Local products earn valuable shelf space at the shops of Camana Bay

Camana Bay, Grand Cayman (Tuesday, 24 February 2015): With a relatively small population, the Cayman Islands boasts an impressive community of talented artisans who produce an eclectic array of handmade decorative, edible and functional goods, many of which can be found in Camana Bay.

The hands behind these artisanal products are passionate entrepreneurs who have created pieces unique to the islands’ resources, culture and history, from homemade candles to luxurious bath products and skincare lines to artisanal culinary treats made from recipes passed down through generations. The locally owned boutiques at Camana Bay are proud to carry local products, ensuring visitors and residents can always find an authentic piece of Cayman to take home.

Throughout the shops in the Town Centre are over 40 local products that make perfect keepsakes, mementoes and gifts.

Not only are these all available at a one-stop destination, but visitors can also browse the newly published All About Local product guide as a useful resource to find which item speaks most to them. This guide includes photos and details of all the locally made and inspired offerings and where in Camana Bay to purchase them. This free guide can be found at The Discovery Centre in Camana Bay or can be viewed at camanabay.com/local.

In addition to the All About Local collection of products, visitors can also get a dose of local experiences every Wednesday with the weekly Farmers & Artisans Market, where local vendors sell everything from fresh produce and farm goods to artisanal products and handicrafts. Entertainers also enliven the town with live music and art and cultural demonstrations. Following the Market on Wednesdays, guests can experience The Flavour Tour, where participants can see the ingenuity of Camana Bay’s food community in action with a guided dining adventure featuring a weekly changing dish and cocktail using local ingredients from four of the Town’s signature restaurants: Abacus, Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, Mizu Asian Bistro + Bar and Ortanique. Tickets are available at West Indies Wine Company for CI$69. Private Flavour Tours, the perfect way to celebrate any event, can be booked for parties of 12 or more.

For the quintessential local experience, visitors can participate in the 4th annual Slow Food Day on Saturday 14 March. In partnership with Slow Food South Sound, Camana Bay is hosting and sponsoring this event, which celebrates local farmers and Cayman’s home-grown food scene. The day begins with a special Farmers Market from 10am-12pm in Gardenia Court with chef demonstrations and tastings that are free and open to the public. The event takes on a new twist this year as the culinary community salutes the queens of local cuisine with a farm-to-table dinner on The Crescent presented by a trio of female chefs, Cindy Hutson from Ortanique, Hedy Goldsmith from Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, and special guest, James Beard Award winner Chef Susan Spicer from Bayona, New Orleans, along with the restaurants of Camana Bay. For more details on Slow Food Day se below and, visit www.camanabay.com/slowfood

For more information about all things local at Camana Bay, visit www.camanabay.com/local

To keep up to date with the latest happenings at Camana Bay, like Camana Bay Fan Page on Facebook and follow @CamanaBay on Twitter and @Camana_Bay on Instagram.

SLOW FOOD DAY 2015: Saluting the queens of local cuisine Saturday, 14 March

Camana Bay, Grand Cayman (Tuesday, 24 February 2015): Camana Bay is excited to partner with Slow Food South Sound and local farmers and chefs to host and sponsor the 4th annual Slow Food Day on Saturday, 14 March. Started in 2012 as a partnership between Slow Food South Sound and Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, Slow Food Day has always celebrated local farmers and Cayman’s home-grown food scene. The tradition will continue this year with a new twist as we feature the “queens of local cuisine” and pay tribute to the great female chefs of the farm-to-table movement, both on island and abroad.

Slow Food Day will start with a community farmers market featuring culinary demonstrations and tastings in Camana Bay’s Gardenia Court. The festivities will continue into the evening with an alfresco dinner on the Town’s waterfront Crescent presented by a trio of female chefs; Cindy Hutson of Ortanique, Hedy Goldsmith from Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, and special guest James Beard Award winner Chef Susan Spicer, along with the restaurants of Camana Bay.

A pioneer of the Slow Food movement, Susan Spicer is renowned for using the freshest local ingredients to craft flavourful, balanced yet complex dishes at her New Orleans restaurant Bayona. Chef Spicer has been receiving culinary awards for over two decades, including her induction into the James Beard Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America as well as Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs Hall of Fame. Each restaurant’s chef will prepare a dish in their own signature style, drawing inspiration and paying tribute to a farm-to-table female chef who has influenced them throughout his or her culinary career.

“Women have always played an important role in the farm-to-table movement and it is both appropriate and exciting that Slow Food Day 2015 pays homage to three female chefs who have embraced the philosophies on which Slow Food was founded,” says Alan Markoff, President of Slow Food South
Sound. “I’m looking forward to tasting the culinary delights I’m sure the ‘queens of local cuisine’ will prepare, along with the dishes from all the fantastic participating Camana Bay restaurants.”

10am-12pm – Farmers Market Tasting – Gardenia Court, Camana Bay
Grand Cayman’s farmers will pair up with chefs from Camana Bay restaurants as well as fellow local- minded chefs from Agave, The Brasserie, The Westin and Grand Old House. Farmers will inspire chefs with their latest harvests as each duo presents a culinary sampling. Guests can meet the farmers and chefs, try the food, collect recipes and purchase fruits and vegetables to create locally inspired meals at home. Visitors can continue shopping for local items throughout the day with the aid of Camana Bay’s new All About Local product guide, available at the market and every day in The Discovery Centre. In the spirit of community that the Slow Food movement epitomises, admission to this family-friendly event is complimentary and open to residents and visitors.

7pm – Farm-to-Table Dinner – The Crescent, Camana Bay
The Camana Bay culinary community will come together for a grass roots gala dinner overlooking The Harbour. Chefs Cindy, Hedy and Susan will be joined by chefs from Abacus, Bay Market, Gelato & Co., Jessie’s Juice Bar, KARoo, Mizu Asian Bistro + Bar, and Ortanique to present seasonally fresh dishes featuring locally sourced ingredients inspired by their favourite farm-to-table female chefs. Chefs, farmers, residents and visitors will meet and mingle over a welcome Grey Goose cocktail, then sit down together for a feast with free-flowing Benziger wine under the stars.

Tickets for the Slow Food Dinner presented by Cindy Hutson, Hedy Goldsmith, Susan Spicer and the restaurants of Camana Bay are CI$120 all-inclusive and can be purchased from West Indies Wine Company and Books & Books in Camana Bay starting Monday, 2 March. For more information visit www.camanabay.com/slowfood

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