By Robert Frank
www.thesuburban.com
Prepare your palates: the best flavours of the West Indies and surrounding coast will return to Montreal next week.
Taste of the Caribbean (TOTC) will kick off its fifteenth annual food festival on the West Island for the first time, Monday night, at Bistro Nolah in Dollard des Ormeaux.
Proceeds from Taste of the Caribbean food festival funds Triumph Through Adversity, a scholarship that enables disenfranchised youth to study culinary arts.
In another first, the event’s popularity has prompted organizers to venture beyond the Caribbean to include other nation’s fare.
“This will be a stellar year,” promised founder Gemma Raeburn-Baynes. “We are going the extra mile to make this a wonderful and very inclusive experience by inviting other communities to join our celebration.”
“This year, Taste of the Caribbean will include Louisiana style food as well as Hispanic cuisine from countries such as Brazil, Mexico and Puerto Rico,” she said.
Taste of the Caribbean will also spotlight special events chef Daniel Thomas this year. The young culinary genius works at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., where he has prepared meals for political luminaries such as President Barrack Obama and former U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.
For the first time, TOTC is having a special dinner event called Nights of the Caribbean on Thursday evening May 15th at which Chef Thomas will speak. Tickets can be purchased through the website.
Honorary co-presidents of TOTC and co-chairs of the “Nights” dinner are The Suburban editor and Institute for Public Affairs president Beryl Wajsman and RBC Executive Vice-President Tony Loffreda, who will also be speaking at the dinner.
The events on the menu this year are:
• May 12: Fusion with Caribbean Spices, Bistro Nolah, 3669 St. Jean, Dollard des Ormeaux
• May 13: Hot & Spicy Festival, Mango Bay, 1202 Bishop, Montreal
• May 15: Nights of the Caribbean (VIP), Plaza Centreville, 777 University, Montreal
• May 16: French Caribbean Soirée, Cariabouffe, 5040 Côte des Neiges, Montreal
• May 17: Children’s Day, Plaza Centreville, 777 University, Montreal
• May 18: Festival Day, Plaza Centreville, 777 University, Montreal
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