26 May FOUR DAYS OF CARIBBEAN CULTURE
Explore the islands through your taste buds!
Montreal (May 26, 2016) – A Taste of the Caribbean (TOTC) is returning for its 17th edition and will kick off the summer festival season this June 16-19 at Île Bonsecours in the Old Port of Montreal.
Food
This year TOTC celebrates Montreal’s talented chefs who specialize in traditional and Caribbean fusion cuisine. This year’s feature chefs include: Éric Atine, creator of the award winning Passion Caraïbe line of exotic spreads; returning chef Vlad Ferrus, winner of the 2015 Taste of Haiti cook off contest in Miami, as well as up and comer Jae Anthony, owner of Seasoned Dreams and the mastermind behind Montreal’s award winning Jerk Chicken Poutine. During the four day festival, each will serve up their unique creations during the many daily cooking demonstrations scheduled in the TOTC Bar. Seating is limited…first come first served!
Cooking demonstration schedule here: https://totc.ca/en/schedule.
Festival goers will also be able to sample from over 15 vendors specializing in Caribbean cuisine representing several nations including Haiti, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Grenada, Barbados and many more! With more vendors than 2015, guests will want to arrive hungry! Food lovers will enjoy a wide selection of culinary creations from Mango Bay, Boom J, Saveur Soleil, Seasoned Dreams, Le Spot, Island Organix, Suzie Delices, Bon Appetit JA, JA Carib Homestyle, Farmer’s Corner, Passion Caraïbe, Ontario Corn Roasters and more.
Concerts
To complement the culinary experience TOTC has four evenings of outdoor concerts featuring international headliners such as the Grammy Award winning “Bad Boys of Reggae” Inner Circle most well known for their hit “Bad Boys“ the theme song from the TV series “Cops“; Barbadian Calypsonian Mighty Gabby, Barbadian Soca singer Rupee known for his club hit “Tempted to Touch”; and closing out the festivities Haitian troubadour guitarist Toto Laraque (ft. Ti Claude) will be performing a tribute to famed Haitian guitarist and singer “Le Roi”- Coupé Cloué. Also sharing the festival stage are Canadian acts including Mello G (Montreal), The Connector (Toronto), Omolara (Vancouver), and the Martin Albino Steel Band (Montreal) who will welcome festival goers with the unique and festive sounds of the steel pan at the main entrance.
Entire concert schedule here: https://totc.ca/en/schedule.
More!
To round out the festivities our TOTC bar will feature free daily rum mixology demos open to the public (first come, first served), a Marley Coffee Café featuring the sustainably grown, Blue Mountain coffee created by Rohan Marley son of legendary reggae artist Bob Marley. A must taste for any coffee lover! What’s coffee without a sweet treat on the side? Savor a slice of the highly addictive Yum Rum rum cake! We dare you to have just one slice!
TOTC is family friendly! Kids under 12 enter for free and they can enjoy free activities including daily tam tam workshops from Saya Percussion, face painting and hair braiding.
After parties
The festivities don’t end there! We’ve got two nights of dancehall after parties at Groove Nation (410 Rue Rachel Est)! In collaboration with LivingMAJOR, dance all Friday night to the sounds of DJ Blaster, DJ Navy & Nate Husser. On Saturday, Montreal reggae acts Inword and Auresia will take the stage with music by DJ Satta Sound. Tickets: $10 at the door.
TOTC in the community
TOTC is proud to be collaborating once again with Montreal Community Cares Foundation (MCCF). This organization celebrates and promotes community engagement and actively supports the development of youths across the Greater Montreal Area. TOTC is happy to welcome MCCF members to their team of volunteers during the festival set up and take down where they will earn some valuable experience. For more information on MCCF please visit: www.montrealcommunitycares.com.
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