SOUTH FLORIDA TV PRODUCERS TAKE ISLAND GOURMET FROM SCREEN TO LIVE EVENT!

Create TV and public television viewers across America learn about Caribbean food and travel on culinary series ‘Taste the Islands’. Show creators Blondie Ras Productions, with the co-sponsorship of City of Miramar Mayor, Wayne Messam, are translating the show’s exploration of exotic eats and the mystique of the islands into an event called The ‘Taste the Islands’ Experience. Scheduled for the evening of June 1 at the Miramar Cultural Center, the event will feature a selection of gourmet appetizers prepared by celebrity chefs Jamaican Hugh “Chef Irie” Sinclair and Haitian Cynthia “Chef Thia” Verna. There will also be a selection of tropical cocktails, music and dancing in a setting that recalls the look, taste and feel of the islands. Complete details are available at www.ttiexperience.com.

Hugh ‘Chef Irie’ Sinclair and Cynthia ‘Chef Thia’ Verna plating a meal (Taste the Islands Episode 208 – Pineapple Expressed)

Entering its second broadcast season, ‘Taste the Islands’ features delightful, delicious Caribbean fare that viewers can make at home. Each episode includes one or both chefs creating island-themed dishes, and incorporates travel elements with stories from Barbados, Jamaica or Haiti. The family friendly  program presents an opportunity for viewers to learn about the food and culture of the Caribbean. Distributed by American Public Television, the second season is underwritten by Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc, Grace Foods and Lakay Food.

Executive Producer Calibe Thompson says the team behind the series is excited about the new season, and the new event they’re introducing. “The ‘Taste the Islands’ Experience” is our way of taking the tropical essence we’ve captured on-screen, and making it so that folks can actually feel the ambiance of the Caribbean, sampling the flavors they love watching the chefs create.”

Photo by David I Muir

The evening will include a preview of the new season of ‘Taste the Islands’ and live cooking demonstrations.

Non-profit partner Food for the Poor will benefit from a silent auction, with funds raised earmarked for causes in Jamaica and Haiti. Guests who become supporting members of the show’s presenting station, South Florida PBS (WPBT), during the event will receive a DVD collection of episodes from Taste the Islands with Chef Irie (Season 1).

Fans of ‘Taste the Islands’ and of Caribbean cuisine, travel and culture are invited to attend the event, and to learn more at www.ttiexperience.com.

About Blondie Ras Productions

Blondie Ras Productions is a South Florida video production company that creates Caribbean-inspired lifestyle content for a sophisticated viewing audience. The company has created nationally and internationally distributed programs including Taste the Islands, Island Origins and Miami Fitness TV.

Calibe Thompason

About American Public Television

American Public Television (APT) has been a leading syndicator of high-quality, top-rated programming to the nation’s public television stations since 1961. For 10 years, APT has annually distributed one-third or more of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles in the U. S. Among its 300 new program titles per year, APT programs include prominent documentaries, news and current affairs programs, dramas, how-to programs, children’s series and classic movies. America’s Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated, Rick Steves’ Europe, Live From the Artists Den, Doc Martin, Nightly Business Report, Midsomer Murders, Vera, NHK Newsline, Lidia’s Kitchen, Globe Trekker, Simply Ming, and P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home join numerous documentaries and performance programs popular with public television viewers. APT licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service. Create® TV — featuring the best of public television’s lifestyle programming — is distributed by APT. APT also distributes WORLD™, public television’s premier news, science and documentary channel. To find out more about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org.

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