Culinary stars shine bright as regional training plans unveiled

A Caribbean-wide training programme for aspiring chefs is set to be launched, following the stellar performance of chefs at a regional culinary competition in Miami, a Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) official revealed Friday.

Tessalee Moore, BHTA special projects manager, made the announcement as the victorious Barbadian team returned home on Friday as the Caribbean National Culinary Team of the Year at the Taste of the Caribbean competition in Miami, including two gold and three silver medals, and the country’s first-ever Junior Chef award.

The BHTA trained chefs to represent Barbados at this year’s regional culinary competition.

Speaking on her arrival with the team at the Grantley Adams International Airport, Moore disclosed that the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) is spearheading training sessions.

“The CHTA would have announced that they are going to start a programme on the initiative to continue to develop the culinary talent on the Caribbean level,” she said, emphasising the need for more training and development to expand the island’s culinary talent, including consultations with local chefs.

Coach Damian Leach, a 2016 honorary Hall of Famer, expressed amazement at the team’s success given their limited preparation time.

“We had a real short training session this year and we were a little worried, to be honest, when we first selected the team but the guys put in some real good work over the last three months,” he said. “We worked really hard with them and they went across there and they delivered and I was really, really, really impressed.”

The Taste of the Caribbean competition was held at Florida International University’s Kovens Centre in Miami, the contest’s first staging since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Team Manager Adrian Cumberbatch shared his pride in leading the victorious team: “A lot of pressure was on, especially to defend the title, but the guys did fantastic.”

The team earned its first Junior Chef award, alongside two gold and three silver medals.

Caribbean Junior Chef of the Year, Dejuan Toppin, 21, said: “I just wanna thank God firstly for giving me the strength and courage to go there and showcase my talent. The process was hard, we trained two days a week. It was not always easy, but through it all we learned and just went over there.”

Toppin, from the Caribbean Cuisine Culinary Institute, also earned the Hans Schenk Commemorative Award for the Most Innovative Dish Utilising Indigenous Ingredients.

The winning team also included Chef Rynaldo Joseph of Sea Breeze Beach House, Pastry Chef Rickeena Kirton of The Rockley by Ocean Hotels, and mixologist Alex Chandler, who captured the award for Best Non-Alcoholic Drink. They were accompanied by the BHTA’s Moore and assistant team manager Javon Cummins.

(LG)