Representing Suriname, Giovanni Ravenberg introduced festival-goers to his country’s comforting staple: coconut rice with fried snapper. Fragrant with coconut milk and paired with golden, crispy fish, the dish captured Suriname’s soul.

The Surinamese delegation shared some tasty dishes.

“The main dish is coconut rice with fried snapper,” Ravenberg explained. “Apart from that, we also have Javanese Bami – the Javanese noodle and chicken, barbecue chicken, [and] barbecue spareribs.”

The menu reflected Suriname’s cultural mosaic, from Javanese influences (Javanese people are descendants of immigrants from Indonesia) to African and Indigenous roots, reminding patrons that Caribbean food is deeply connected to histories of migration and adaptation.

Antigua & Barbuda’s Kendra West, from the Ministry of Creative Industries, chatting about the twin-island nation’s local cuisine.

At Antigua & Barbuda’s station, Kendra West of the Ministry of Creative Industries stood alongside her chefs, proudly introducing their nation’s delicacies: “Our culinary booth is serving up curried lobster today. However, we’ve had a great reception for our grilled lobster straight out of Barbuda,” West shared.

Equally celebrated was Antigua’s national dish, ducana and saltfish – a sweet potato dumpling made with coconut, raisins, ginger, nutmeg, and coconut milk, traditionally wrapped in sea grape leaves but now more commonly steamed in foil. “It’s similar to a conkie in Barbados,” West explained. Alongside was fungie, a cornmeal-and-okra dish reminiscent of Barbadian cou cou, completing a plate steeped in tradition.

Beyond these highlights, the food fair offered flavours from across the region.

Trinidad and Tobago brought spice-rich curries and doubles, while Grenada, the “Isle of Spice,” added nutmeg and cinnamon to its dishes. Haiti offered griot (fried pork) with pikliz, and Jamaica filled plates with jerk pork, rice and beans, to name a few.

For Chef Paulyn Eugene, a proud daughter of Saint Lucia, CARIFESTA XV was the perfect stage to share her island’s culinary treasure — the float, more widely known as the bake: “The beauty of the float is that you can fill it up with ham, bacon, sausage — but salt fish is our staple. That’s the classic Saint Lucian way. But honestly, it can be filled with anything,” she explained with a smile, as her team served golden bakes stuffed with hearty fillings.

It wasn’t just food that drew crowds. Local entrepreneurs also showcased traditional beverages that paired perfectly with the meals.

At Juicy Truth, Chef Alicia Chef Ally Harding of Hello Kuisine delighted visitors with her lineup of locally made punches.

Chef Ally showing her natural juices to calm the palette.

“Today we have rum punch, a passion fruit punch, and a coconut-pineapple punch — all locally made,” Harding explained. For her, CARIFESTA XV was not only about sharing flavour but also about opportunity. “It has been good so far, a great experience, especially for me as a small businessperson to get exposure.”

CARIFESTA XV’s Pot Turn Down Street Food Fair proved that the kitchen and the bar are as powerful a stage. tracymoore@barbadostoday.bb