Holidays always remind me of that holiday spent in Barbados celebrating in a warmer climate. When I actually  stepped out to 39 degrees it was not may favorite . But yes I’d much rather be in the Bahamas thank you very much. But another suggestion came up recently could be even better.

The island of Aruba sits furthest of the Caribbean islands just north of Venezuela .Recently I was fortunate to have been invited for a peak into Aruba’s culture  and it’s menu. Hence, the Taste of Aruba event held at a private space called The Kitchen in midtown Manhattan. Seated at circular tables with other journalists, and of course everyone from Aruba Board of Tourism that was on hand. It was such a treat to chatting with everyone and hearing their stories about life in Aruba while learning a bit about it’s history.But the star of the evening was definitely the cuisine!

The evenings menu at #Taste of Aruba

Delicious Banana Stroba w/ fish

This is something you may want to ge the recipe for. It’s divine.

(Above photos by Beautylicious taken with Samsung Galaxy SIII)

Dinner is served up at #tasteofAruba

Cocktails at #TasteofAruba

During the evening guest were also treated to a short performance by musician Jonathan Viera. He was seated at my table and delighted us with a tale on performing for the prime minister of Aruba after many attempts.

Performance at #tasteofaruba by Jonathon Viera

Why Aruba this holiday? Well for one it is just outside of the hurricane belt so never fear of a replica of Sandy. In addition ,the weather is pristine sunny and warm year round with a dryer climate. So on the beach is minimal at 86 degrees in January. Will we see you there?

English: Aruba. Palm Beach (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Photos by  © Steven Freeman 2012 courtesy of  The Zimmerman agency