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Grand Bahama Goes Gourmet Culinary Fest A Big Success ©Lynda Wells
When one thinks of Bahamian cuisine, conch-prepared a multitude of ways- fresh fish, rice and peas and hot sauce are probably the first things that come to mind. But an entree like “Veal breast roulade with pine nut spinach stuffing, crispy sweetbreads, sunchoke gnocchi, chick peas, celery and kimchi”? Probably not! That’s why M.O.V.E Marketing and the local restaurants and hoteliers of Grand Bahama- the fourth largest island in the chain- decided to begin holding an annual culinary festival to showcase the kind of eclectic and haute cuisine this island really has to offer. And I was delighted to be invited to attend their 2nd annual event last November at Pelican Bay Hotel. It was called Culinary Fusion- Meeting of the Minds- and it attracted over 40 participants and over 400 guests. Spread out over three floors, the island’s best chefs offered up a gourmet cornucopia of offerings spanning many different international cuisines and culinary styles. Also included were artisanal desserts, fine spirits, wines, local beer, and creative cocktails. (Salted caramel pretzel shooter anyone?) The culinary fest was such a success that next year
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it will be moved to Grand Lucayan Resort-a much larger venue. I was also delighted to meet some Canadian connections there. Chef Tim Tibbitts (pictured above) met his wife Nova Scotia born sommelier Rebecca while they worked in the same Toronto restaurant after he graduated from the George Brown Culinary Institute. Once married, they moved to Grand Bahama and opened Flying Fish- a wonderful waterside enclave- that became the island’s first AAA 4 Diamond Rated restaurant. After the fest, we also had a chance to explore the island beyond it’s most well-known town- the popular cruise ship port-of-call Freeport. Via a jeep safari with Grand Bahama Nature Tours, we trekked out to gorgeous Gold Rock Beach (where Pirates of the Caribbean filmed many scenes), toured historic ancient caves, stopped by a local beer brewery, and then took a surfside cooking class at Junkanoo Beach Club. Our instructor Yolanda was terrific, and we all learned to make edible renditions of their most famous national dish- conch! Visit: www.grandbahamavacations.com SUSAN AUTHOR CAMPBELL NAME Twitter: @suectravel