Caribbean dreams will come to life Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10, 2020, at a new South Florida location. On Mother’s Day weekend, a delicious array of food, drink, music and culture will be on display at “The 2020 Taste the Islands Experience (TTIX 2020).” The Signature Fort Lauderdale event will enter its fourth major staging with everything guests have come to enjoy, in a new, elegant indoor setting at the Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines. Caribbean food, travel and culture enthusiasts can delight in returning favorite elements, and a few new attractions.
Taste the Islands host Chef Irie (right) with celebrity guest, singer Julian Marley (left) at The 2019 Taste the Islands Experience | Photo Credit: Anna Keith
Saturday’s main event includes Restaurant Row, with Caribbean eats from some of South Florida’s favorite chefs and bakers. The Island Pavilions, where Caribbean ambassadors showcase their culinary tourism offerings, feature exciting international personalities. On the main stage, expect celebrity cooking and mixology demos with a surprise guest or two. And all around, look out for cultural elements, enjoy your complimentary massage, hair and makeup services in the glam studio, and this year, catch your island vibes from the live music and dance performances.
Award-winning mixologist Philip Casanova Antoine thrills guests by the Barbados pavilion at TTIX 2019 | Photo by R.J. Deed
Culinary headliners and chef-hosts of the “Taste the Islands” TV show, Hugh ‘Chef Irie’ Sinclair and Cynthia ‘Chef Thia’ Verna will once again grace the demo stage at the event. Musical entertainment will include the high energy stylings of “Mr Let ‘Em Know,” DJ GQ of Y100. Early confirmed talent includes Chef Danny of Yarumba Restaurant, and event host, the inimitable Carla Hill. New talent added to the lineup, and confirmed island partners, will be announced in the New Year.
Chef Danny of Yarumba Restaurant preparing his “Tres Golpes” at TTIX 2019 | Photo Credit: T.J. Brown
Sunday’s “TTIX: Brunch on the Sunny Side” is a more family friendly affair, and multiple generations are invited to celebrate. Attendees will enjoy a hearty Caribbean brunch buffet, tropical mimosas, steel drum music, live Mother’s Day serenade, and multi-generational couture fashion show.
Tanya Marie with models at TTIX: Brunch on the Sunny Side 2019 | Photo Credit: R.J. Deed
Discounted early packages—including two-for-one Saturday tickets, and discounted brunch and weekend rates—are available until January 3 via Eventbrite. More information is available on the event website at www.tastetheislands.events.
Support for The 2020 Taste the Islands Experience is provided in part by the following Funds at the Community Foundation of Broward: Helen and Frank Stoykov Charitable Endowment Fund, David and Francie Horvitz Family Fund, Ann Adams Fund, and Mary and Alex Mackenzie Community Impact Fund.
Along with support from the Community Foundation of Broward, TTIX is made possible by long term partners the Greater Fort Lauderdale Visitors and Convention Bureau, Island Syndicate, and History Fort Lauderdale, as well as new non-profit partner Island SPACE.