SUNRISE – Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival delivers a fantastic day of food & Entertainment on Sunday, November 13 at Markham Park in Sunrise.
As Jamaican pop star Shaggy delivered his final hit to close the 15th Annual Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival, patrons headed home totally satiated from the day of feasting on an infinite variety delicious jerk foods, watching engaging cooking demos and competitions, and being thoroughly entertained-from the Cultural Stages to the Main Stage and everywhere in between.
The Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival was by all accounts another resounding success, attracting some 14,000 patrons, including a number of local and international politicians, business people, sport stars and more.
Jamaica’s former Minister of Security Peter Bunting, wife Anushca and son Zen were spotted enjoying the day’s festivities, while Sunrise Mayor, Michael J. Ryan, Miramar Mayor Wayne E. Messam and a host of city commissioners got their fill of fun.
Olympic gold medalist Elaine Thompson, who swept the 100m and 200m track and field events in Rio earlier this year, spent the day meeting and greeting fans by the International Freight Consolidators booth, and was honored with a proclamation by the Broward Board of County Commissioners presented by Commissioner Dale Holness.
Managing Partner and Culinary Creative Director June Minto was totally pleased with this year’s event, citing an awesome reception of the new Publix Pavilion, which was a hot spot for patrons all day long.
“We’re very happy to have given the patrons a place where they could enjoy cooking competitions, interact with the chefs and win awesome prizes.” She was also incredibly satisfied with the VIP area, where guests enjoyed a heightened experience in a lap of luxury, dining on gourmet foods, tapas style, and settling in enviable spots for the entertainment on the Main Stage-an exclusivity that was worth every penny.
Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival Winners’ Circle
Winning any of the cooking contests is an achievement in itself, earning winners a year’s worth of bragging rights.
Kelsee Major emerged the winner of the highly acclaimed Publix Jerk Cook-off, which saw five competitors vying for a spot on the winners’ podium.
Major was awarded the coveted golden Dutch Pot trophy, while De’Bronya Hodges placed second for the silver, and Jose Valines walked away with the bronze.
Each received a corresponding cash prize for their placements.
Local WPLG Channel 10 anchor Todd Tongen proved he has more than a nose for news, when his jerk pork chops and ham spaghetti beat Miss Jamaica World Ashlie Barrett’s dish in the Celebrity Quick Fire competition.
These hard-fought competitions have come to define the event, and continue to attract a wide cross-section of participants each year.
Looks like four time’s the charm for New York celebrity chef Maxcel Hardy, whose jerk lamb with red cactus pear salsa and green banana ragu with cherry danish sauce beat Texan chef Eddie Jackson’s dish to finally win the Celebrity Chef Throwdown!
The two out-of-towners made the trek to Florida and delivered a fierce showdown in the Publix Pavilion.
Authentic Culture on Display At The Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival
Earlier, the cultural stages were turning up the heat and the fun for everyone.
For Cultural Stages Coordinator Bridget Edwards, the 411 Pain Fusion SoundStage and the Western Union Cultural Stage were where authentic culture and high-quality entertainment came together perfectly.
An excellent lineup of up and coming artists such as J-Stone and K-Charlez and singer Yanique Sasha delivered show-stopping performances, while the Sasa African Drummers and Dancers highlighted the cultural richness of Africa.
The newly formed Jerk Festival Dancers took patrons on a journey through Jamaica’s dance evolution, performing everything from mento and ska to reggae and dancehall.
The Trinidadian Melo Groove Steel Orchestra brought the hypnotic rhythms of Trinidad to this melting pot of culture and the Carib Isles Dance Group, with members from all over the Caribbean, including St Kitts and Antigua, delivered their cultural offering flawlessly.
Emcees actor/comedian Chris “Johnny” Daley and WAVS-1170 AM radio personality Yvette Marshall kept the audience engaged between performances.
One of the most exciting performances this year was the Bahamian Junkanoo parade!
Donning elaborate costumes and armed with goombay drums, cowbells, conch shell horns and other instruments, the Bahamas Junkanoo Revue brought the intoxicating rhythms of The Bahamas to life in their “rush-out.”
It was a spectacle to behold as participants waved the flags of the Caribbean and Johnny Daley in full Junkanoo regalia joined in the fun.
They parted the thick crowd as they paraded down the main street wowing the onlookers who-eyes peeled, cameras and cellphones in hand-captured the moment.
Of course, the event had something for the entire family, including the fun-filled Kidz Zone where children frolicked freely, enjoying face painting, games, bounce house and so much more.
Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival Delivers Phenomenal Entertainment!
From production to performance the Main Stage was nothing short of spectacular! Chairman of the Board Abdul Muhsin couldn’t have been more pleased with this year’s Main Stage features and offerings, especially since each performer held their own, some delivering a phenomenal show.
Gospel singer Daniel Musgrove gave a stellar performance, exceeding expectations and setting the bar high for the secular segment of the show, which featured top-tier performances from Empress Unique, King Banton, Christine Alicia, Sons of Maestro, the legendary Eric Monty Morris and newcomer Ikaya, whose distinct voice and high-quality performance left a mark on the audience.
Singing Melody did much to renew his reputation as a soulful crooner with old fans, and grow his fan base as he left it all on the stage with hits like “Want You Back” and “Say What.”
Chakka Demus and Pliers were in top form, engaging the crowd with classics like “Murder She Wrote,” “Tease Me” and “Bam Bam,”
Soca star Rupee delivered hits “Tempted to Touch” and “What Happens in the Party” bringing the crowd to their feet.
Performing everything from old favorites like “Oh Carolina” to his new release “That Love” and everything in between, headliner Shaggy ruled the stage. He had the audience hanging onto his every lyric and singing along with favorites like “It Wasn’t Me.”
Shaggy was in rare form burning up the Main Stage and closing the event on a high note.
Patrons left satisfied after another year of sumptuous jerked foods and all-around fun at the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival.
Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival Sponsors
The 15th Annual Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival is presented by Jamaican Jerk Festival USA, Inc. in association with Partners for Youth Foundation. Sponsors are Grace Foods, Publix Supermarkets, Western Union, 1-800-411-PAIN, Digicel, The Jamaica Tourist Board, Red Stripe Beer, National Weekly, WAVS 1170, Guinness, and Jamaicans.com.
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