Ital Food Festival aims to rethink meal choices

Taking place at the Scouts Headquarters in St Ann’s on April 6, from 10 am-6 pm, this year’s edition is gearing up to be an immersive experience connecting culture, health and sustainability, and serves as a platform to spread awareness on the healing and energising impact of natural foods on our bodies.

The festival brings together chefs, home cooks, farmers, conservationists, naturalists, wellness advocates, and will showcase the richness of plant-based food and its role in personal and environmental well-being.

Empress Carissa, owner of Ital is Vital TT plant-based catering and Ital Food Festival founder, said the goal of her event is to help people rethink their current food choices and evaluate how it is impacting on their health and daily living.

“It is a conscious movement that we’re trying to spread, one of what choices we’re making. Your health is your wealth and you are what you are eat. If you keep putting negative energy food in your body you’re not going to feel rejuvenated. We’re trying to help people make a paradigm shift in their food intake,” she said.

Carissa has also partnered with US-based NGO with outreach in the Caribbean, Rethink Your Food, headed by Liz Ross (director/founder), who came on board this year because of the festival’s objectives to provide people with healthier options and an ideal way of eating.

Featured on the day will be a delectable variety of creative plant-based breakfast and widespread, local plant-based cuisines. There will also be live cooking – some on a three-stone fireside – vendors demonstrating how to create value added products from flowers and grated goods.

Additionally, there will be demonstrations on how to substitute regular white flour to locally-made flour from local foods.

A special wellness area was designed to provide healing and demonstrations including chair and foot massages, acupressure, yoga sessions, body stretching and myofacial release by Abagail's Art Massage. Also present would be psychologist Greisy Gonzalez.

Carissa said that the Rastafarian meaning of ital is pure, natural, life-giving food that sustains the body, mind and spirit. Vital means essential for life. Therefore, ital food is essential for life.

“It’s not about a diet, it’s about overall well-being.”

She told Newsday after the covid19 pandemic she wanted to do something to contribute to the households to make a positive impact on society.

“People don’t think about what they’re buying. They’re blinded by the marketing, packaging, colours of labels and no one is stopping to read ingredients and think about what’s in the product they’re purchasing, and how it will affect them.

“It’s alarming how people are making choices. And when we make these bad choices we directly impact our health. We need to change the way we eat.

You have to love yourself and be in tune with yourself a little more. It’s about lifestyle.”

Since the first edition in 2024, Carissa said support for the second staging has been overwhelming. Last year, an elderly US citizen visited the festival and was pleased to have connected with several plant-based chefs who could provide him with consistent meals.

“He found it tougher in Trinidad to eat healthy but now, he’s in regular contact with five cooks who provide meals for him. He doesn’t have to worry of where his food is coming from anymore. We’ve facilitated him and he’s grateful. He was a positive takeaway from the first edition,” she added.

Also present to “raise consciousness” would be representatives from Fondes Amandes Restoration Project, El Socorro Wildlife Conservation Centre, Santa Rosa First Peoples Community and Caring for Our Friends in the Forest’s Ricardo Meade, among others. Patrons will also be educated on indigenous medicinal plants.

Entertainment will also be provided throughout the festival experience by Royal Order Sound, OGS Genesis, Fire Shanti, Judah International and Solid Rock among others.

From 6-8 pm, local reggae icons Kushite, Black Loyalty, Verse Ital, Jah Banton and John G will also give live performances.