness Experience Jamaica, headed by Paula Hurlock, and Con’uco Market at the Cove’s Amanda Mafessanti.
“Holistic living has always been deeply ingrained in Jamaican culture, think bush teas, balms, and rituals, for example. The magnanimous global impact of Rastafari and the magnetism surrounding Rasta livity that makes Jamaica’s culture and reach that much more powerful and impressive. Our tagline [is] ‘Before vegan, before plant-based, there was ital’, is really the team’s goal of highlighting Jamaica and Rasta as the pioneers of sustainable living and plant-based nourishment as a movement that took off globally. So big them up, return to the roots and give them their flowers,” Michael Cunningham added.
Boasting internationally acclaimed ital chefs, herbalists, holistic wellness practitioners and local artisans, the event will have three stages and three curated villages. The Ital Food Lab stage will feature world renowned whole food chefs like Chef Levy and team Kushites (Kush Lee-Creary and Keisha McDonald). Chef Vita will perform live cooking demonstrations. The Herbology Stage is where special guest, raw food advocate, Dr Aris Latham, the father of gourmet, ethical raw food cuisine in America, will present.
Patrons will be able to learn more about this aspect of Jamaican culture while enjoying delicious, wholesome, and gratifying meals; herbal and natural goods; revitalising therapeutic treatments; celebrity cook-offs; art; fashion; and other activities. “The festival aims to recognise and foster this here at home by promoting the best of ital livity for the health conscious, reggae music aficionados, foodies and those who are food curious. Its promoters are also pushing the immersive one-day event as a reason to consider Jamaica as a must-visit destination,” he shared.
All roads lead to the Ital Food Fest at Grizzly’s Plantation Cove in St Ann.