KINGSTON, Jamaica—As attendees of the 27th Jamaica Observer Food Awards begin to arrive, greeting them first thing is a figurative breadbasket of Jamaican produce representing the night’s theme of resilience, a display they say is both timely and touching.

“I’m really happy that they are focusing on sustainability and resilience, seeing what happened last year with the hurricane and knowing that we do have to feed ourselves and make sure that we are a country that can sustain ourselves as well,” said first-time attendee Kari Davis.

The night is billed as a celebration of 27 years of resilience off the back of Hurricane Melissa, which devastated southwestern parishes, including rural food-producing areas, last October.