A cultural culinary score will finally be settled as Rasta Barista, a new Jamaican coffeeshop on Madison’s South Side, will host its first-ever Jerk & Jollof Rice Cookoff Competition Sept. 27.
The cookoff will bring recipes from all over the Caribbean and West Africa to show which region truly has the best version of each dish. There are some slight differences in the two recipes. Jerk is developed through Indigenous Taíno and African traditions created by enslaved people of the region. Jollof stems from the 14th-century Wolof Empire in West Africa, with its differences between each country filling each with pride and competition.
“It’s good for expression of culture. There’s diversity within diversity,” said Sei Kidau, co-owner of Rasta Barista. “Jollof rice is something that each culture and nation has a lot of pride in. Same with jerk.”
The competition will be split into four categories where local chefs, amateur cooks and cultural ambassadors will share their beloved flavors and the story behind their country’s version. The categories are jerk chicken/pork, jollof, side dish and dessert.
However, the competition is not just about who has the best jerk or jollof. Proceeds from the cookoff will benefit Youth Empowerment Initiatives, Inc. The local nonprofit is dedicated to post-secondary education for at-risk youth, creating employment opportunities in agriculture and promoting self-sufficiency through its “grow what they eat and eat what they grow” mantra to encourage healthy living and community development.
Tickets are currently on sale for $25. Those who wish to enter the cookoff can sign up online on Rasta Barista’s website. Contestants will have access to a commercial kitchen space to make their food at Rasta Barista.
The Jerk & Jollof Cookoff Competition will be held Sept. 27, starting at 1 p.m. on the fourth floor of the Black Business Hub, 2352 S. Park St.
