Kuyah?! Jamaican Food… Reimagined

My Experience at Night 1 of the Jamaica Food and Drink Festival (JFDF)

Seeing Jamaican cuisine reimagined shouldn’t be shocking. Our food is bold, flavorful, and incredibly versatile — the perfect canvas for creativity.

Still, most of us are used to seeing our favorites served the traditional way. Plates of jerk chicken, ackee and saltfish, or curry goat exactly as we grew up eating them.

But JFDF challenged that idea completely.

Creative decor at the Stone’s Ginger Wine Station

First Impressions

From the moment I walked in, the vibe was exactly what you'd expect from the Jamaica Food and Drink Festival — lively, well decorated to fit the Jamaica-esque theme, and full of people ready to eat their way through the night.

Booths lined the venue with chefs serving creative interpretations of Jamaican cuisine, and the crowd moved from station to station like a very happy food safari.

And trust me… you wanted to try everything, my friend I would joke that we had $13,500.00 on the line. But really the cost is well worth the premium experience. From Lamb to Lobster to chicken and red herring and drinks from local top tier distilleries like Worthy Park and Stones the price was well valued in my opinion.

The Food Highlights

What made the night exciting was seeing familiar flavors presented in completely new ways.

Some dishes felt nostalgic while others made you stop mid-bite and think, wait… this is Jamaican food

A few standouts for me included:

• A creative twist on Rundown- Chef Haleem Card made a Shrimp and Smoked Herring Rundown served with Fried Bammy and Callaloo Oil that kept the smoky spice but elevated in the taste profile, had me going back for seconds and I don't usually like bammy.

Shrimp and Smoked Herring Rundown

• Chef Scotley Innis made a Lobster Gnocchi - Garlic Poached Lobster, Callaloo Gnocchi, Smoked Paprika Breadcrumbs and Scotch Bonnet Beurre Blanc. That mouthful translated to a fancy take on dumpling and butter, may be uncultured of me but it stood out because Jamaicans know how to take struggle and elevate it.

Lobster Gnocchi

• There's also the Smoked Pimento Pork Belly with Rice and Peas Arancini, Callaloo Pesto and Jerk Tambrind Ginger Sauce from Chef Volae Williams it was a fun textural experience with all the elements, presented well and tasted just as good.

  

  Smoked Pimento Pork Belly

Each booth felt like a reminder that Jamaican ingredients can be transformed in endless ways while still tasting like home.

Let’s Talk About the Drinks

Of course, the drinks deserved their own moment.

Cocktail made with Worthy Park Rum

From craft cocktails to creative rum blends, the bars were just as inventive as the food. Many drinks incorporated local ingredients — tropical fruits, herbs, and of course Jamaican rum — giving them that unmistakable island flavor.

I tried Stone's Ginger Wine for the first time, and my thought still remains - is a big people drink lol very mature flavor profile, but I enjoyed it. So, does that officially mean I'm old?

The Biggest Takeaway

What I loved most about Kuyah is that it proved something important:

Jamaican cuisine can evolve without losing its soul.

And after experiencing Night 1 of the Jamaica Food and Drink Festival, one thing is clear:

Jamaican food has so much more room to surprise us.

Yard Fire Lamb displayed with Roasted Breadfruit by Chef Jacqui Tyson

Now I want to know:

If you could reimagine any Jamaican dish, what would it be?

Because after this event, I’m convinced almost anything is possible.