The 3rd annual Mango Fest this past Saturday was another successful event.

The festival, held in conjunction with Market at the Grounds, attracted some 400 people throughout the morning. Visitors were treated by local chefs who worked with farmers to showcase the many varieties of the fruit and the innumerable possibilities of using mango in cuisine. The Cayman Islands Agriculture Society and Department of Agriculture also took the occasion to celebrate the abundant mango and to teach patrons about the fruit.

Regular Market of the Grounds vendors such as Patrick Panton, Hamlin Stephenson, Joel Walton and Ms Zelma-lee Ebanks were on hand to sell their produce. A wide variety of jams, cakes, tarts, cookies and juices were sold by Ms. Adelaide Ebanks, Ms. Georgeanne Rankine and Ms. Ivy Thomas. There were also some craft vendors selling jewelry.

HE Governor Duncan Taylor, Deputy Premier Hon. Juliana O’Connor-Connolly and Deputy Governor Hon. Franz Manderson were some of the dignitaries that attended the festive, informal and incredibly fun family event.

Ms. O’Connor-Connolly, who is also the Minister with responsibility for agriculture, was pleased with the large turnout of residents and tourists.

“Mango Fest is a key cultural event that serves to promote a sense of community identity, economic growth and diversification, by showcasing a wide range of foods and other items produced from mangoes and tropical fruits,” she remarked.

“Festivals such as these provide the opportunity for growers of mangoes and tropical fruits to share their different crop varieties with the community and are an ideal forum for crop producers and business owners to showcase their produce, arts and crafts, food and merchandise. It was a great family outing and I would like to thank all those who made the day possible,” the Deputy Premier said.

Minister O’Connor-Connolly also thanks Kerry Forbes of CIAS, the DoA, the vendors and chefs and the countless volunteers who made the day a success.

The local varieties of mango in season and at the show were mainly the Nam Doc, Julie, Kent, Valencia Pride and Jakarta. Cayman’s celebrity chefs and representatives of Slow Food South Sound showcased their culinary expertise, with the mango taking centre stage. There was mango ice cream provided by Mr Alvin McLaughlin. Paul Carroll of Hemmingways/Beach Suites prepared grilled mango and manchego bruschetta, as well as curried mango spring roll. The Ritz- Carlton’s Benjamin Kellerbach created a mango tarte tatin with almond cream dessert. The Brasserie’s Niven Patel created a tuna ceviche with Julie mango and crispy cassava. Michael’s Genuine Foods’s Thomas Tennant prepared a smoked pork shoulder using mango wood and included mango barbeque sauce and green mango slaw and for dessert, a mango flan.

Of course, there were other delights, such as mango cake and mango juice prepared by Ms Thomas.

Mango trees were also on sale at the event and the Department of Agriculture took the opportunity to educate the public on the care of mango trees and the effects of the disease, Anthracnose, by distributing a leaflet on the subjects.

In addition, the Society’s display included general information about mangos and a variety of mango samplings, cakes and juices.