Soca News was present as National Geographic Traveller (UK) hosted the Travel Geeks event: ‘Festivals, Forests & Flavours of Tobago’, on Thursday November 9th at London’s Arboretum members’ club.
From the moment I entered and was provided with an Angostura-based cocktail and got a dish of saltfish fritters & tamarind sauce, I instantly felt the spirit of the Caribbean.
The 100-plus audience was introduced to a panel that comprised journalist Alex Outhwaite, filmmaker Juan Leon, creative artist Shakeil Jones (Dance & Movement Coordinator at Tobago Performing Arts Company), and cultural researcher Rayshawn Pierre-Kerr, (Artistic Director at Tobago Performing Arts Company).
The expertise and authentic passion shown by the panel guests were intoxicating as they shared personal insights ranging from their favourite Tobagonian dishes to discovering the best local musicians, festivals, and adventure experiences on the island. They helped to paint a vivid portrait of some of the best experiences Tobago has to offer, making me super keen to travel there and create my own bespoke experience.
With more Tobago cuisine provided by the legendary Natty’s Saturday Kitchen, which included crab & dumplings, Callaloo, rice & stew chicken, as well as miniature portions of sweet bread and Dasheen Khurma, to take away, one could not want for more. Mikey Louis ([email protected]) ensured our glasses remained topped up with his rum punch and mocktail creations.
The premiere of National Geographic Traveller’s (UK) latest paid video campaign, showcasing the island’s music and festival heritage, also helped to cement what was a brilliant evening.
