Jamaican chef Oji Jaja will cook alongside international food superstars at NyamJam Festival’s culinary and music bazaar on Saturday, November 14th. It’ll be a highlight of a career that started long ago: From the time he was six years old, Jaja stood beside his father cooking family meals. “It beat doing the dishes,” he says. Jaja was raised in a vegan household, which taught him […]
Transforming Kingston Through Art
Homes and buildings all over Kingston are brightly painted and adorned with pictures of Jamaican icons and smiling children. These murals, often political messages of unity and peace, have turned Kingston into one big, beautiful art project. Outpostings took to the streets to capture the powerful art on the homes, stores, walls and benches of Kingston. Jamnesia, a surfing community, is covered with paintings of […]
Why Jamaican Cuisine is Poised to Take Over the World
Chef Gariel Ferguson is known on the island as the man who can seriously throw down when it comes to ribs—smoked, braised, grilled, BBQ. Ferguson began working in the kitchen at fourteen, and by the time he was twenty-five, he opened his own restaurant. Ferguson’s career includes three successful restaurants, including Norma’s at the Marina with the late Norma Shirley. Deeply respected in kitchens around […]
How Jamaican Songs Catch Fire
World’s biggest reggae fan? If you’ve never heard the term “sound system,” then we are sorry to break it to you, but you really don’t know Jamaican music at all. Not at its core. A sound system is, first of all, an object: a massive set of speakers stacked in the corner at just about every party in Jamaica. A good system will have the […]
Interview with Chef Celeste Gordon: The NyamJam Series
Chef Celeste Gordon Here at Island Outpost we are gearing up for our first-ever NyamJam Festival—a celebration of the authentic spirit, culture and cuisine of Jamaica. Renowned chefs from around the world—such as Mario Batali, April Bloomfield, Jose Enrique, Seamus Mullen and Johnny Iuzzini—will come to GoldenEye for a three-day event that includes dinner at the Fleming Villa and a food and music bazaar. Tickets […]
Most Kick-Ass Dreads in Jamaica
Walking down the streets of Kingston, you notice a young boy with dreadlocks flowing past his waist. Across the street, a woman sells fruit; the sunset creates a halo around the dreadlocks that she wears in a sweeping high bun. Young, old, male and female: Dreadlocks are worn by many in Jamaica. While the hairstyle has been around for ages, and dates as far back […]