Curry jumbo shrimp

WESTERN BUREAU:

MANY ESTIMATE that the crowd was even bigger than that at the 2009 Jamaica Jazz Festival. Sunday's Curry Festival cooked up a batch of creative curry and family fun in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland.

Despite the absence of the curry ice cream and traditional festival cook-off, the celebration maintained its hyped-up appeal with an array of curry dishes including: jackfruit, seafood dishes, and goat.

Against the backdrop of the historic Manning's School, the festival delivered a family funfest of buggy rides, face painting and a children's play area, while still maintaining an adult appeal, with two bars and evening entertainment.

Displays included a Manning's School past student, Gary Brown, who represented Big Spring, a new mineral water product that he partnered with Virginia Dare fruit extracts to produce. At the festival, the fruit punch flavour was the most popular pairing with the curry he said.

Brown believes that the appeal of his water product combined with Virginia Dare's fruit extract, lies in the combination's ability to 'stretch.'

"In these times, you have to pinch and save in every way possible," Brown said. "It's more efficient to have products that can go a long way. Big Spring is perfect for that and just as good as any of the more common water brands, even better," he added.

Refreshing, natural drink

One half gallon of the fruit extract, combined with two and a half gallons of Big Spring, creates a refreshing, natural drink according to Brown. Unlike many water companies, Brown, a chemical engineering graduate of the University of Technology, said Big Spring does not use the process of reverse osmosis which he says often leaves water with a strange taste because it is stripped of its essential minerals.

Among the thousands of patrons, were persons who waited patiently outside the gates to get in. A portion of this year's proceeds will be donated to the Manning's School and be used to improve its security perimeter.

hope.evans@gleanerjm.com


Curry lobster tail. - Photos by Hope Evans

Curry shrimp

A unique dish, curry jackfruit attracted many customers.

Curry Gotame (river fish).

Curry potato soup.

Curry crab.