A special event takes place in Brussels all this week which aims to showcase the best of the Caribbean and foster closer ties between the region and Belgium.
Called “Caribbean Week” (17 to 23 June), the various activities seek to raise the profile of the Caribbean.
The initiative is the brainchild of the Brussels-based Caribbean Chamber of Commerce in Europe which wants to celebrate the vibrant culture of the Caribbean.
It also hopes to help generate more trade between the region and Belgium. At present, the Caribbean accounts for just 1.5 per cent of Belgian exports.
All the different events take place at the Renaissance Hotel, located close to Place Luxembourg and the European Parliament.
One of the stars of the event is Derrick Orlando Satchell, better known as Chef Orlando, a British born, internationally-accredited and award-winning Caribbean celebrity chef. He owns a top restaurant in Saint Lucia, one of the Caribbean islands, which has been voted one of the Top Three in the Caribbean by readers of Travel & Leisure and Food & Wine.
In 2019 he received a Gault Millau France award and won the prestigious title Caribbean Chef of the Year at the Caribbean Travel Awards 2020.
The food veteran will be on hand during Caribbean Culinary Week and will, each day this week, prepare a special, four-course Caribbean gourmet menu (€59pp, including a tropical welcome cocktail) which, he says, is a unique opportunity to experience the finest Caribbean cuisine.
The special menu he has created is done in conjunction with Jerome Ragon, the hotel’s head chef, and will be available at The Poet restaurant, the main venue for Caribbean Week events.
It includes a watermelon and fresh pomegranate salad, Guyanese lamb curry (tender chunks of lamb marinated in spices and aromatics and cooked in a delicious sauce), tuna with avocado and plantain salsa.
Plantains originated from Southeast Asia but are a staple side dish in the Caribbean.
A delicious meal is finished off with an equally tasty spicy chocolate mousse.
The normal menu will still be available but the star attraction this week is Caribbean cuisine.
Photo by Claudio Trigueros on Unsplash
As vibrant and varied as the islands themselves, Caribbean cuisine is a tantalizing, multi-faceted stew of the many cultures and heritages that have shaped the region. Sampling the food is a journey in itself and, as can be seen with the special menu cooked up by Chef Orlando and Jerome, the result is an exciting gastronomy bursting with flavour as intense as the tropical sun.
The cluster of islands comprising the Caribbean makes for a dream holiday destination but for those unable to visit personally the “Caribbean Week” event offers a great chance to sample its rich and varied culinary offerings right here in Brussels.
Apart from the resto’s guest offerings, there is much more going on this week to celebrate the Caribbean.
It all officially kicked off on 17 June with the National Bartender competition, organised by the Union of Belgian Bartenders when participants used Caribbean-inspired spirits to create unique cocktails.
The winner will participate in the world championships in Madeira from October 30 to November 3.
On Thursday, 20 June (7pm-9pm) The Poet hosts a poetry-inspired cocktail workshop featuring cocktails intended as a tribute to Caribbean laureates of the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Past Nobel Prize winners from the Caribbean include Derek Walcott, awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992. He was the second Caribbean writer to receive the honour after Saint-John Perse, who was born in Guadeloupe and received the award in 1960.
In fact, Saint Lucia claims number one spot on a list of independent nations with the highest number of Nobel Prize winners per capita.
Caribbean Week continues on Friday, 21 with a music festival (6pm-11pm), again at The Poet, which celebrates the best of Caribbean music. On Saturday, 22 June, the region’s culture will be showcased at a gala dinner.
The Week wraps up on Sunday, 23 June with a national Latin dance competition and dance workshops, all aiming to promote the full range of Caribbean artistic skills. Participants will get the chance to learn a few Caribbean steps themselves.
An organiser said the whole event is a chance to discover Caribbean cuisine as well as its traditions, music and dance right in the heart of Brussels.
She said, “The Caribbean Week promotion is an excellent way to raise the profile of the Caribbean.The region is probably not as well-known here in Belgium as other regions of the world so this is a chance to put that right.”
“The Caribbean Culinary Week will allow local, regional and international patrons in Brussels and Belgium to experience the Caribbean’s rich cultural heritage through the region’s finest gastronomic flavours.”
“Throughout the Week, people can do everything from savour a Caribbean gourmet menu prepared by an award-winning Caribbean chef, witness the Belgian bartender contest, sway to the rhythm of live music and participate in traditional dance competitions. There’s a bit of something for everyone.”
The Caribbean Chamber of Commerce in Europe (CCCE), organiser of the event, is a not-for-profit organisation that endeavours to promote investment from Europe and the UK to stimulate economic growth for the Caribbean. It was founded by a team of business professionals from Belgium, France and the Netherlands working in the private sector.
A CCCE spokesman told this website its aim is to provide a “one-stop-shop” for doing business in Europe from the Caribbean.
He added, “There continues to be a need to bundle our strengths and to bring the Caribbean brand to the forefront of both public and private sector organisations and businesses here in Belgium and the rest of Europe.”
Brilliant initiative! We do have much to share with Belgium. May we learn about each other and share opportunities and experiences!