Spice Things Up! Scenes From the Boston Jerkfest

Fans of Carribbean music and spicy food alike flocked to the Boston Jerkfest at the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology on June 29. Jerk, a blend of spices commonly rubbed on meat in Jamaican cuisine, was the star of the day, but there were plenty of other traditional foods to try. The day started out dreary, but between the fantastic eats and energetic atmosphere, it was impossible to be anything but delighted. Take a look at some of the tasty treats and friendly faces that made the day, as the Jamaicans say, irie!Yvette Fair of Boston sold handmade patchwork dresses at her Yomolove Design Studios booth.Dorothy Jean of Providence, R.I. and Lauriette Howard of Boston browsed through the tents of handmade clothes and jewelry at the festival.Ann Chan of Somerville showed off her colorful face paint.Danaiya Simmonds of New York got her face painted by Angela Owens of Boston's Painting as Art & Ritual.Danielle Croley and Shaquana Mullings of Goodway Bakery in New York handed out samples of the bakery's traditional rum cake. Mullings, a baker at Goodway, said that each cake is covered in a signature cinnamon rum sauce. The incredibly soft and flavorful treats come in plain, banana, pineapple and Malibu rum, and chocolate flavors.Festival-goers lined up to get a taste of R & S Jamaica Jerk Palace's signature specialties, like curried goat, oxtails, fried plantains, and of course, jerk chicken and pork.Greg Blair, Charlton Becker, Ernie Campbell, and Christy Moulin from the Jamaica Mi Hungry food truck took a break from cruising the streets of Boston to hang out at the festival.The Tempo International Steel Band brightened up a gloomy morning with Caribbean beats.Casey, Lilly, and Meredith Kokos grooved to the music of the steel band.Trey Hudson of New York via Jamaica sold colorful Bob Marley tapestries and woven bracelets at the indoor vendors' pavillion.Kettly Williamson of Haiti and Candice Hogu of Boston talked up Mama Pearl's Hot Sauce, an all-natural line of sauces. They come in spicy Carribbean, mild, and strawberry flavors.Mrs. Peppa Spice's jams have some serious kick to them! The seasonal Bing Cherry Pleasure was a big hit among visitors.A vendor displayed intricately embellished leather sandals at her table. Michael Agustin of San Francisco drank coconut water straight out of a fresh coconut shell.DJ Lewis of Dorchester kept an eye on the fresh fruit salad and Singh's Roti Truck.Danielle Allen, Domonique Johnson, Aiesha Powell, and Aysha Gregory enjoyed a lunch of jerk and curry at a gardenside table.This group might have had the best meal of anyone- oxtails, curried goat, crabs, rice, peas, and sorrel, a drink made from an herb of the same name and ginger, sugar, cinnamon, and citrus.Adam McGregor, business development manager at Sunset Resorts, turned himself into an ad for Jamaican vacations by sporting the country's flag on his forehead. Visitors to the Rum and Brew room sampled beers and rums from all over the world.Cleo Wolf of South Windsor, Conn., and Jason Schinis of Brighton sported faux mustaches from the Curious Traveler table and tasted the brand's signature shandy.Jack Dortmans, Julie Gottschalk, Tina Kalamut, and Emily Shaw tried Dark and Stormy rum and a specialty drink called Ginger Libation."We are Revolutionaries, and so are you!'' members of the band Revolutionaries shouted into the crowd. They were one of several performace groups to take center stage on Saturday.Dina and Antonio McDonald enjoyed a lunch of jerk chicken, rice, and plantains in the sun.Kids got to see what it was like to be a couple of feet taller as volunteers helped them walk around on stilts.A vendor arranged his display of colorful handmade jewelry and dresses.This Jamaican-flag inspired dress hung as the centerpiece of a tent.Lugie, of Roxbury's Back to the Roots store, sold cultural clothing and drums and modeled a traditional dress.Ten-month-old Kenzie Scott of Boston showed off her painted tiara and adorable smile.Ella Clausen and Tiffany Leng, who both volunteered at the festival, posed in their Jamaican skirts.Jenna Persson of Medfield and her friends Lina Birk of Denmark and Tomas Persson of Sweden had lunch in the garden.Four-year-old Milani Dacosta wore her Jamaican-themed dress to the festival.