Genesis in the Jungle Belizean Seasonings

As the name implies, these flavor
enhancing products were born in the
jungle. The food you ate last night was
a whole lot better because the spices
were just right, and Belizeans and
people around the world have been
enjoying the tasty products of Marlyn
Gill, the proprietor of "Genesis in the
Jungle" since it began in 1992.
"Food was just a hobby," stated
Gill when she created her first original
seasonings while living in Lucky
Strike Village, near Altun Ha, Belize.
Her late husband, Albert, was
making wine for tourists to buy, and
while they were at her house purchasing
wine they could smell Marlyn's
aromatic spices. It was not long be-
Genesis in the Jungle Belizean Seasonings
fore they began to inquire about purchasing
them, and Belize's own
"Spice Girl", Marlyn, had an idea,
something she has known all her life,
something that is integral to all food
preparation, seasoning and spice.
Marlyn created her first spice concoctions,
"Belizean Spice" which
was a seasonal-all that came with a
recipe for chicken, and "Rice and
Beans" a seasoning for the classic
Belizean dish. The buses continued
to come and Marlyn became even
busier selling her unique spices.
While they continued to sell from
their home, they started to branch out
and market the spices at the Belize
Zoo. Their gift shop sold more than
a dozen packages weekly and the
dream of an idea was turning into a
reality. In 1995, Marlyn moved to San
Pedro to incorporate her variety of
spices into a restaurant of Belizean
food fare. Along with Genesis in the
Jungle Spices they opened Rasta
Pasta. After a few years, Marlyn,
along with Rasta Pasta, moved to
neighboring Caye Caulker Village.
Today, her daughter Victoria
Strickling, runs Rasta Pasta, cooking
with the original and new seasonings
created by her mother Marlyn.
"Genesis in the Jungle" now offers
seven seasonings, Rice and Beans,
Belizean Spice, Belizean Seafood,
Chimole, Belizean Curry, Belizean
Jerk and Belizean Blackening, which
all come with a complete ingredient
list and a step by step recipe on how
to use them. Most packages come
with a Recado red or black ball in
addition to a packet of seasoning. "No
Salt" and/or "No MSG" is clearly
marked on these easy to use packages.
These spices are purchased by
tourists from around the world to take
home and remember the fine Caribbean
food they had in Belize. They
can also be ordered through the online
store at IslandBazaar.net. In addition to the spices, many order
Marlyns' world famous Coconut
Macaroons, which are simply irresistible.
The spices are available at
most supermarkets in San Pedro, The
Green House and most gift shops
throughout Belize.
On the stove, Marlyn is still creating.
But, all that is being put on the
back burner while she prepares for
her daughter's wedding to Danny
Reynolds in early February. Marlyn
has not stopped there. She has been
cooking a good book for some time
now and hopes to create a new catalogue
of products after the wedding
celebration. The cook book, Refried
Dreams and other Recipes for Living,
will weave together a lifetime
of experiences while revealing secret
recipes used in the success of Rasta
Pasta.

purchaseable at http://islandbazaar.net