Chester Francis-Jackson, Gleaner Writer
Left: Tamara Scott-Williams with Stephanie Scott (right) at a recent upper St. Andrew event. Right: Steve and Betty Ashley. - Photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
My daahlings, this here weekend and the next are definitely the hottest on the entertainment and social calendar, and how! Honeys, we do mean HOT! Oh, my word, what a way to burn!
Dears, it's the October season so let the partying begin.
My daahlings, it's still the age of the Liberian and Luis, they are just soaking up the season with effortless style as they party to mark the season.
No word on the party for the very affable Colin Steele, but last Friday this business consultant celebrated his birthday, and was spotted at a power lunch at one of Kingston's leading Chinese restaurants breaking bread with some of the capital's leading business arbiters, and then some!
On Tuesday of this week, businessman and PNP bigwig, Steve Ashley, celebrated his birthday. To mark the occasion, however, wife, the lovely Betty-May Ashley, decided on making the day a cosy twosome, with the big celebrations to follow this here weekend at the couple's fab Norbrook residence. More to come here, as this promises to be a fab outing.
The following day, however, it was all about businessman Ian Garbutt, as Wednesday was his special day.
Tomorrow being Saturday, it will be all about legal luminary, former senator and JLP powerhouse Chris Bovell, as this revered lawyer and pillar of decency will celebrate his birthday. The buzz here is, expect a quiet family do as wife, Michelle is all about quality time, and then some.
Over in Negril, it will be all about Couples Negril and its sister property, Couples Swept Away, as the Lee Issa- led chain of fabulous all-inclusive resorts will celebrate its eighth anniversary of its Negril property. Founded by his dad, tourism pioneer, the late Abe Issa that first opened some three decades ago with its flagship Couples Ocho Rios. The North Coast smasheroni promises all the panache and elan with which the brand is synonymous.
Honeys, we are talking haute fabulissimo here, so Negril is definitely in, like Flynn this weekend.
Meanwhile, over in Runaway Bay, at the racy Hedonism III Resort, public relations and marketing promoter, Steven Pottinger, is promising back-to-back weekends of fun and more fun, at the oh-so-fab property, beginning this here weekend with the annual staging of the oh so hot Mr. Caribbean contest, and continuing into the heroes weekend, with its annual jerkfest.
My daahlings, the Mr. Caribbean contest features men of the Caribbean and its diaspora against each other for the crown, bragging rights, modelling contracts and a cash prize and is one hot to-do chock-full of surprises and first class entertainment, as it is a showcase for some of the finest specimen of men, and then some!
And honeys, if perfectly buffed bodies, parading in some unbe-lievable 'clothing' is not your thing, then, the annual Hedonism III jerkfest, over the heroes weekend holiday, is an epicurean outing of the esoteric kind, and definite must attend and celebrate, for those into the finer side of cuisine-a-la-Jamaique!
Honeys, we are talking flawless entertainment here to support some of the finest dishes ever to bless the palate of man. Chef Mark Cole is promising not just a fine weekend of unbelievable jerk dishes.There will be a to-die-for dining experience in the resort's Rastafari (Italian) Restaurant, as here he has revamped the menu to satisfy the gourmet and the gourmand and, honeys, it's one fine restaurant, boasting some fabulous dishes.
Kingston Restaurant Week
And, my darlings, speaking of fine dining, sweet-things, the lovely Stephanie Scott is all agog, and rightly so, about this year's staging of the Gleaner-sponsored Kingston Restaurant Week. Honeys, wait for it, as this too promises to be a blast of a fabulous event, and then some.
The invites are out to this year's launch, also coming up over next weekend, and anybody who's anybody in the national and international food business is expected to put in an appearance, so honeys, if y'all have not yet received 'your' invite to this stellar do, 'your' invitation is not, repeat, not, in the mail, it was not sent, so there.
Mind you, one can almost excuse those soliciting invites to the launch, as hosted as it will be at the Macs Chops House, in New Kingston, and set to the theme 'Fire and Ice', with expected liberal samplings from some of the participating restaurants, not to mention oodles and oodles of mimosa, y'all know we are talking a mighty fine do here.
Children wait for it, because if the rush attaching itself to the launch of Kingston Restaurant Week 2006 in association with this respected newspaper is anything to be guided by, and believe you moi, it will be all that and then some, and aam-a-telling-yuh, mah dears, this here scribe will be out and about, and then some!
And still speaking of fine food, eateries and the personalities that make them all come together: My dears, he is always there with a pleasant smile and easy manner, and if one is a novice and consequently a little unfamiliar with the menu, he has been more than willing to offer competent advice.
Little wonder then that he is known by his first name by the rich, powerful, well-to-do and fabulous who have all walked through the doors of the establishment where sterling service is a way of life!
Fabulous service
My dears, congratulations are definitely in order and lavishly extended to the affable Cyprian Buckley who, on Thursday last, completed 30 years of service at Akbar Indian Restaurant on Holborn Road, in New Kingston.
To be sure, it was not always named Akbar, its evolution saw it going from Kohinoor, to Calcutta, and now the pre-eminent Akbar (now in its 10th year of operation). Number 11 Holborn Road, has housed the capital's and Jamaica's premier Indian restaurant for 33 years, and for 30 of those years, Buckley has served with distinction, and so we, too, join in toasting him on his milestone of fabulous service, and wishing him many more, as he and his colleagues, break out the champagne!
