Rosemary Parkinson, Contributor

Lamb Chops - a specialty of Cecile Levee's Wine With Me. - photos by Rosemary Parkinson

The Food Network's South Beach Food & Wine Festival in Miami was bursting with 'foodies' from all over the world last weekend. SOBE was totally sold out. Patrons tasted to their heart's delight and watched celebrities do their thing. Barbados was there with two tables 'fuming' with the aromas of Bajan cuisine fed to some 15,000 'foodies'.

Their fare was a total hit. This island is now firmly set on the culinary map by using 2,000 Bajan bites a day to promote Barbados as a holiday destination that satisfies the quest for 'culinary Caribbean'. Can't say it enough - where was Jamaica? With cuisine the mainstay of the Food Network and Travel Channel, millions of 'eaters' spend their days looking for new food destinations.

Great jamaican food

Jamaican food is hot. But there's much work to be done. Not only must we understand the importance of food tourism, but we must live it. Kingston, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay should be awash with Jamaican (and other world fare) restaurants that scintillate the palate, driving taste buds wild with excitement. Visitors should be coming to our shores seeking out those special spots that will send them to orgasmic delight. The food experience should not just be about jerk, rice and peas, curried cow head, cow foot and oxtail side-ah-road, but should encompass all also at a gourmet level.

Culinary schools like UTech and Heart must wake up and smell the Scotch bonnet. Financial institutions must also take heed. The same way scholarships are provided for the young to become lawyers, accountants, doctors - how about the same support for the culinary arts? 'Nuff said.

Stephanie Scott is the CEO of SSCO Event Management - a planning agency specialising in culinary events and destination weddings. In 2005, SSCO successfully executed its flagship event, The Gleaner-sponsored Kingston Restaurant Week. The week-long event, the first of its kind in Jamaica, involves over 30 of Kingston's leading restaurants and is now, three years later, firmly established on the national entertainment calendar with international media coverage. Flutes & Flames is also part of Stephanie's repertoire. She has a vision and is determined to work arduously to make this event become the one everyone scrambles to attend.

Flutes and Flames is all about an elegant and exclusive evening. Started in December 2006, it has already proved itself as an event that features local and international celebrity chefs who pair their culinary expertise with champagne. It was Moet & Chandon in 2006, this year it will be Laurent Perrier and Caribbean Producers Limited. The luxurious Terra Nova All Suite Hotel has again agreed to be host at their newly redesigned pool venue on Friday, March 7 at 8:00 p.m. Part proceeds go to a charity to be announced, so it's not all about the rich and famous just being there. This year your palate will be tantalised by local celebrity chefs Sara Mair (Bravo TV's Top Chef), Ronald Morrison (Regency Room, Terra Nova), Mario Machado (Mac's Chop House), Cecile Levee (Wine with Me) and Colin Hylton (master of desserts from Guilt Trip). There might be even more by the time the night comes around. So get your tickets now and enjoy!

Colin Hylton and his beautiful desserts will be at this year's Flames and Flutes.

Island Hors d'Ouvres

Rosemary Parkinson has decided not to give up hope. There's a young man with a vision sitting within the portals of the Ministry of Tourism who I know understands. Hurray!