The annual Taste of Cayman swings into action this Saturday.
The festival was originally scheduled to take place last month but was cancelled due to inclement weather.
Re-named the Taste of Cayman Food and Wine Festival and celebrating its 21st anniversary, the gourmet event will be held at Camana Bay from 5pm to midnight.
This year’s event will feature live entertainment, fireworks, wine tasting courtesy of the Department of Tourism, kids corner and the opportunity to win grand prizes, including two VW Beatle Convertibles and Cayman Airways trips, in addition more than 30 of Cayman’s top restaurants presenting a sampling of their best dishes. The Taste will truly have something for everyone.
As well as all the tasty food on offer, there will also be a host of cultural displays. The main Paseo at Camana Bay will be transformed into ‘Cayman Court’ for the night. The Market at the Grounds will be bringing the market to Camana Bay, including an ole time cook-off. Cayman Court will also feature Caribo’s Sausage, Cayman Traditional Arts, Cayman Taffy, Caymanian Traditions and Pepper Patch Jelly.
Gardenia Court at Camana Bay will host the wine tasting element of The Taste.
Guests will be able to taste a wide variety of wines from around the world in a variety of settings. This year’s event is looking forward to hosting more than 20 different vineyards featuring hundreds of exciting wines, with all proceeds benefiting the Cayman Islands Tourism Association charities. The main wine tasting area will be in Camana Bay’s Gardenia Court where tasting tables will line the perimeter.
Gardenia Court will also play host to the Luna del Mar Lounge, where guests will be able to relax and enjoy chilled out beats by DJ Alexi after making the culinary rounds.
Wines will also be sold at all tasting tables in both a tasting size of 1oz and a glass size of 5oz. Each purchase will require Taste of Cayman drink tickets, which will be sold at the main gate and throughout the event. For convenience, there will be specially pre-packed envelopes with $50 of tickets, including two complimentary Taste of Cayman plastic wine tasting glasses. These glasses will be available for sale throughout the event for $5 and all guests are encouraged to buy one, as there will be no other wine glasses used.
Jasmine Court will house the Butterfield’s Kids’ Corner and will be filled with exciting activities such as mini tennis, airbrushing, face painting, jewellery making and even a blue iguana craft making activity. The area will be centrally located around the interactive water feature and will tie together the experience for the whole family by offering an outlet for kids to experience ‘The Taste’ while enjoying all of their favourite activities.
The Butterfield Kids’ Corner will also feature ice cream from Dairy Queen, popcorn, snow cones and, of course, pizza.
With everyone ever more cautious about the environment, this year organisers have made a conscious effort to ensure a ‘green’ event.
Hew’s Hotel & Restaurant Supplies will be providing a selection of ‘green’ products, including plates made from 100 per cent sugarcane which are 100 per cent biodegradable and PSM (plant starch material) compostable cutlery, which is made from non-GMO vegetable matter.
‘Hew’s Hotel & Restaurant Supplies have always been a supporter of Taste of Cayman, and this year we felt that with the ever increasing concern for the environment, that we should help to make Cayman’s largest food festival into a Green Event,’ Joey Hew of Hew’s said.
‘We are excited to announce that Hew’s Hotel & Restaurant Supplies will donate all of the ‘Green Ware’ products from their local inventory,’ says Trina Christian, Executive Director of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association, organisers of the event. ‘It was a goal identified from the very beginning to make greener choices for this event and it’s the consistent small steps that end up making a big difference.’
Proceeds from The Taste benefit the Lighthouse School, the Pines Retirement Home and many other local charities. In addition, the event raises money for the Cayman Islands Tourism Association Scholarship Fund, which assists Caymanians to pursue a career in the tourism industry.
TICKETS
Tickets for the Food and Wine Festival at Camana Bay are now on sale for $40 prepaid or $50 at the gate, which gives patrons admission and entry into the raffle. Tickets are available from a wide variety of outlets, including Books & Books, Café del Sol and Abacus restaurant. For more information please call 949-8522 or visit www.tasteofcayman.com.ky. Tickets purchased for The Taste’s original scheduled date on 31 October will still be honoured.
FYI
Parking for the event will be on the Limestone development to the north of the Town Centre and is accessed from the Century21/Britannia roundabout. A complimentary shuttle bus will run between Limestone and the main entrance between 5pm and 12:30am. All other car parks at Camana Bay will be closed for the evening.
The main entrance for Taste of Cayman will be located at the western end of the Paseo, where a ticket booth will also be situated.
As Taste of Cayman is a ticketed event, all visitors to Camana Bay’s shops and restaurants will require a Taste of Cayman ticket to enter the Town Centre from 4pm this Saturday. The only exceptions are Hollywood Theatres and Häagen-Dazs, which are outside the gated area
Abacus Restaurant is within the event perimeter but will be open for dinner and will provide diners with reservations tickets to the event. For reservations call, 623-8282.
SHUTTLE
Free shuttles will be provided by Tropicana Tours. Pick up times are:
East End
Pick-up 4:30pm return 11pm
The Reef Resort
Morritt’s Tortuga Club
Compass Point
Foster’s Countryside in Savannah
Hurley’s Grand Harbour
Seven Mile Beach
Pick-up 4:30pm, 5:30pm, and 6:30pm (returns begin at 9:30pm)
Westin, Sunshine Suites, Ritz-Carlton, Beach Club Colony, Grand Cayman Beach Suites, Comfort Suites, and Marriott Resort.
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