This year’s National Jamaican Jerk Day, celebrated on the fourth Sunday in October each year, marked an exciting milestone with the first-ever GraceFoods USA Jerk Sauce Competition. This day honors the rich heritage and unique flavors of jerk cuisine.
The Jerk Sauce Competition brought together six talented chefs and restaurateurs, each tasked with creating a unique sauce by incorporating a Grace Jerk sauce as the base. They had a choice to use one or several sauces, including Grace Honey Jerk Seasoning, Grace Jerk Seasoning ( hot or mild), and Grace Tropical Rhythms juice. Each participant’s creativity and skill were on full display as they presented their sauces to the judges.
Findler Charles, chef, and owner of Fin’s Kitchen Food Truck, a concept celebrated for its Haitian-inspired cuisine, emerged as the grand prize winner. Fin’s exceptional blend of flavors impressed the judges, earning him a $1,000 first-place cash prize, tickets to the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival, and the first-place trophy.
Second place went to Krystal Powell, owner of the popular Kekoon Restaurant & Lounge. Powell’s flavorful sauce secured her a $500 second-place cash prize, a trophy, and tickets to the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival celebration.
Aunty P, the creative force behind Orlando’s Reggae Infused Bites, took third place. Her unique sauce blend earned her third place in the competition, and she won a beautiful GraceFoods gift basket, a trophy, and tickets to the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival.
“This year’s National Jamaican Jerk Day brought an exciting new dimension with the GraceFoods USA Jerk Sauce Competition,” said June Minto, one of the competition organizers. “It’s inspiring to see how chefs and restaurateurs creatively showcase the versatility of Grace Jerk products while honoring the rich tradition of jerk cuisine.”
National Jamaican Jerk Day organizers, who played a key role in establishing this annual observance, announced plans to expand with additional competitions across the country, aiming to celebrate and elevate the art of jerk cooking nationwide.
