Events, Tourism, Organisations & Operators, Food & Beverage,

For 2023, Jamaica’s culinary excellence has been honoured with not one, but two prestigious World Culinary Awards, celebrating multi-category success. Achieving global recognition of the rich and diverse origins of Jamaican cuisine, the island has received the prestigious World Culinary Awards’ Top Caribbean Culinary Destination, while the gastronomic scene of Montego Bay has earned the coveted title of Caribbean’s Best Culinary City Destination. 
Testament to the vast range of gold standard eateries on the island, Summerhouse at Harmony Hall, and Oleander at Sandals Montego Bay won Best Restaurant and Best Hotel Restaurant of the year in Jamaica, respectively. The island also boasts the World’s Best All-Inclusive Culinary Resort 2023, with Sandals Dunn’s River securing the top spot.
From breathtaking natural beauty to a booming nightlife, Jamaica makes for a perfect getaway. However, this island’s rich offering extends far beyond this to its vibrant culinary landscape.  Providing an additional layer of allure to an already captivating destination, Jamaica’s award-winning array of restaurants and dishes are set to satisfy every hungry traveller’s craving. 
The cultural fusion that defines Jamaican cuisine can be seen through its African influences, in the use of spices, herbs, and the beloved fruit, ackee, while the Taino people (Jamaica’s original inhabitants) left their legacy on the cuisine through ingredients like cassava, yams, sweet potatoes, and tropical fruits, such as pineapple and guava. 
These influences have shaped Jamaica’s unique blend of flavours, and cooking techniques, into a distinct vibrant and diverse culinary heritage celebrated all over the world. In celebration of Jamaica earning the coveted Caribbean top spot, Visit Jamaica rounds up the island’s most popular national dishes and where to find them. ADVERTISEMENTAckee and Saltfish
Jamaica’s national dish combines the soft and mild ackee fruit with salted codfish. The exotic fleshy fruit takes on the savoury fish flavour along with peppers and spices and is typically enjoyed at breakfast with a delectable fried dumpling. Synonymous with Jamaica, a particularly tasty version of this iconic dish is served up at Smurf’s Café, Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth, alongside a buzzing atmosphere which will have you coming back for a second serving.
Curry Goat  
A delicious combination of spicy, melt-in-your-mouth meat and chunky diced potato in a rich gravy, Jamaican curry goat ranks among the top eats in Jamaica. To create the ultimate depth of flavour, the meat is marinated overnight before being slow cooked in a mix of herbs and spices. Visitors to Miss T’s will experience the warmth of Jamaican hospitality and a contemporary twist on traditional cuisine. With an expertly crafted, custom spiced curry goat, Miss T’s is a great location for an authentic and memorable dining experience in Jamaica.
Jerk Chicken
Jamaican food would be incomplete without the finest Jerk, where meat is marinated in spices and slow cooked over a fire or grill resulting in its iconic, mouthwatering smoky flavour. Scotchie’s, located across the island in Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and Kingston, is renowned for its finger-licking delicious flavours and authentic Jamaican jerk chicken. Cooked over an open pimento wood fire following a punchy spice marinade, Scotchie’s serve this up alongside traditional sides for a satisfying gastronomic experience. Jerk cooking’s incremental role in Jamaican cuisine is recognised by its own festival every August: Mobay Jerk & Food Festival provides holidaymakers and foodies with a complete ‘day out’ from food to performances.
Jamaican Beef Patty  
Jamaican beef patty is a perfect lunchtime meal or beach snack, washed down with a crisp, cold Red Stripe beer. Coated in buttery pastry, Jamaican beef patty is easily recognised for its yellowish colour thanks to a combination of tasty turmeric and creamy butter mix, creating this flaky delight. Jam-packed with fragrant beef infused with herbs and spices, this snack-sized taste of Jamaica is named the most popular convenience food on the island and proves to be a national favourite. Juici Patties is renowned for serving up perfect Jamaican patties across the island across decades, offering a range of mouthwatering patties comprised of quality ingredients and authentic flavours, that even includes a vegetarian version.
Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee
Considered one of the best coffees in the world, Blue Mountain Coffee is grown on the Blue and John Crow Mountains in eastern Jamaica, the longest mountain on the island at 7402 feet. Loved for its fragrant aroma, Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee has a rich, sweet taste without the bitterness found many other coffees. Beyond its exceptional taste, the coffee’s boasts a number of potential health benefits, thanks to its vitamin and nutrient content. 
The highly anticipated annual Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival takes place every March, providing coffee enthusiasts with the ultimate farm to cup (and plate) experience. Visitors can learn about Jamaican coffee and culture, with arts and crafts showcases, music performances and tours to some of Jamaica’s best kept secrets.
With an abundance of globally acclaimed destinations and dishes to enjoy, this Caribbean Island is a true melting pot of fresh food, flavours, and warm hospitality. Jamaica’s award-winning culinary scene offers something to satisfy even the most discerning of palates.
To book your trip and immerse yourself in Jamaica’s food culture see www.visitjamaica.com.

