Chef Tyla T. Collymore, Chef Simeon Hall Jr., Chef George Roberts Jr, and Eldoray Fergu (Pictured from right to left)
Bahamian Celebrity Chef Simeon Hall Jr. and his all-Bahamian culinary team showcased the vibrant flavors of Bahamian cuisine on an international stage last month at the South Beach Miami Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF), renowned as the premier and largest food festival in the state of Florida and arguably, North America.
The culinary team, led by Chef Simeon Hall Jr., included some of the brightest and most skilled chefs and culinary experts in the country, such as Chef George Roberts Jr., Chef Tyla T. Collymore., and Eldoray Ferguson, a trained butler who contributed his hospitality expertise to the event. The prestigious food festival, held from February 22nd to 25th in Miami, Florida, saw the Bahamas team serving a signature menu item from the soon-to-be-opened Bahamian eatery, ‘Preacher’s Kid’—the ‘Hamwich.’ This dish offers a gourmet reinterpretation of the classic ‘Slam Bam,’ featuring succulent rotisserie ham, quick pickles, and beer mustard, all nestled within a pillowy island brioche bun.
Chef Simeon Hall Jr. recounted that the native dish and the Bahamas’ presence at the festival’s The Goya Grand Tasting event were well-received, with numerous festival-goers marking the native sandwich as their favorite from the entire event.
“We had a lot of festival guests who raved about our sandwich, even informally voting it as their favorite dish of the event. This ‘Hamwich’ stands as one of our signature menu items at my new restaurant, ‘Preacher’s Kid,’and we’ve spent nearly a year refining and perfecting it. It was immensely gratifying to receive the stamp of approval from the festival guests; we even had someone who doesn’t like ham try the dish and fall in love with it,” said the restaurateur of ‘Preacher’s Kid.’
Chef Hall and his culinary team were pleased to discover that a majority of the guests they interacted with at the festival had either recently visited The Bahamas or were planning to do so in the near future.
He shared: “Literally dozens of guests shared how they’ve just returned from or are planning a trip to The Bahamas. It was awesome to be able to invite them to ‘Preacher’s Kid’ at the Nassau Cruise Port, especially knowing many of them would be arriving on a cruise ship.”
Following their team’s successful and standout participation at the event, Chef Hall and his team were also honored to receive an immediate invitation to SOBEWFF 2025. They are determined to enhance The Bahamas’ presence at the festival even further.
The signature entree served at the event was the ‘Hamwich’, a gourmet reimagining of the classic ‘Slam Bam’, featuring succulent rotisserie ham, quick pickles, and beer mustard, all nestled within a pillowy island brioche bun.
“I keep telling everyone that The Bahamas is under a culinary magnifying glass. Eyes are on us, as there is a global appetite for Bahamian cuisine, and festivals like SOBEWFF want to give our beloved country an opportunity to shine,” he expressed.
He added: “My team is incredibly grateful to our sponsors like Sysco Bahamas, Preacher’s Kid, and especially our lead sponsor, The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, for their financial backing as it is what enables us to represent our country at these international events.
For the past decade or so, my team and I have been covering the thousands of dollars in expenses for participating in events like these ourselves. However, with the support of corporate sponsors, we can now rest easy. This not only enables us to enhance our offerings but also ensures thorough preparation by arriving ahead of time,” explained Hall.
Chef Simeon Hall Jr. and his culinary team are set to participate again at the 2025 South Beach Miami Wine & Food Festival, scheduled for February 20th – 23rd, 2025. His team is also scheduled to participate in the Charleston Wine + Food Festival in Charleston, South Carolina this month.
Source: Gabrielle Sterling/Publicist
