Yams – Featured Ingredient For Restaurant Week
Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
April 18, 2017 (SKNIS)
The Department of Agriculture joins with the Ministry of Tourism in launching the third annual Restaurant Week which will kick off from July 19-30 with this year’s super food being yam.
“Yam is very timely and this year the focus is on the root called yam,” said Mr. Melvin James, Director of the Department of Agriculture, as he announced that yam will be the key vegetable of this year’s event. He gave some back ground information on the root vegetable including the health benefits and the cultivation of yams in St. Kitts and Nevis.
In efforts to foster engagement leading up to this year’s Restaurant Week, the department will be hosting a yam cooking competition. Participants are invited to sign up at the Department of Agriculture or the Ministry of Tourism for the “Federation’s Yam Challenge.” Those interested will submit either an entrée or appetizer, dessert or drink made from yam.
Registration is now open for the food challenge and closes on the Friday, May 05, 2017. The first round of judging will be held on Saturday, May 13 2017, followed by a live cook-off on Saturday, June 17, 2017 to determine the best yam dish. The winner’s dish will be a feature item on selected menus during Restaurant Week.
“It is for us to take up the challenge and come up with exciting results, it is out of challenge comes phenomenal changes,” said Mr. James.
Alistair Edwards, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture expressed the importance of local food and noted that the “future of agriculture export in St. Kitts and Nevis lies in the agro-processed items.” He added that the ministry and by extension the department of Agriculture are very proud to be involved in the 3rd annual Restaurant Week.
This year’s Restaurant Week will be no different from the years before where local ingredients will be used for consumers to get an authentic taste of the island’s cuisine.