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Jamaica Food & Drink Festival takes Kuyah to New York

From Jamaica Observer · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Official statement New plan
  • The Jamaica Food & Drink Festival will hold its first Kuyah event outside Jamaica in Brooklyn, New York, on Sept. 24.
  • Four chefs will serve dishes inspired by Jamaican flavours, alongside cocktails, desserts and music at Hotel Indigo Williamsburg.
  • Organisers say New York's Jamaican and Caribbean community, as well as growing interest in Caribbean cooking, made the city a natural first stop.

The Jamaica Food & Drink Festival is taking Kuyah to Brooklyn, bringing four chefs and a taste of its Jamaican festival to New York for the first time. The event will take place on Thursday, Sept. 24, at Aliya Cocktail Den in Hotel Indigo Williamsburg.

Chefs Scotley Innis, Andre Fowles, India Doris and Patrick Simpson will each present their own interpretation of Jamaican food. Each chef will serve three dishes, following Kuyah's signature idea of taking Jamaican flavours and ingredients somewhere unexpected.

New York has always had a strong connection to Jamaica. We have people from the diaspora who come home every year for the festival. This time, we are bringing a piece of the festival to them, while giving a wider New York audience the opportunity to experience Kuyah.

· Alicia BoguesThe Jamaica Food & Drink Festival co-director explained why New York was chosen for the event's first expansion outside Jamaica.

The line-up reflects different parts of contemporary Jamaican cooking. Fowles is a three-time Chopped champion and the author of My Jamaican Table. Doris, co-owner and executive chef of Markette in New York City, received the 2025 Michelin Guide Northeast Cities Young Chef Award. Innis, a first-generation Jamaican, co-owns Continent Brooklyn and Aliya Cocktail Den. Simpson, a New Jersey-based chef and restaurateur, is working with Walkerswood, one of the festival's long-standing partners.

Jamaican food is having an interesting moment. There is a generation of chefs showing just how much range there is in Jamaican cuisine. We want people to come expecting Jamaican food, but not necessarily knowing what form it is going to take.

· Nicole PandohieThe co-festival director described the event's approach to contemporary Jamaican cooking.

Organisers pointed to New York's large Jamaican and Caribbean community and its growing interest in Caribbean cuisine. “New York has always had a strong connection to Jamaica,” said co-festival director Alicia Bogues. “We have people from the diaspora who come home every year for the festival. This time, we are bringing a piece of the festival to them, while giving a wider New York audience the opportunity to experience Kuyah.”

The evening will include desserts made with Supligen and Peanut Punch, rum from Worthy Park Estate, cocktails and Walkerswood products. It will not be a conventional sit-down dinner. Guests will move between tasting stations, drinks, desserts and music in an atmosphere organisers say should feel more like a Jamaican gathering. “You can go anywhere in New York for a great dinner,” Bogues said. “Kuyah has to give you something different. We want you to taste Jam”

You can go anywhere in New York for a great dinner. Kuyah has to give you something different. We want you to taste Jam

· Alicia BoguesBogues described the festival's informal, immersive format. The supplied article ends mid-sentence.
About this summary

Originally published by Jamaica Observer in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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