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Chef Patricia Miranda Allen for Jamaica Epicurean Escape

October 31, 2012 By

Panamanian Chef Patricia Miranda Allen, who styles herself as a
sustainable gastronomic chef, is one of several international guest chefs
who will participate in The Gleaner-sponsored Jamaica Epicurean Escape
(JEE) on December 1 and 2 at the Richmond Estate in St Ann.


The term “sustainable gastronomy” as explained by Chef Allen is when
nature, chefs, diners and producers go hand in hand and work harmoniously.
“Food is perhaps the closest link we humans have with Mother Nature. She
sustains us, gives us pleasure, health and life. When we respect and are
grateful for what she so generously offers us, using seasonal produce and,
even better, produced in our surroundings, we can then say that what comes
out of our kitchen is nothing but a feast of love.”

Dr David Smith, who leads the JEE’s environmental programme, expands on
the concept, “The restaurant and catering industries in many parts of the
world recognise that our food resources are not infinite, and if it is to
be sustainable it must embrace the wider environmental values and do what
it can to reduce its impact on the environment,” he said.

“So, it is a matter of writing menus to seasonal produce and an ongoing
process of buying locally and organically where possible, and of
considering animal welfare in the production of our food. Using free-range
eggs and poultry, not purchasing lobster out of season and focusing on
proper waste disposal as well as reducing, recycling and reusing,” Dr
Smith maintains.

cooking commercially

Chef Allen is chef/proprietor of Cerro Brujo Gourmet Restaurant in Volcan,
Chiriqui, Republic of Panama, founded on November 26, 1999. Her career
spans over 15 years. She began cooking commercially at La Posada del Cerro
La Vieja, Penonomé, Coclé Province. Later, she tested her culinary skills
in the Sister Moon Hotel in Isla Grande, Colön, Republic of Panama.

Chef Allen specialises in the preparation of very fresh salads with
organically grown vegetables and plenty of edible flowers. Her cooking has
strong accents of Asian and Mediterranean cuisines, made mainly with
Panamanian ingredients. “I love cooking with a kaleidoscope of herbs,
spices and organic ingredients that fuse in a symbiosis of scrumptious and
passionate flavours, fascinating aromas and vibrant food presentations. I
am looking forward to adding a Jamaican flavour to my repertoire, Chef
Allen notes.

For more information, visit: www.jamaicaepicureanescape.com

 

 

BACKGROUND ON CHEF PATRICIA MIRANDA-ALLEN:

Panamanian Chef Patricia Miranda to receive World Gourmand Award

Volcan, Panama, February 6, 2012. Panamanian Chef Patricia Miranda to
receive World Gourmand Award at the annual Gourmand International
Association Cook Book Fair in Paris, France. “The Gourmand International
Association”  is the organizing body that will confer The World Gourmand
Award on Chef Patricia Miranda Allen, author of the Cookbook, ÑUKWA JA
TARE TIKWE (Camp Fire of my Loves).

Gourmand International Association has recognized the contribution
rendered to the women of the ethnic group Ngobe Bugle during the past
Volcan Verde Integral Festival 2011, last March in Volcan, Chiriqui,
Republic of Panama.
ÑUKWA JA TARE TIKWE (Camp Fire of my Loves) is the title of the book
written in Ngobere, translated into English and authored by Chef Patricia
Miranda Allen, who teaches and demonstrates how the Ngobe women provide
better nutrition for their children and for themselves.  The book is first
written in Spanish and then translated to  Ngobere.  It contains simple,
basic, yet nutritious recipes that can be prepared with local, well-known
Panamanian ingredients  that are  easy to find in our produce markets or
planted in the home garden.

In addition to being awarded the “The best translation,” Chef Patricia was
nominated in the categories for the “Gourmand Best in the World Best Woman
Chef.

The Award Ceremony shall take place at the prestigious Folies Bergere in
Paris, France on March 6, 2012.

Filed Under: America, Culture, Food From Around The World, World Culture Tagged With: ,

Foster’s Ads Capture Cultural Differences

April 30, 2012 By

The latest series of ads for Foster’s lager feature Brad and Dan, two young Aussies who also fronted the Foster’s Good Call ads last year.

This year, as they advertise Foster’s Gold – the company’s new premium beer – the scripts capitalise on the cultural stereotypes in Britain and Australia.

