CARIBBEAT: Grenada seeks global culinary glory with chef Alexander Smalls
It’s made sense for Grenada to traditionally entice American tourists to enjoy its more than three dozen pristine white sand beaches. The tri-island nation also boasts 15 waterfalls, unspoiled dive sites, and its well-attended annual carnival — scheduled for Aug 5. to Aug. 15.
Now, there’s a novel and scrumptious attraction to tempt visitors from around the world, an agreement with renowned American chef and restaurateur Alexander Smalls to raise Grenada’s culinary status to a world-class level.
Some goals of the Grenada-Smalls partnership are to make the nation a “culinary destination” by developing of a “master class” for local chefs, and conduct “recipe development” to highlight the Grenada’s cacao (the trees used to make chocolate and related products) and the country’s signature spices it is already known for internationally.
There are also plans to establish a “Tastemaker” event highlighting prominent chefs, a “Fireside Chat” with Grenadian officials in the agriculture and sustainability fields, and the start of a Spice Replanting Program, to ensure the future of the nation’s money-making export.
“I’m excited because the Spice Island concept is near and dear to the work that I do,” said Smalls, adding that, “we’ll also be creating a series of engaging and interactive video content that will excite the locals, as well as the global community that should know and celebrate Grenada as we do.”
“The partnership with Chef Smalls will elevate awareness of Grenada as a top culinary destination in the Caribbean with a variety of new events and experiences geared to entice the taste buds of visitors and locals alike,” said Lennox Andrews, Grenada’s minister for Economic Development and other areas.
Smalls has already reached audiences overseas as the founder of “Alkebulan,” an African dining hall, which opened in 2021 in Dubai. There are plans replicate the Alkebulan concept in London and Harlem.
Meanwhile, Grenadians and visitors are getting ready for the Spicemas, the yearly carnival that displays the “African, French, British and Caribbean ancestral heritage” of Grenada and its sister islands (Carriacou and Petite Martinique) through colorful costumes, infectious music, and other cultural expressions. Last May, New Yorkers got a taste of Spicemas at a Brooklyn kickoff for the 2023 carnival. Visit puregrenada.com for more information.
GROWTH FOR CARIB COLLEGE
There’s something new happening at Northern Caribbean University, Jamaica’s oldest, private post-secondary educational institution. It’s the launching of the Northern Caribbean University International Development Foundation, and the creation of an ambitious fundraising campaign to “create a robust endowment fund” and “undertake a number of major development projects.”
“A Seventh-day Adventist Institution,” the university is owned by the Jamaica Union Conference and the Atlantic Caribbean Union Mission of Seventh-day Adventists. The college is also accredited by the Adventist Accrediting Association in Washington, D.C.
The campaign, which kicks off in August, hopes raise $50 million over the next two years, and $200 million within four years. The creation of the Center of Dental Hygiene and Community Outreach, the Lecture Theatre for Public Policy, and professorships in Nursing, IT Computer Science, and Research are some the programs and projects that will benefit from the fundraising drive for university’s campus in Jamaica’s Manchester parish.
The oldest private college in the nation, it was founded in 1907 as the West Indian Training School. Over the years, it developed into a junior college, a senior college and ultimately became a university in 2009, offering master and doctoral programs. For information about the university, visit ncu.edu.jm.
