Local chef features BVI cuisine in London kitchen

British Virgin Islands cuisine was recently featured in London following a week-long promotion held at a restaurant called The Rum Kitchen.

Cynthia George of The Sugar Apple Restaurant on Virgin Gorda prepared the dishes during the promotion which ran from March 17 to 23.

The BVI cook gave food lovers a taste of local specialities such as stewed-brown chicken, peas soup with pigtails and dumplings, stewed pork chops, fish in Mayonnaise sauce, baked and barbecued chicken, and saltfish with Johnny cakes.

George, a former hospitality service worker, is known to epitomize the farm-to-table experience and whip up good, old-fashioned Caribbean cuisine.

Londoners were also given a taste of native rum punches such as the Pusser’s Rum Painkillers, the BVI Tourist Board said.

Good Feedback

Director of Tourism Sharon Flax-Brutus was present in for the event and said the feedback from guests as well as The Rum Kitchen team was overwhelmingly positive.

Because of the positive feedback, the promotion will continue in other key markets, the Tourism Director said.

“We thought it would be a fantastic way to promote the BVI and its magnificent cuisine at one of London’s trendiest Caribbean restaurants.  The BVI cuisine presented guests with the opportunity to savour flavourful food that was not too hot or spicy,” she noted.

According to the Tourist Board, the BVI’s culinary abilities have been garnering quite a reputation through its annual Food Fete, which is usually held in November.

The Food fete is a month-long celebration of culinary events and activities throughout the territory.  It includes events such as the Barefoot Gourmet Soiree, Jost Pork, and the Anegada Lobster Festival.