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This week we'll be telling you about plans for Lobsterfest "leggo-beast" energy of those three locations - and JoMarie Lanza started on Friday in San Pedro:

The San Pedro Lobster Fest was designed to attract visitors year after year. And thanks to the camaraderie within the business community this has helped to maintain the festival's longevity in addition to making the overall experience a sizable tourism magnet for the island.

Rebecca Arceo, Chairperson, San Pedro Business Association
"So originally it started with the idea that June and July were slower months for San Pedro tourism wise, and we needed to build up tourism and we needed an event to draw people in. and so the idea was that the opening of lobster season was an ideal draw, everyone loves lobster. Right? And the business association members came up with the idea that we would do a pre-party like the night before gearing up towards everyone going out and getting lobster the following day and then we would have an opening day followed by a block party. Originally we had three days. A pre-party and then an opening day and then a block party. The block party probably had the first year probably eight participants in terms of local businesses and booths We are now at 25 booths two weeks of events leading up to that block party and last year, we had 5000 people attending."

There is a lot going on on the island during the festival and the festival committee designed a Lobster fest passport that covers all the events and highlights of the two weeks. Arceo says they curated it in such a way that the activities are both diverse and affordable:

Rebecca Arceo, Chairperson, San Pedro Business Association
"And you'll see in the passport that we do that every venue is not just a big business or a bar and restaurant we've got the chocolate company. We've got an art gallery. We've got all these different venues that contribute and show off how unique we still are as a community, even though we've grown."

"So everyone gets a little confused about this passport idea they're like a passport? But literally it is a passport that we give out for free. And the front page is the 13 days of events and every day and every night there is a different event that you can attend. And every time you go to an event, you get a little stamp in your passport. It seems simple but people really get into it because they're like oh this is exciting I've got another stamp! When they turn it into to us either at the last event they attend or at the block party every single stamp counts for a raffle ticket."

But let's not forget one of the biggest economic benefits to the festival. It provides a bump in earnings for fishermen when lobster is in highest demand. Do they ever run out? Arceo says it's not likely.

Rebecca Arceo, Chairperson, San Pedro Business Association
"Well we always encourage obviously sustainable fishing practices, and we focus on the restaurants and having the venues do sustainable fishing practices, and that's really important to us. And we get asked a lot well what happens if we overfish and there is no more lobster? If we are going to shut down lobster we'd be fine with the season being closed until it is replenished we still have the event we serve chicken we serve shrimp and we have a countdown until when it was available again. We are very environmentally aware of the over fishing and that's why we encourage the lionfish as well. And we make a big a big focus of it and we honestly it's an event but it's about people coming and coming together as much as it is about the lobster if not more."

With 15 years of experience under his belt, selling lobster at up to $35 BZ a pound, a typical start to the season begins at the crack of dawn for commercial fisherman Jody Leslie.

Jody Leslie, Commercial Fisherman
"There's basically two styles or I would say three styles of lobster fishing down here. We have the old fisherman use the actual traps where there is a ramp on one side the lobster falls in and then they get stuck. I would say the younger fisherman like myself would jump into the water and we hook the lobster out of structures that we put in the water and there's also that same style, but hunting for them at the reef."

"Usually we start at four in the morning, heading out before the sunrise. We try to get to our area while the sun is rising for us to jump into to start to catch lobster. Most of the time around 10 o'clock or so we are finished. We are back at our docs, cleaning the lobster, processing it and then getting ready to take to the restaurant so that you guys can have for lunch. And then that process continues for the next two or three days until all of our spots are cleared out."

"There is a high increase during lobster fest but the thing is that the lobster season just opened so there is plenty of lobster readily available during these first few weeks of the opening season which is lobster fest as well."

"Like I said it is a huge tourism booster. People know that lobster fest is happening on the target this time of the year to come down so lobster yes it's huge but people also want to eat fish and so does a boost for the fisherfolk."

And from the sea to the table for this LobsterFest Veteran, Chef Jennie at Elvi's kitchen, they go through well over 256 pounds of lobster each year.

Jennie Staines, Executive Chef, Elvis Kitchen
"I participated from the first lobster fest, and I won like four consecutive years and then from their lobster fest has been so amazing. It brings so much tourists to the island."

"I think to win a lobster fest is cooking at right temperature and also planning because seafood and especially lobster. It is a very delicate seafood to cook."

"The perfect way to me is just by boiling lobster and eating it with butter. That's the way I like it but lobster. The trick is never overcook a lobster."

"Every year when I used to participate in the competition, I started to plan like a month ahead and I am very innovative so for the first year, I did a lobster burger and I had to plan exactly if I'm going to grind it. What am I going to put in it because the star has to be the lobster you have to taste the lobster. I said I have to do something that The bread will not shine it has to be the lobster. The second year I did a hot dog and just by planning making sure I got the right casing it's all about planning and making the lobster the star and I have always, in cooking you have to plan to have a good product and lobster fest. We have good cooks good chefs that are competing and every time I cook I want to make sure I bring my A game so that's the way I have always done it."

Keeping up with the hungry crowd has become quite the challenge over the years for her, which is why she has narrowed down her participation in the festival to solely the lobster crawl. Chef Jennie continuously diversifies her creative process, on plating up an exquisite dish for the evening, where Lobster remains the star and reservations are booked out back to back.

Jennie Staines, Executive Chef, Elvis Kitchen
"What I do now is participate in the lobster crawl that they have previews. The crawl is so amazing because they start from the first like this year they started from 1 July and then they go to all the different resorts and restaurants. And that night we make lobster the star. Like this year I already have my menu done on Saturday, July 6 is my night. And every other business has their own and you make lobster and you cook whatever you want like me I have some delicious stuff coming out like last year I made a lobster Street corn. That was a hit! It's just a whole lobster without the shell whole tail on a kebab stick and then what I do instead of all the things that go on a street corn and I put it on top. I put roasted corn Queso fresco a sauce and a little habanero and and that was one of the biggest sellers so that is coming back. I do Tiraditos Cruditos then we do whole lobsters then we do different kinds we do Belizean stew lobster and one of our favorite also is a fried avocado with a lobster salad on top and that is one of the favorites also so that is coming back this year."

And for other LobsterFest Pioneers like Anna Najarro who prefer to take on the booths at the main event, She gets to showcase a variety of her creations, affordable enough for even those who just want a little taste of everything.

Anna Najarro, Chef, Dianitas
"The crawl goes on different businesses I don't get in the crawl because I start preparing for a lobster fest like two or three months before because my booth like I said I've been there the 17 years except for the two years right so I started with me being the solo at my booth to now having 14- 15 staff members for that night only."

"My menu for many years, my menu was the whole lobsters, and I do like maybe a thermidor. I do something special or a stuff or I sell them just the big lobsters. so we don't have I do not well my booth does not have a specific price so I go by sizes so I have and mark my lobsters by sizes and so that's how I sell it. I also have small stuff because a lot of people are not big on lobsters but they like to try so I do corn lobsters you know like the corn dogs, but the corn lobsters, the fritters, and I do a lot of stuff that can you can actually try the lobster and don't be like hmm it doesn't taste good so you have to kind of work around the people that don't like lobster and make a dish that actually boost up their taste and they will actually try it."

"Lobster fest is a very important night of the year for me because I am a small business and I try to survive during the slow season and so lobster fest for me represents that extra money made on that night for you know to keep my little business going because I am not this person that has money, but my little business survives on that and we also do community service so that helps me when I am out helping people I have that boost."

Tomorrow, we'll take you to where it all started in Caye Caulker as they prepare for their Lobsterfest.