The Ocracoke community will celebrate the summer’s fig bounty with special guest chef Jamie Davis Aug. 6 to 8 in the Berkley Barn.
The free festival features live music day and night, traditional Ocracoke square dancing, children’s crafts, talks by local fig experts, and vendor booths offering fig preserves, fig cakes, fig art, fig trees, fig beer, local cookbooks, and other fig-tastic items.
Chef Jamie is the executive chef of The Hackney in Washington, Beaufort County, where his connections with local fishers and love of seafood have garnered him a stellar reputation and a James Beard Best Chef Southeast Finalist 2024.
Hailing from Jacksonville, he grew up moving around a lot with a dad in the Marines before resettling back in his home state.
He started working in his first restaurant at 16 years old as a dishwasher and worked his way up to manager by the time he was 18. He joined the Army and served in Iraq before attending culinary school in Savannah, Georgia.
The showpiece of the Fig Festival is the Fig Cake Bake-Off, where bakers are invited to submit entries in one or more of three categories: Traditional, Innovative Dessert and Savory. Young bakers are encouraged to enter the Youth category. Chef Jamie is excited to serve as a guest judge at the Bake-Off.
Chef Jamie will be the Fig Festival’s special guest at the annual Savory Fig Dinner on Thursday evening, Aug. 6. This popular fundraising event features savory fig dishes from local chefs and one special item made by Chef Jamie. Space is limited; tickets for this evening will go on sale on Wednesday, July 1.
During the weeks leading up to the Fig Festival and following, island eateries will offer fig-infused menu items both savory and sweet to celebrate peak fig season. Local fig preserves are available in several island shops.
Ocracoke Fig Festival will also continue to support the annual John Simpson Memorial Scholarship, funded by festival proceeds. The scholarship is awarded to an Ocracoke graduating senior each year. John is remembered as a Fig Festival vendor, award-winning Fig BBQ sauce creator, fig tree grower, artist, decoy carver and supporter of Ocracoke’s heritage events.
The Ocracoke Fig Festival is produced by Mended Wing Theatre Company, a grassroots, arts-based, charitable nonprofit with a home base on Ocracoke.
For more information, including details about the Bake-Off, donor information, vendor spaces, volunteer opportunities, and the Fig Festival schedule, visit ocracokefigfestival.com.
