Yzanne the queen of Blue Food Festival

Yzanne Williams-Chance can be regarded as the unofficial queen of the Tobago Blue Food Festival.

She began participating in the competition in 2004 – six years after the launch of the festival – and has won in several categories at least ten times.

In fact, Williams-Chance joked organisers had once stopped her from competing. But she has vowed to continue until her competitors lift the quality of their presentation.

"I think I am really not supposed to enter but I don't see the quality being given out by the rest of cooks," Williams-Chance said.

Speaking to Newsday Tobago on Sunday as she settled into her booth at the Bloody Bay Recreation Ground, the Mt Grace native said she longs for a challenge.

"We all have to share the prizes at some point in time."

She observed the woman who won the trophy for the best dish, last year, did not participate in this year's competition.

"I give everybody the open opportunity to come, have a part in the competition but I need them to bring your A-game. So, I will continue until I see that A-game."

She said although the Blue Food Festival emerged from the villages of L'Anse Fourmi/Parlatuvier and Bloody Bay, back in 1998, others must step up.

Williams-Chance has taken her gift for preparing tasty meals and beverages with the dasheen to heart, so much so that she created her own cookbook – Taste of Tobago Blue Food Recipes – in 2015.

The book contains some 63 recipes, including appetisers such as fish balls, fish cakes and other dishes like chicken wings, dasheen pies, black cake, cheese cake and drinks.

"So, people have a wide variety of recipes that they could go through to choose what they want and create."

But long before she released her cookbook, Williams-Chance had also created her own food label – Calypso Girl Experience – to market her products.

She said the label was inspired by her father.

"From inception, my dad was a chef and before he went into the T&TEC (estate) police service, he went into SRP (Special Reserve Police) first and then transfer into T&TEC. So, he always encouraged me to just go out and create whatever."

Williams-Chance, reflecting on TT's rich history, noted calypso is a dominant feature of the island's culture.

"So, although it is the Blue Food Festival, I am saying (it) is the Calypso Girl Experience. Everybody know me as that."

During Sunday's festival, Williams-Chance had an array of items on sale: dasheen khurma, pone, chocolate chip cookies, black fruit cake, wine, liquers, pepper sauce and anchar.

She said she tries constantly to improve the taste, quality and presentation of her products.

"There has to be improvements in bringing our products to the public, our table displays, the quality of the dish we hand over to the judges. Some people may feel is just about a slice of dasheen and something to go with it but cooks have to go out of the box and create something out of dasheen."

Williams-Chance describes herself as a one-woman team in the kitchen. However, she said her husband, niece and great niece also support her.

"For instance, they have helped me in packaging end getting everything ready for this day (Blue Food Festival), which is always a really great experience."

So, how significant is the festival to Tobago's tourism thrust?

"To me, it is very very important because October does not really have many things happening in Tobago. So, the festival in October brings a wide range of people from Trinidad, abroad, to the island. While they are here, they can also have a sea bath and enjoy themselves for the weekend."

Williams-Chance said tourists and even locals are constantly amazed by the versatility of the dasheen.

"Some people are really, really hyped about it. They do not believe and always ask the question, 'Are you sure this is made out of dasheen?'"