The wonderful Taste of Cayman event takes place on Saturday, 28 January, so be sure to grab your tickets.
More than 3,500 people are expected to attend the event, presented by Camana Bay. It takes place at The Crescent from 5pm and there are nearly 50 food and drink stalls to tickle anyone’s tastebuds.
This family friendly event is a real highlight of the spectacular Cayman Culinary Month and this year looks set to build upon the fabulousness of the previous 23 events.
“We have more restaurants involved than ever before, more booths before and more unique experiences,” says Jane van der Bol, executive director of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association.
“We have rum bars, mojito bar, The Hangout – a sports bar, which is unique. We also have the photo booth where you can have fun with your friends and upload the photos to Facebook or Twitter instantly.”
All things Cayman
One thing that is a source of great pride – and great entertainment – is the All Things Cayman area at the festival, in conjunction with the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism.
“We will be focusing on all things Caymanian – foods, entertainment and bands playing throughout the event, which makes it a super chance to hear some fantastic Cayman music,” Jane tells us.
There’s also a demonstration kitchen hosted by hypnotist Derek and presented by Bon Vivant and Home Gas, who are going to help show how to prepare and cook lionfish for delicious eats. Water will be provided free at rehydration stations from Flowers, too, helping cool down the heat a tad.
The festival takes up a significant area at The Crescent, which is becoming an extremely popular space for larger events in the special Camana Bay town centre setting.
“All the booths are laid out along the waterfront of Camana Bay, every single one overlooking the canal and bay along the crescent. It is going to be beautiful and the flow of traffic is going to be great with people going to all the booths.
“If you purchase your ticket prior to the event it’s $35, which is $10 off the gate price on the day of $45. You will get a wine glass and a lanyard so you can put it around your neck and not lose it whilst you have something to eat. And with your ticket right away you get a wine pour so you have a glass of wine to start.”
The ticket price includes 14 food tickets, which can be exchanged for samples of food from the vendors. Depending on the dish, it ‘costs’ between one and four tickets for a small plate. There are also areas in which more tickets can be purchased on site for both food and drinks.
“We have put together a true representation of what a food and wine festival should be and it will be a lot of fun,” Jane tells us, beaming.
We smile too, cause we agree.
Delicious stuff
Taste really is the essence of Cayman borne on delicious smells, delicious sounds and delicious food with a huge side serving of bumping into pretty much everyone you know and lots of friends you don’t know yet.
There’s also a competitive element, of course – one lucky winner will be voted Cayman’s Favourite Restaurant by the attendees.
“As usual we will have a little wooden nickle. Once you’ve gone and tasted as much as you like you will place your nickle into the special area of the booth you feel should win.
“It is exciting, a coveted award for Cayman’s best restaurant but I have no idea how people are going to pick. From what I have heard and seen, with the menus and chefs involved they are really going to put you to the test in what restaurant you select.” Taste of Cayman is an eloquent expression of the amount of high quality eateries these beautiful islands can boast.
“The Cayman Islands has over 150 restaurants,” confirms Jane, “And 45 have signed up for the event so that is a great showing. The quality of food we have in Cayman really makes us the Culinary Capital of the Caribbean. Every chef I talk to is really not taking this lightly – they are really trying to put something interesting there for guests to experience on 28th January.
“It’s also an opportunity for them to show off what they can do of course. But there’s nowhere else that you can go and for $35 dollars, have this variety of fun. It is going to be a great night. Bring your friends, bring your family – it is a super time. Food has always been a memory in everybody’s travel of life. If the food is good when you go on a trip you will remember that. If it’s bad you won’t even remember where you went. It is so important for our emotions and in Taste of Cayman emotions will be flying.”
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