From left to right: Wilwore Jordan, Philip Antoine and Javon Cummins are presented with uniforms from Tristan Sandiford (second from right), Manager at long-time sponsor, Pro Secure.
From left to right: Willis Griffith, Javon Cummins and Damian Leach getting some feedback from patrons after Friday’s lunch.
Members of Team Lion Fish plating their starters during Friday’s edition of the Gourmet Lunch Series.
B’dos ready for Taste of the C’bean 2016
Mon, 05/16/2016 - 12:00am
Team Barbados is set to take on the rest of the region when the Taste of the Caribbean comes off at the Hyatt Regency in Miami, Florida early next month. Slated to run from June 6 to 10, the local team brought months of training to a close with their final Gourmet Lunch, which was held at Hilton Barbados this past Friday.
With the two troupes in the team – Team Lion Fish and Team Scotch Bonnet Vikings – tasked with producing 30 plates each for three courses, patrons were treated to internationally-inspired delicacies with local and regional twists. Along with the Team of the Year title, which Barbados last won in 2013, members
of the team will also be after Chef of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year, Junior Chef and Bartender of the Year.
Expected to produce 40 plates for competition when they get to Florida, the team has spent several weeks working menus with indigenous ingredients and Team Trainer, Glenroy Alleyne, told The Barbados Advocate that the work has paid dividends.
“Honestly, these guys have come a long way and tremendously so because it is a relatively new team. Ninety per cent of the members are relatively new to this competition and new to the com-petition arena, and they have proven themselves over the last couple of weeks by putting in tremendous effort
and tremendous dedication, commitment and teamwork,” he said.
Noting that the marriage of the local ingredients and the international cooking styles brought a lot of weight to our corner, Alleyne said that he expected great things from the team.
“All of our meats are local meats and to see these guys bring it in a diverse way which many persons may not be very familiar with, is phenomenal and it is different and it is unique. A lot of persons may not understand the concept of how these guys work. It is not just about the traditional way of cooking, there is the new-age type of cooking – the gastronomy type of cooking and cooking in the ceviche style. This is what these guys have brought to the competition and it great to see how they pull it all together,” Alleyne said. (MP)