So we see Brad out of his comfort zone and at an English garden party. There’s chamber music playing in the background as he opens up a sandwich to see there’s only cucumber inside it. He’s not sure what to do, so he calls his friend Dan, back in Australia, for some advice.

Brad sets the scene for Dan, who’s turning sausages on his bbq: “They’re serving Gold, but all the sangers have just got greenery in them.” Dan’s appalled by this news: “That is a crime against sliced bread!”

Brad’s thinking of refusing to eat the offending sandwiches – on the grounds that he’s Australian and a man! Dan doesn’t think this is the right way to go though: “Obviously times are tough, and they can’t afford the beef, so eat the rabbit food and smile while you’re doing it.”

As Brad’s host enquires if he’s having a good time, he’s ever the diplomat: “Too right, eh, and your secret’s safe with me.” The host looks puzzled, so Brad explains: “Spent all the money on Gold, eh? You little ripper!”

As the ad ends, we see the line: “Foster’s Gold – Australian for Chic!” A perfect way to say it all!

Brad and Dan have been entertaining the British nation for more than a year now, with their easy, laid-back style and solutions to the problems posed by more highly strung Brits who tend to sweat the detail a little more. If you want to watch any Fosters advert again, go onto fosters.co.uk to check them out.

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Music and entertainment in New Orleans

March 2, 2011 By


There have been many famous people from New Orleans who are in the entertainment industry, such as Louise Armstrong, John Goodman, Reese Witherspoon and Ellen DeGeneres.  There are many more, and perhaps most famously New Orleans is known for its Jazz roots.  It is considered to be the birthplace of this genre of music.  The earliest form of Jazz was called Dixieland, and this is also known as the traditional Jazz and New Orleans Jazz.


Early Jazz can be traced back to Congo Square in the city in 1835.  Every Sunday the slaves would gather in the square and play music and dance.  The type of music at this time was described as African music.  The music was born from these events and is why Jazz is associated with the expression of freedom as the slaves were for once allowed to express themselves in spite of oppression.  In 1885 the local authorities attempted to outlaw this in Congo Square, but this was short lived.  In 1890 the first Jazz bands started to form.  At this time, in the United States, ragtime music was becoming popular and a number of New Orleans musicians started to integrate their music with an up tempo beat.  Buddy Bolden is considered to be the first prominent Jazz musician and musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton and Sidney Bechet all say he influenced the direction of New Orleans music.


It’s not just Jazz music that new Orleans is associated with, it is also the prominent centre of funk music and is home to early funk band the meters.  It is also considered to be the place where sludge metal was born.  The city is known for the Louisiana sound which was established by Exhorder.  They were the first band to merge doom metal and up tempo beats through thrash metal and that is how New Orleans sludge metal was founded.  New Orleans was also the birthplace of Master P who was the first mainstream rapper from the city.

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Mardi Gras

February 24, 2011 By
Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras


This annual festival occurs 47 days before Easter and can occur on any Tuesday between the 3rd February and the 9th march.  It has been celebrated since 1699 here and is celebrated in cities all over the world.  It came to North America from Paris.  This was when the French explorer, Iberville explored the Mississippi.  They set up camp 60 miles south of the present day New Orleans on the west bank of the river.  Mardi Gras was being celebrated that day in France and so the men christened the site the point du Mardi Gras.


In the early 19th century the carnival consisted of maskers on horseback and on carriages.  In 1837 there was violence at the carnival and some revellers in costume walked the first parade.  Throughout the next twenty years the press called for an end to Mardi Gras because of the violence however it was saved in 1857 by a group of six people from New Orleans. 


They improved the carnival to include a themed parade with floats, costumed maskers and they even staged a tableau ball.  Mardi Gras was so popular it even survived the prohibition of the 1920’s and the great depression of the 1930’s.  1941 saw the first women’s parade and later in 1949 Louise Armstrong rode as king of the Zulu.  The carnival even attracted royalty in the 1950’s.  in 1969 the carnival had a bit of a re-vamp and this year they presented the largest floats in carnival history and had a Hollywood celebrity ride as it king. 


By 1989 the Mardi gras would attract over 600,000 people each year and it attracts visitors and the media from around the world.  The official colours of the carnival are purple (to represent justice) green (to represent faith) and gold 9to represent power).  There is no set theme to the carnival but each parade represents and specific subject.

