The Roberts NIFCA Culinary Arts Arena and Expo in association with Caribbean Cuizine and Massy Stores

Coming up on the NIFCA Calendar is the highly anticipated Roberts NIFCA Culinary Arts Arena & Expo in association with Caribbean Cuizine and Massy Stores. This year, the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) has revamped the traditional Culinary Arts showcase to creatively highlight all of the wonderful things of the NIFCA Culinary Arts Discipline as well as of all the other disciplines in the festival. Everything culinary in one place, the Arena & Expo gives the public an entire weekend to interact with the best of NIFCA all for the low cost of $10 per day for adults and $2 for children (ages 4-12).

From Friday November 14th and Sunday November 16th at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, patrons can expect to see:

• Junior Duelling Chefs Showcase,
• A Celebrity Showcase,
• The Best Bajan Cook Competition,
• The Professional Chef’s Mystery Basket Competition,
• Food sampling,
• Workshops,
• The Angostura Mixology Competition
• A Farmers Market,
• A Kids’ Area
• Performances
• and much more.

In addition to the above showcases, there will be a variety of booths exhibiting some of the award-winning NIFCA 2014 entries especially those from the Culinary Arts discipline. These delightful works will be available for purchase.

The NIFCA Culinary Arts Arena & Expo will open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.

During the day on Friday, the expo will give special focus to our junior chefs. Primary and Secondary School students in uniform will be admitted free once accompanied by a paying Teacher. Inside the Arena, they can view a special demonstration from the Junior Duelling Challenge Winners and/or participate in targeted workshops at a rate of $5 each.

Tickets for the Roberts NIFCA Culinary Arts Arena and Expo in association with Caribbean Cuizine and Massy Stores are available in advance from the following box offices:

• National Cultural Foundation, West Terrace, St. James
• C. S. Pharmacy, Lower Broad Street
• Warrens Ticket Centre, Massy Stores SuperCentre, Warrens, St. Michael

Registration for workshops takes place at the NCF between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. until Friday.  Persons are asked to pre-register for workshops as the workshops will be dependent on the level of subscription.  For more information, you can contact the NCF Culinary Coordinators at 417-6642/8 or at nifcaculinaryarts@gmail.com.

Click the following links to learn more about the various events at the Roberts NIFCA Culinary Arts Arena & Expo in association with Caribbean Cuizine and Massy Stores.

The Best Bajan Cook Competition
Professional Chef Cook-Off
The Mixology Showdown in association with Angostura
The Celebrity Showcase
Workshops
The Caribbean Cuizine Pre-Independence Luncheon

The Best Bajan Cook Competition

In The Best Bajan Cook Competition, 12 finalists will cook their uniquely creative dishes on location. These non-professional cooks will be judged in the NIFCA Culinary Arts Competition and the winner will receive the Enid Maxwell Award of Excellence and a trip to New York compliments Jet Blue. This competition gets underway at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, as the cooks prepare their signature dishes in a number of rounds. You can look out for the following competitors with their respective dishes.

Professional Chef Cook-Off

The Professional Chef Cook-Off begins at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and will feature 8 chefs competing in a Mystery Basket cook-off. In addition to the regular NIFCA Awards, these professional chefs are also vying for the Governor General’s Award.  For this competition the participating chefs are:

Professional Chefs Cook Off Competition

The Mixology Showdown in association with Angostura

The Mixology Showdown in association with Angostura will take place on Saturday morning starting first with the Signature Drink segment and then continuing later in the day with mystery basket rounds.  Come and witness the extravagant concoctions these mixologists will create from 10:55 a.m.

The Celebrity Showcase

Over 30 Celebrities will showcase their skills in gastronomy during the Saturday edition of the Roberts NIFCA Culinary Arts Arena & Expo in association with Caribbean Cuizine and Massy Stores. Starting from 11:00 a.m., patrons will get a chance to sample some of the exciting dishes served up by these Celebrity Chefs, as they put their own flair on traditional Barbadian ingredients and recipes.

Look out for the following Celebrities in the Arena:

Workshops

Over the course of the NIFCA Culinary Arts Arena and Expo, there will be workshops for school children as well as the general public on various interesting topics surrounding food and cooking. Workshops will be held based on demand and the number of persons registered, it is therefore important to register beforehand. Registration for these workshops takes place at the National Cultural Foundation between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. – until Friday. Below is a list of the workshops on offer and their respective costs

FRIDAY November 14th

~ Workshops focused for schools ($5 Each for Children registered via schools)

~ General Audience Workshops

SATURDAY, November 15th

The Caribbean Cuizine Pre-Independence Luncheon

On the final day of the Expo the Dining Club will host a spectacular Pre-Independence Luncheon with a full Bajan menu. To experience this sumptuous fare, persons can make reservations with the Dining Club at telephone numbers: 271-5520 or 271-5521. Tickets are available at just $60 for adults and $25 for children ages 4-12.

And to whet your appetite… here’s a look at the Menu for Sunday’s Luncheon: