Taking the Kids: A different kind of Jamaican vacation

(If you are traveling to Jamaica, you will need to show an approved Travel Authorization form completed online to board a flight, as well as proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of travel. You will also need to show proof of another negative COVID test required by the CDC to board a flight back to the U.S. Know that most Jamaicans have not yet been able to get vaccinated so you may want to wait until everyone in your family has been before traveling here.)

Inclusive Otaheti trips aren’t necessarily expensive, ranging from $200 a night. The idea is to create less of a carbon footprint, spend less on room costs and more on experiences.

Cummings believes his company will give back to locals – artists, chefs and musicians to guides and drivers like Delton Rhoden, aka “Dr. Fun,” a fount of knowledge as he drove us to Port Antonio and then the three-plus hours to Montego Bay.

As we passed several farms, Dr. Fun explained that Port Antonio, located on the northeast coast of Jamaica, is largely agricultural and less touristed. He pointed out banana trees, towering coconut trees (men climb 60 feet to retrieve them by hand so they won’t be damaged), red ackee fruit (famous for the ackee and salt fish breakfast dish), sorrel (used to make a drink, especially for the holidays because of its bright red color) and breadfruit (typically roasted or fried).

We passed many locals selling fruit in small stands by the side of the road. When we got there, Chef Lumley had laid out many of these fruits for us to see — the large knobby green Jack Fruit, the round green and black breadfruit, the ackee and pear-shaped crimson Otaheite apples with the sweet white flesh.

He welcomes teaching kids about where food comes from, he said, and has run cooking camps for kids here in Jamaica. “Jamaica is ripe with lush, fresh and in most cases naturally grown foods that are easy to explore and taste amazing,” he said. “We grow organically but people don’t even realize it. … We see something on the tree and pick it. … We want kids to appreciate that and how to make healthy choices.”

The morning we had to leave (sadly) Chef Lumley showed us how to make Ackee, the traditional Jamaican breakfast dish. It has the consistency of scrambled eggs but is a fruit, usually prepared with dried salted cod fish, onions, peppers. He prepares the Ackee with a contemporary twist — Ackee and yam hash — and serves it with creamed callaloo (similar to spinach) and Johnny Cake (a freshly fried dough), as well as French toast topped with ripe plantain chutney and more.

As we sit around the table for the last time, Cummings says, “Think of us like we’re throwing a good party.”

It was.

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The Kid’s Guide to Philadelphia, the 13th in the kid’s guide series, was published in 2020, with The Kid’s Guide to Camping coming in 2021.)