The Sweetart Bake Expo held at The Jamaica Pegasus two Sundays ago had patrons in awe at the creativity of Cakes decorated and probably sent everyone’s sweet tooth into overdrive with the samples given.
There were On-stage demos and Presentations on Cake Decorating, as well as classes that were conducted, including one that was by a local instructor.
Sometimes a Cake is decorated well and doesn’t taste as good as it looks, but the proof is in the pudding. Suga was most impressed with the Piña Colada cupcake by Alex’s creations (@alexcreationsja). I tasted the rum first, followed by the coconut flavour, then was hit with the sweet accentuated by the icing. Fantastic!
Other tasty highlights for Suga: *Instagram tags in brackets
• Cheesecake by Kelsey’s Kreations (@kelseyskreations_ja)
• Bread Pudding by Skimo’s Pastries (@skimos_pastries)
• Banana Bread by La Jazz Sweet Tooth (@lajazzp_c)
I know persons are straying from the traditional Fruit cakes for Weddings, but I only got two to taste that were not up to standard. Perhaps Blissful Bites by Delvena came close. Lemon cakes are now a popular choice for Weddings, but none of them hit the spot.
The presence of well-known Bakers was missed, but there are many on the rise with potential who were present and have been working on their craft for years. The Cake Decorating Competitions displayed high levels of skill and creativity, making things look so real.
Here are most of the Winners! Pre-decorated Cake Competitions by Theme:
• Fast Food Winner
The Bucket Meal by @alissweetfantasy won 1st place. It was also voted the People’s Choice winner for the show!
2nd Place
The Subway Meal by @cakesbyqueata won 2nd place.
Decorated by Students! • Fast Food theme Winner
Winner of the Student Category was Annalise Powell of @baked876.
• Wedding Winner
The winning Cake was Decorated by @thesweetspotja
• Topsy Turvy Winner
First time entrant who just started Baking last year of @doms.delights was in tears after the announcement and moved even a few members of the audience to tears too.
Runner up
@fabulous_cakesja came 2nd.
• Jungle Theme Winner
Winner of the Jungle Theme Pre-decorated Cake Competition by #sweetimpressionsja
CONGRATS to the WINNERS and See you at the 5th Anniversary Edition, #sweetartbakeexpo2019!
Save the date! It will be May 26,2019 with 5 days of activities.
Simo’s Bread and Catering (Christina Simonitsch) will be doing a Valentine’s Brunch in Kingston with Tooksie Kay Catering (Alexa Von Strolley) on Sunday, February 11!
The Brunch will be at Kayter at 18 Balleter Avenue, Kingston 10 from 12 noon to 4 pm!
It will be 4 stations with All You Can Eat accompanied by Beverages!
It should be a Treat! Treat your Valentine with this Brunch that should have memorable eats.
Today is the last day to sign up for the Early Bird tickets that cost $60USD per person.
The Scenic Entrance of Stush and Simo’s Moveable Feast displaying the epic Collaboration between Stush in the Bush and Simo’s Bread and Catering along with other Purveyors
Stush in the Bush and Simo’s Bread and Catering joined forces for a Bottomless Mimosa Brunch, titled Moveable Feast, last Sunday, October 8th at Arcadia Great House in Duncans, Trelawny.
Not to be confused with Michele Williams’ Moveable Feast Catering Company that has been in the business in Jamaica for over 10 years, the title of the event was inspired by the title of an Ernest Hemingway novel, A Moveable Feast. Lisa Binns of Stush in the Bush loved the title of the novel and deemed it fit for her Brunch collaboration with Christina Simonitsch of Simo’s Bread and Catering. Lisa says she hopes to ultimately move this feast around the island.
With Stush in the Bush based in St. Ann and Simo’s Bread and Catering based in Montego Bay, I thought Trelawny was the appropriate destination for their first collaboration, almost meeting in the middle.
Fresh Farm to Table greens, Vinaigrettes, Spreads, Sauces, Salads, Ceviche and Chips from Stush in the Bush (Photo credit: Tina Davis)
However, the two main items that stood out for me were the Charcoal Blinis with Truffle Aioli, Quail Eggs Benedict and Avo-Daise and the Rum BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork that were the definition of divine, intricate perfection.
