Barbados readying themselves for Taste 2016

Team Barbados is on the right track to yet another strong performance in the 2016 edition of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s Taste of the Caribbean when the annual event comes off at the Hyatt Regency in Miami, Florida. With the days winding down to the June 6th competition date, some of the island’s top chefs got a chance to sharpen their skills when the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association hosted the team’s second gourmet lunch at the Barbados Hilton on Friday.

 

Winning their last national team title in 2013, Barbados will be going up against 13 other territories from across the Caribbean. Having gotten their training off the ground two to three months prior this year’s competition, the team, which has a solid mix of newer and more seasoned talents will be going on to Tampa, Florida after the competition for a project in conjunction with the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. which is to see the island further promoted there.

 

At present, the squad is divided into two teams, Team Lion Fish and Team Scotch Bonnet Vikings, and they both prepared separate menus consisting starters, main courses and desserts, all made with indigenous ingredients. With two chefs, a pastry chef, a junior chef and a bartender on each team, the island will have a solid crop to pick from for the big event in June.

 

Speaking to The Barbados Advocate, Team’s Manager, Henderson Butcher said that he thought things were going swimmingly with just over a month before the trip. “I think the team is doing well. This year we are happy with lots of the components. We are trying out everything on everybody – just getting the comments because we need to take the components, put them together and get them to work with what they actually work with. Some of the components this year have been absolutely fantastic so we are happy with that,” he said.

 

Noting that the focus was on pushing the envelope as far as it would go with respect to the use and utilisation of local dishes and products, Butcher stated that out-of-the-box thinking was the only thing that could achieve what they wanted. “Over the years, we have done so much and Barbados, in the Taste of the Caribbean competition in Miami, we have always been forward-thinking. Lots if the things that we did years ago, people are doing now and we are past that. There are things that we have shown the judges already and we can’t go back there. So we take our local products and use them in ways that would be a little different and strange to the judges, making sure that we have Caribbean and Barbadian flavour and international flair on the plate.”

 

With the hopes of a win in 2016, Butcher said that it would be good to bring one home for the island’s Golden Jubilee. 

 

“I believe we will do really well. We are not sure what anyone else has or what they are coming with but we are trying to do really well because this is our 50th year celebrating the anniversary of Barbados’ independence and we want to represent that really well. We have individual and team competitions to do, we have the Taste of the Nation – another area that we are performing in, and we are pulling everything that we can think about when it comes to Barbados and our heritage. We are just trying to put everything into spin for this year.” he said. (MP)