Lifestyle

Hispanic Restaurant Association & BBUC Hosts Culinary Event

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Bahamas Baptist Community College collaborated with the Hispanic Restaurant Association of Colorado to host a Pulled Pork Festival on Arawak Cay last Saturday.

Published

6 months ago

June 29, 2025

Denielle Miller

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Bahamas Baptist Community College collaborated with the Hispanic Restaurant Association of Colorado to host a Pulled Pork Festival on Arawak Cay last Saturday.

The event, featuring dozens of local vendors, was a display of Bahamian and hispanic food and culture.

President of the Hispanic Restaurant Association, John Jaramillo, says that their goal is to bring culinary excellence through latin cuisine to the Bahamian culture and showcase great Bahamian food to the latin culture.

This led to the partnership with the Bahamas Baptist University College where they established classes to foster this objective.

“We wanted to bring our knowledge our skillsets to The Bahamas and train to the future generations like you see to my left and right,” Jaramillo said.

The highlight of the festival was the pulled pork cooking competition where three chefs were challenged to blend Bahamian and hispanic flavors to see who could make the best pulled pork.

Culinary Director for the Hispanic Restaurant Association, Chef Pablo Aya, was one of the judges.

He says although he’s from a different country, the flavors of the islands are all too familiar.

“I been on the island for three days it feels like home and it feels like home because I’m also from the Caribbean so we share ingredients,” he said.

Additionally, Jaramillo says he hopes the event becomes an annual staple, establishing connections in the local community.

“The end goal is to deepen and broaden our relationship with the culinary business community here in The Bahamas, [and] also develop a long term relationship and establish a culinary school,” he said.