Other highlights for me were the Quinoa Pilaf, Pimento Pickled Onion, Pulled Pork, Plantain Ceviche, Chia seed and Coconut Yogurt Parfait, Lemon Pound Cake with Passion Fruit Butter topped off with Vegan Chocolate sauce and my husband did well with the rich, moist Chocolate and Coffee Cake.
For Salad lovers, the Summer Panzanella with Rosemary Red Stripe Croutons was delish! I was impressed that the flavour of the Red Stripe was not lost in the salad. The Beet Carpaccio with Feta was a great pairing as well.
Another spread of Pastries from Simo’s Bread and Catering. Food was around every corner.
Keep in mind that nothing is basic with Simo’s. As simple as you would think Chocolate Crisp cookies would be, the touch of salt added brought the taste to a whole new level to enjoy without getting a toothache.
Of course, Mimosas were on tap and the Lemon grass and Ginger Tea served was rich in flavour and absolutely refreshing.
Radiating smiles from happy guests, Tiffany Simmonds, Gabrielle Burgess, Tina Davis and Craig Anthony Fleming, with one of the main persons responsible, Chef Christina Simonitsch (Photo credit: Craig Anthony Fleming)
Lime Meringue Tartlets, Sausage and Cheese Quiche, Ackee and Callaloo Quiche, Spinach and Cheese Frittatas, Herb Roasted Tomato, as well as Almond and Apricot Focaccia with rosemary, Lemon Herbed Mushrooms, Cucumber salad, Herb Loaf, Banana Bread, Buns, Herbed Balsamic Sweet Potato Salad, Cole Slaw, Mac n’ Cheese, Roasted Vegetables with fresh Herbs (Beets, Carrots, Pumpkin) were other Brunch delights. Believe it or not, there were actually a few more that weren’t listed.
Stush’s Candid Sorrel Chips were quite interesting too.
Suga aka Gabby from Suga Lifestyle having fun at Stush & Simo’s Ice Cream Bar
To seal the deal and cool me down after I was fired up from grilled Pizzas and more, was the Stush and Simo’s Ice Cream Bar. I thoroughly enjoyed the Coffee and Avocado Lime flavours. I really should have had them all, but I was pulled away.
Note that quite a bit of the Brunch delights were Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free!
There were a variety of Preserves, Jams, Marmalades and Sauces that complemented their neighbours on the table quite well. For instance, the Jerk Aioli with the Rosemary Roasted Chicken. Some of them were on sale too.
Preserves, Jams, Marmalades and Sauces on sale from Stush in the Bush and Simo’s Bread and Catering (Photo credit: Craig Anthony Fleming)
Simo’s is now doing Honey! It was launched at Moveable Feast.
Gabrielle Burgess from Suga Lifestyle with husband, Randy Burgess and a part of the pleasant team from Deaf Can Coffee
Purchasing reasonably priced cups of Deaf Can’s Cold Brew and Frappuccino, was the perfect ending to a magical day, which prepped us well for the drive back to Kingston.
Chef Colin Hylton described the event as ‘BEYOND amazing’ and Chef Craig Anthony Fleming, who usually describes the culinary work of Christina Simonitsch as ‘truly first world’ was surely in his element and stated, ‘the brunch selection was beyond perfection’.
Gabrielle and Randy Burgess having fun with the charming, Chris and Lisa Binns, with Tiffany Simmonds looking on.
Kudos to Chris and Lisa Binns from Stush in the Bush and Christina Simonitsch from Simo’s Bread and Catering, as well as their hard-working team for never compromising on the quality of their gastronomic spreads. Their punctuality, attention to detail, quality control, infectious personality and radiating passion for the love of food is impressive and I felt honored to be apart of their culinary perfection once again.
When and where is the next one?!
Two of many Buffet Spreads from Stush and Simo’s Moveable Feast. #SugaEndorsed (Photo credit: Craig Anthony Fleming)
