Cuisine and craftsmanship showcased at Cultural Festival 2013

Citizens were last weekend given the opportunity to sample the different flavours that bubble from the cultural pot, which is St Vincent and the Grenadines.{{more}}

Cultural Festival 2013, held at the Cruise Ship Terminal offered the different cultures in St Vincent the opportunity to showcase their cuisine and craftsmanship to visitors and residents alike.

At the opening ceremony, Minister of Tourism, Sports and Culture Cecil Mckie noted that the festival was the first of its kind in the country and promised that it would be an event to look forward to in the years to come.

“Our intention is to further expand on these packages that we have to offer and therefore, you would see many more collaborations like this. You will see many more festivals like this to welcome the visitors to St Vincent and the Grenadines,” he said.

The Minister opined that St Vincent is a country that offers the most varied tourism product in the region.

“We can showcase to the world what St Vincent has to offer [in] arts and craft and all of the other items that will come together into a cultural package,” Mckie said.

“For the next two days, you will be exposed to all these things Vincentian. We are putting together more and more packages that will welcome visitors, returning Vincentians and persons living here… and that can compare to any other region in the world”.

Booths were erected throughout the Cruise Ship Terminal and displayed an array of local craft and cuisine from all cultures represented in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Empress Modupe Olufunmi-Jacobs, host of the “We Cooking” television programme, described her cooking as “eclectic Vincy cuisine.”

Olufunmi-Jacobs, who is originally from Haiti, has been living in St Vincent for the past nine years.

It was no surprise that she manned the “Haiti/St Vincent” booth and not only displayed great tasting vegetarian food, but had cookbooks with her personal recipes, as well as local fruit wine made by Ingrid Punnett, which she also used in her cooking.

“We try to promote the use of our local agriculture and marine life. We want to promote the foods here, what we have here and not what they bring in,” she said.

Patrons of the festival were able to let their taste buds travel, as they sampled delicacies from countries that included the Phillipines, Brazil, El Salvador and Trinidad.

Local artisans were also in attendance and showcased a variety of handcrafted and beaded jewelry, intricate straw clutches and tie dyed canvas handbags, as well as leather shoes designed in the latest styles.

Cultural Festival 2013 was a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Tourism and the St Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority and was held on July 20 and July 21.(BK)