Chalice Catering jerked its way ahead of the five other contestants to win a hard-fought Jerk Food Competition, taking home a trophy and cheque for $1500 at the first annual Toronto International Jerk & Jazz Festival.
The Brampton-based specialty caterer competed against Mainsha Restaurant, Jan's Catering, Green Island Cuisine, Spice it Up Restaurant and Chef Tan to win the title at the festival, which was held at Queen's Park.
Other winners of the Jerk Food Competition were: Jan's Catering, which came in 2nd and received a trophy and cheque for $1000 and Spice it Up Restaurant in 3rd place which received a cheque for $500 and snagged the People's Choice Award.
The celebrity judges for the Best Jerk Food Competition were Dwight Drummond of City News; Nathan Downer of Global TV; Rita DeMontis of the Toronto Sun; Pearson Burch-Smith of Western Union; Zenovique, Miss Toronto Tourism 2005; Ross McCurdy, Executive Chef for Small Talk and Chris Mei of WAVE 94.7 FM.
Activities also included the often hilarious but intensely competitive Jerk Plantain and Jerk Chicken Eating competitions. Egged on by chants from the audience and emcees, contestants hastily gorged themselves to consume their allotted portions within the allowable two minutes.
Paulette Blake, winner of a nail-biter of a Jerk Plantain contest and Patricia Wynter, winner of the Jerk Chicken competition and a member of the organization, United Mothers Opposing Violence Everywhere (UMOVE) each received a trophy and a cheque for $100.
Organized by Angelita Elliott and a team of volunteers, the festival featured fun for the entire family. Parents and children alike enjoyed the variety of games, rides, a diverse collection of vendor and advertiser booths and the tantalizing array of jerk and other international foods.
The event featured entertainment performances by among others, legendary Toronto-based composer and jazz musician Eddie Bullen and his 13-year-old son, Quincy, a piano virtuoso and seasoned performer despite his age, Juno Award recipient Liberty Silver, 13-year-old Haley Small, reggae smooth grooves icon, Deborah Allison, vocalist Barry Gordon, and the West African influenced Ijo Vudu Dancers.
Veterans Eddie Bullen and Liberty Silver's performances undoubtedly demonstrated and gave new meaning to the term smooth jazzy grooves. The audience agreed as they expressed their appreciation with prolonged and thunderous applause.
Proceeds from the festival went towards non-profit community organizations Camp Jumoke, which is dedicated to enriching the lives of children who have sickle cell anemia and Visions of Science Network for Learning, which promotes the disciplines of science and technology as a career objective within the Black, African and Caribbean community.