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Darioush and Shahpar Khaledi, proprietors of Darioush in Napa Valley, are thrilled to celebrate the winery’s 25th anniversary. Bridging old world traditions with new world winemaking, Darioush’s portfolio of wines are known for their individualism, ambition, complexity, and gravitas. Since the winery’s inception in 1998, Darioush has set the standard for modern luxury, fine wine, and exceptional hospitality in Napa Valley—now with 120 acres of estate vineyards spanning the Mt. Veeder, Oak Knoll, and Coombsville AVAs.
A visionary leader from the start, Darioush founded the winery to focus on Bordeaux and Rhone varietals grown in Napa Valley’s southern appellations, understanding early on that these diverse soils and cooler temperatures could bring complexity to the wines. Director of Winemaking, Hope Goldie, a Darioush veteran of nearly 20 years, carries out this vision with a soil-driven focus yielding varietally correct wines with great freshness and composure. Darioush brings these wines to members via elevated hospitality, with warmth, generosity, and service—all deeply ingrained in Darioush and Shahpar’s culture—and a legacy that will continue with the support of their daughter, Sally Khaledi. This commitment was put into practice through its hiring—the winery was early to employ a true in-house concierge to assist members with travel itineraries throughout the wine country and has always had an industry-leading commitment to both education and service Darioush now employs 30 hospitality hosts with WSET Level II and III certifications as well as multiple Diploma level sommeliers to complement their extensive culinary-tasting experiences. Over the last few years, the winery has added a commercial kitchen, an estate garden, and a robust culinary program to its list of on-site offerings and experiences.
“It has been an incredible journey and a dream come true to build this winery alongside my family,” says proprietor Darioush Khaledi. “We came to the United States in the late 70’s and we remain so grateful for the opportunities we have been given. As we look back at the last 25 years, we are proud to honor and celebrate our team, the legendary vintners who blazed the trail before us, and those who believed in us.”
As an important fabric of the community and true embodiment of the ‘American dream,’ Darioush Khaledi is a devoted advocate for education, healthcare, and performing arts, and has consistently supported the next generation of leaders in wine country. In 2022, Darioush pledged $100,000 to support the replanting of the Napa Valley College’s Teaching Vineyard. Over the last 25 years, he has played an instrumental role in fostering, building, and funding important community organizations and foundations like OLE Health and Festival Napa Valley, which supports a range of educational and social programs in the community.
For those who’d like to celebrate this milestone with Darioush, the winery will be hosting a dinner series with dates available from June through September. Prepared by Executive Chef Sean Massey, the menu will feature inventive, seasonal dishes paired with some of the winery’s earliest vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and the estate’s crown jewel, Darius II. To reserve a seat and for more information, please visit www.darioush.com/special-events/estate-dinner-series.ADVERTISEMENT

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The World Culinary Awards – the global initiative to recognize and reward excellence in the culinary industry – will announce the winners of its 2022 programme at a glittering dinner reception in Dubai this evening.This year’s edition of World Culinary Awards will host a global gathering of the culinary industry leaders, with pioneers, influencers and leading figureheads travelling from across the world to attend the prize-giving evening at Onze Restaurant, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.
The results follow a year-long search for the world’s leading culinary brands. Votes were cast by culinary industry professionals and the general public, with the nominee gaining the most votes in a category named as the winner.
BTN will share the highlights from this evening tomorrow, watch this space…and good luck to all the nominees.

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Nobu Hospitality, the fastest growing luxury lifestyle brand, and Aldar Properties (PJSC), one of the leading real estate developers and managers in the UAE, announce plans to create the Nobu Hotel, Restaurant, and Residences in Abu Dhabi.Opening in 2026 on Saadiyat Island, a world class cultural hub, Nobu Hotel will boast 165 luxuriously spacious guest rooms and suites, including a stunning Nobu Villa.  As one would only expect from the legendary culinary brand, the hotel will offer unrivalled destination dining including a magnificent Nobu restaurant with spectacular waterfront and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi views mirroring the famed Nobu Malibu. With access to over 8 kilometers of pristine beachfront, guests will also enjoy a state-of-the-art wellness and fitness center, opulent swimming pools, and exclusive access to experience all that Saadiyat Island has to offer.
Situated alongside the hotel and just a seven-minute drive from downtown Abu Dhabi, the development includes an exquisite Nobu branded residences. Offering a mix of multi-bedroom waterfront residences and penthouses with unobstructed views of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and positioned in the most coveted location on the island, the Nobu Residences will be one of the most sought-after and desirable addresses in the region.  Residents will enjoy the highest level of service, bespoke amenities, and have exclusive access to exceptional social experiences and events only available at Nobu.
Saadiyat Island is a world-renowned, leisure, business, residential, and cultural center.  Graced by the presence of free-roaming gazelles, white-sand beaches, and home to the critically endangered Hawksbill turtles, Saadiyat Island also offers the world’s largest single concentration of cultural assets including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Natural History Museum, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, and the Zayed National Museum as well as other remarkable attractions.  Guests and residents of the island can also perfect their swing on the region’s premier waterfront golf course, or simply relax on the island’s sprawling stretch of powdery white beaches and protected coastal areas.
Nobu enters Abu Dhabi in partnership with Aldar Properties, the master developers of integrated, liveable, and thriving communities across the Middle Eastern region’s most desirable destinations.

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