The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE fifth annual Culinary Fusion Expo will showcase the best of the best in the food and beverage industry in Grand Bahama on Saturday and this year there will be a special guest appearance from celebrity chef Ed Harris, season four winner of the Food Network’s hit cooking show, Chopped.

The event will take place at 4pm on Saturday at the Grand Lucayan hotel, where talented local chefs and mixologists will showcase their skills and talents.

A new element this year will be a featured segment that begins at 4.30pm with a culinary face off with Mr Harris, who is from St Lucia, and studied at the Art Institute of New York City. Mr Harris, who has a passion for Asian cuisine, will show off his cooking skills while using locally sourced products to compete against two Grand Bahama chefs.

Event organiser Sean Johnson, of Move Marketing, has gotten the Invest Grand Bahama Small Business Bureau (IGBSBB) of the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) Limited as title sponsor and key partner for the event.

“Culinary Fusion was created for the food and beverage industry. We plan vigorously for a memorable event and so each year we aim to be better than the year before,” Mr Johnson said.

LaShawn Dames, business services manager for IGBSBB, said Culinary Fusion is a major event for the island of Grand Bahama and continues get better each year.

“Culinary Fusion has become the signature event to kick off the holiday season. Each year we’ve seen it grow bigger and better, stimulating economic activity for many small businesses,” Ms Dames said.

She added that the culinary event has created “a very well rounded event for showcasing, networking, entertainment and pure enjoyment for attendees.”

“It is literally the most delicious culinary experience that whets the appetite of foodies to dine locally more often,” she added.

Derek Newbold, senior business development manager for GBPA and IGBSBB, is excited that the celebrity chef will be in Grand Bahama to participate in the culinary face off alongside local chefs.

“We know that our local chefs are incredibly talented, and they will turn up the heat as they compete,” he said.

“Our chefs will highlight their skills and talents in such a way that more residents will come to appreciate their ability to chef up world class cuisine being offered here in Freeport at some of our local eateries.

“This is important because the more we encourage persons to dine out, the greater the probability of our food and beverage establishments being able to sustain themselves and help stimulate our economy,” Mr Newbold said.