GCG Events; It was Simply Outstanding!

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“Station 1: Food to Eat after Wisdom Teeth Removal,” I read out loud as I quickly scanned the menu for the night. Well, this should be interesting I thought, and proceeded to the first station….

Welcome back Toronto! If you are just joining us, we are on the first night of my latest trip to Jamaica, and what I am now calling: Fitness, Food, and Flora; Health and Wellness in Jamaica Tour, 2019. Toronto Caribbean Newspaper was invited to cover the Mobay City Run, and with that came an opportunity to discover even more in Jamaica, and what it can offer visitors and tourists.

The group was supposed to meet in the evening in the lobby and we were told that we would be eating at the airport. At first, I thought, “Hmmmm,” but I trusted our guide Lyndon; our last trip he had shown us such a great time, so I was anxious to see what was in store for us. When we arrived, we were dropped off at what looked like an airplane hanger. We climbed the stairs and entered one of the largest kitchens I had ever seen. There were stainless steel tables, with delicate floral centerpieces, reggae playing in the background; on the left, there were bottles of wine lined up, with other choices of spirits.

We were introduced to Cheridah Douglas, the Marketing Executive and Event Coordinator for GCG Events (Goddard Catering Group), a premium catering company in the Montego Bay region. We were each given a booklet, which gave us some background information on GCG Events, and what we had in store for the evening. Since 2008, GCG Events has been organizing events locally, and internationally. Their services include: weddings, christenings, birthday parties, anniversaries, graduations, family reunions, holiday lunches, and they have even hosted an event where George H.W. Bush, the 41^st President of the United States of America was a guest, but tonight, they were hosting the “Run in the Kitchen,” pre-race party.

“Please help yourself to a drink, and start making your way through the food stations,” I was told. Some of my group had already made their way to Station One: Food to Eat After Wisdom Teeth Removal, where they were serving smoked pumpkin soup, with a side of Dutch pot bread. It was so good, that I nearly destroyed my appetite because I kept going back for more.

Station Two: A Life that is Long and Looks Good in a Thong (Snicker) was a deconstructed salad bar served in mason jars. This was really cool because you could do it yourself. They offered: mixed lettuce, feta cheese, chopped walnuts, diced tomato, diced cucumbers, diced pineapple, kernel corn, ranch dressing, and a special touch, banana vinaigrette dressing. Again, I overindulged and regretted it because there were five other stations to visit.

Station Three: To Look the Best, Eat the Best, was a cool concept. This station had savory doughnuts (basically exotic bagels), and a cornucopia of condiments that could be added on the side. The doughnut selections included: black pepper doughnuts, caper doughnuts, cilantro doughnuts, sundried tomato doughnuts, and black and white sesame doughnuts, with the condiments: jerk cream cheese, smoked marlin, cold cuts, red onion chutney, and my new discovery salmon bacon; Yum!

After this station, I was pretty much full, but I visited the other stations to see what they had. Station Four: Run for Your Lives, had penne pasta served with alfredo cream sauce, tomato sauce, or vegetable julienne. Station Five: Men and Fish are Alike… They Both Get in Trouble When they Open their Mouth, had poached snapper in a coconut curry sauce and was served with sundried mash potatoes. Station Six: Lift Slowly not with a Jerk, which had jerk chicken breast sponsored by Best Dressed Foods, with mango salsa, and served with three color quinoa risotto. Finally, Station Seven: Stressed Spelled Backwards is Desserts; Coincidence? I Think Not! I managed to fit this in because it was crème brulee finished with berry compote, spicy fruit chutney, or ginger pineapple chutney. Heaven!

It was an impressive setup, and at the end, we were introduced to the Executive Chef, Daniel Schweizer, who had taken a break to meet us and see how we were doing. It is incredible how skilled the team was in catering to such a diverse crowd, with diverse palettes. If you are interested in hosting any events in Jamaica, check GCG Events out at www.gcg-events.com. Now that I was full, I was ready for bed, and for what the Saturday morning was going to offer.