RIU serves up multicultural culinary fiesta

WESTERN BUREAU:

RIU Palace Tropical Bay in Hanover hosted a fiesta of flavours last week at its Tantalise Your Senses culinary event. Jamaican, Spanish, and Mexican dishes took centre stage at a night designed around creativity and luxury.

With scintillating aromas trailing from the kitchen, Jamaican spices tingling the nostrils, and an atmosphere thick with anticipation, executive chefs Oneil Vernon and Edgar Galan and their teams fused the three cultures, serving up beautifully arranged platters for guests at the hotel to enjoy.

It was hard to determine the star of the entrées, which included lobster served with garlic butter and steamed vegetables; an oxtail braiser served with breadfruit risotto, and a succulent sea bass in salsa verde with clams and asparagus.

Appetisers included jerk chicken spring rolls, meat empanadas, and curried goat tartelettes, along with a garden salad topped with coconut shrimp in a fried plantain basket. A creamy pumpkin soup also tempted diners. And so too did the dessert, headlined by churros, fruit cake and gizzada – all meals washed down by exquisite wines compliments of Select Brands.

“It is how the food is prepared. Cooking is not only about you putting something on the fire. Cooking is an art,” offered Vernon, who has been working at RIU for 25 years, 17 of those serving in his current capacity. “Cooking is chemistry. You have to know what complements what for the best results, taste and flavour.”

Vernon prepared the curried goat tartelette, the oxtail and lobster, which he said involved a delicate balance of skill and love. First, you remove the lobster meat from the shell, then cut it finely before adding fresh sautéed vegetables, including Jamaican sweet and country peppers. All of that is then added to creamy coconut milk with shredded parmesan cheese to give it that rich creamy taste, he said with pride.

“Jamaican cuisine is different because first it is the love that we put into what we are doing, and the next thing is the spices that go with the product. Whichever meals we are trying to prepare, even if it is an international dish, when we put our spice into it, that gives it the wow and makes it different,” charged Vernon.

It’s that difference that keeps visitors coming back to the island, with some among the guests at last week’s event staying for up to 25-day stints at RIU Tropical Bay at a time, explained Niurka Garcia-Linton, RIU’s director of sales.

There is something about Jamaican cuisine, explained Galan, who, despite living on the island for more than a decade, is still in awe of.

“It is not that you have more flavours, but in Jamaica you can experience more mixed cultures. Jamaican food is coming from all over the Caribbean. It is a mix of everything,” said Galan, noting also Jamaica’s linkages with African culinary traditions and ingredients, including breadfruit and ackee, a main part of Jamaica’s national dish.

“When people here ask me to make something, I always think about how to mix the three cultures and make it something special,” noted Galan. “The best part is hearing the people clapping for a meal you made. That is our pay. That is the wow!” he said, citing his succulently prepared sea bass in salsa verde/clams asparagus entree.

Linton said the event was part of efforts to showcase the diverse offerings at RIU, and it did not disappoint. At the heart of this success, however, was an excellent staff, which has repeatedly gone above and beyond to satisfy guests, she affirmed.

“We wanted to give guests that unique Jamaican experience, and food is a very important part of that. Many of our guests keep coming back for the food. They love the food here. So that is what we wanted to showcase tonight, and I think the staff did an excellent job. We couldn’t have done it without them,” she said, praising the staff’s dedication.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com