Junior chef competition back for 2023 Food and Rum Festival

Twelve aspiring chefs have been selected to take part in the 2023 Junior Chef Cook Off Competition.

A signature event of the annual Barbados Food and Rum Festival, the junior competitors will this year be vying for a generous monetary prize, a scholarship and a valuable internship at one of the island’s top properties.

The 12 young chefs will face off, putting their skills and creativity to the ultimate test for the finals scheduled for October 21 at the Bajan Fair under the theme Feed the future. Leading up to the finals, the chefs will undergo an immersive training period, honing their skills under the mentorship of local Chef Peter Edey.

“The festival has been with us now for 12 years and we thought that if we were to have any longevity then we really needed to ensure that we develop the stars that will be the future of the Barbados Food and Rum Festival,” said Aprille Thomas, Director of Public Relations and Corporate Communications at the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.

She added that this year a tourism component will be introduced to the competition so participants will be out in the field during the training process to get hands-on experience. This year the entire competition will be filmed and curated similar to MasterChef Junior and Chopped Junior.

Back row from left to right: The Crane Resort, General Manager, Christopher Forbes, Gabrielle Bynoe, Dejuan Toppin, Domonique Grant, Raphael Blenman, Sian Edwards, Kobe Balgobin, Ashonnia Taitt, Reese-Ann Alleyne, Jade Harewood, Rojae Griffith, BTMI Director, Public Relations and Corporate Communications, Aprille Thomas, BTMI Public Relations and Corporate Communications Manager, Keisha Springer, BTMI Chief Product Officer Marsha Alleyne and Chief Executive Officer, BTMI, Dr. Jens Thraenhart.

The 12 selected by a panel of judges were Reese-Ann Alleyne, Kobe Balgobin, Raphael Blenman, Gabrielle Bynoe, Achon Callender, Sian Edwards, Dejuan Toppin, Dominique Grant, Mya Thornhill, Rajae Griffith, Jade Harewood and Ashonnia Taitt. They range in ages from 16 to 21 years.

They will also undergo an eight-week training programme which will include culinary and destination tours, challenges and elimination rounds. For most of the rounds, contestants will work as individuals, however, there will be the occasional team challenges.

Eight contestants will then move into the semi-finals and the top four will battle in the finals to see who will be the next Junior Chef Champion.

The cook-off competition was established in 2022, when two winners received scholarships to the Jean and Norma Holder Hospitality Institute. This year the stakes are higher, and the prizes are even bigger as one winner will receive BBD $3 000 cash, a scholarship to the Caribbean Cuisine Culinary Institute and an internship at the historic Crane Resort Barbados.

Though The Crane Resort has partnered with the festival over the years, this is the first time the resort will be sponsoring an internship at one of its top restaurants.  

Christopher Forbes, the resort’s General Manager said he is looking forward to welcoming the winner of the Junior Chef Cook-Off Competition to his team and providing them with the opportunity to experience different types of cuisine.

“The winner will be able to experience the pace in any of the restaurants as well as the cuisine while working with the ladies and gentlemen at the back and front of the house. They will be able to see the movement of a large resort over a three-month period,” he explained.

The finals for the Junior Chef competition will be held in front of a live audience on October 21st, 2023, at the Bajan Fair, which is a new family-friendly event added to this year’s festival. Tickets for the Junior Chef Cook-Off Competition finals will be available soon at foodandrum.com where other festival information is also available. (PR) ]]>