St Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival – Laborie Food Vendors Cooking Demonstration

As the passion for culinary arts intensifies and talented Saint Lucians continue to be spotlighted on the regional and international platform, the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) extend its partnership with the Saint Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB) on their revamped, re branded and re energized Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival.

Standing on a commitment from the SLTB to enhance the experience and safety of patrons at their   various events, the SLHTA held a Food Health and Safety Practices and a Cooking Demonstration     sponsored by Rubis, for local food vendors and handlers hailing from the pristine village of Laborie on Tuesday, April 08, 2014.

The SLHTA is of the conviction that this live cooking demonstration and lectures from the Public Health Department and our Executive Chef Rodroy Thomas from Sandals Halcyon Beach and Executive Sous Chef Gilry Samuel from The Landings Saint Lucia, will inspire the vendors and heighten their passion and creative juices to not only utilize more local ingredients but to be innovative with colours, textures and flavours.

Chef Thomas teased the food vendors by adding an authentic Saint Lucian flair to the mundane Bakes and Salt-fish by creating Gingered Bakes and Coconut Curried Salt-fish. He also cooked a Salsa Sauted Snapper with local mangoes, pineapple and other seasonings with a Jamaican inspired treat called  Festival.

Chef Samuel encouraged the food vendors to be experimental with ingredients, seasonings and spices. He also advised them on differentiating themselves from their fellow food vendors by inventing artistic and flavorsome meals but also a contrast in their menu options to cater for all types and interest.

There will be many other training programmes and cooking demonstrations offered from the SLHTA to other food vendors as we commit to providing our communities with knowledge that the Association possesses.