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Places to go in New Orleans

February 22, 2011 By


There are many amazing tourist sites to visit in New Orleans, to get a real feel for the city and its culture I have selected a few for you;

The French Quarter


This is the oldest part of the city of New Orleans.  Bourbon Street is famous in the area.  The French quarter is also known as ‘Vieux Carre’.  It has influences from both the French and the Spanish eras in the city.  This part of the city fell into bad shape by 1850 and it was eventually saved by Baroness Michaela Pontalba, the daughter of the Spanish official Almonaster.  She is responsible for the two apartment buildings which line the main square.  These buildings are still standing today and are actually the oldest apartment buildings in the United States of America.  Unfortunately though, by the end of the 19th century the area went down again and it was home to the poorest immigrants.


The most well known area of the French quarter is the entertainment sector which is home to famous hotels, bars and restaurants.  On Bourbon Street you can find many Jazz clubs such as Preservation Hall, the House of Blues.


The heart of the French quarter is Jackson square.  You will find the Saint Louis cathedral here.  If you venture down Royal Street you will come across many shops, art galleries and antique shops.  You will find the old French market on Decatur Street; this is where the Indians used to trade.  To escape the hustle and bustle you can go to Woldenberg Park, which is a large open green space.  Here you can watch the steamboats and cruise ships on the busy river.

The Garden District


Here you will find beautiful mansions and amazing magnolia trees.  These were built by the Americans when they moved to New Orleans after the Louisiana Purchase.  This district of the city is only ten minutes from the French quarter.

 

Warehouse and arts district


This is where you will find the many museums, art galleries and restaurants in the city.  These are situated on Julia Street and the most famous ones are the Contemporary Arts Centre and the Le Mieux Galleries.

Audubon Institute Parks


This is considered as one of the places you must see whilst in New Orleans.  It is in uptown New Orleans and you can get access to it on the Saint Charles avenue streetcar.  There are lagoons, oak trees, golf courses and running course.  You can find Audubon insectariums on Canal Street and only a short walk away is the aquarium of the Americas on the Mississippi river.

City Park


City Park is a 1300 acre park which is situated in the heart of New Orleans.  Within the park you will find an antique carousel and miniature train.  There is also a natural bayou which runs through the park.  Within the park you can also experience the Bestoff sculpture garden, botanical gardens and one of the largest stands of oak trees in the world.  The New Orleans museum is also situated here so this is definitely a place to visit during your stay in the city.

New Orleans cemeteries


These really are considered a must see when you are visiting the city.  They are called the ‘cities of the dead’ and host fantastic architecture and tranquil tree lined streets.  In 1789 the first cemetery in the area was established to have raised tombs.  This was the St Louis cemetery.  They had to do this as the city was prone to heavy rainfall, ground burials became displaced and so they couldn’t continue with this method of burial.  November 1st is All Saints day and on this day the people of New Orleans pay special attention to their graveyards.  The relatives and friends of the dead will turn out en masse, decorating, cleaning the tombs, and paying their respects to the dead.  The city provides tours of the cemeteries.

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New Orleans Bulidings

February 9, 2011 By


Surrounded by water, New Orleans which was once a quiet small French settlement and is named after Philippe d’ Orléans, Duke of Orléans, Regent of France, well known for its French Creole architecture. North and West of the famous Mississippi River is the New Orleans Central Business District, this part of New Orleans include Lafayette Square. Most streets in the city pan out from the central point, the main streets of New Orleans are Canal Street, Poydras Street, Tulane Avenue and Loyola Ave. The division of the downtown and the uptown area is at Canal Street.


With amazing views and a beautiful culture New Orleans is famous worldwide for its architectural style. New Orleans has many different fascinating housing styles, one of them being the shotgun house; this is a small and rectangular house. Creole townhouses pack out the French Quarter, with they’re famous intricate iron balconies and huge courtyards. Plenty of different styles of mansions are spread out around New Orleans, these all beautiful buildings.


The skyline of New Orleans consists of just low and mid rise structures. World Trade Center New Orleans and Plaza tower were built on New Orleans soils and stood firm in the 1960’s. Canal Street is the holding place for most of the big builds in New Orleans but the biggest in the City was built in 1972, this is the One Shell Square which stands at 212.45m high with 51 floors.

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