Retired Director of the Barbados Community College’s Hospitality Institute, Bernice Critchlow-Earle, is the 2016 recipient of the Carmeta’s National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) Recognition Award.
She was honoured for her outstanding contribution to the local culinary industry during yesterday’s ceremony for the Roberts NIFCA Culinary Arts Arena & Marketplace.
Critchlow-Earle was among the top awardees announced during the event, which was held in association with Caribbean Cuizine and the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC).
Other recipients recognised during the ceremony were those nominated for special awards and those receiving incentive awards. The latter included: the St. Winifred’s School for Overall School Performances, Leah Kumar for Top Performing Student, Shanese Phoneix for Overall Performance and Gregg Mosely-Clarke who received a special mention for his Sugar Cane Beer.
In her remarks, Chief Cultural Officer at the National Cultural Foundation, Andrea Wells commended the sponsors, entrants and finalists in the respective competitions. She reminded the audience that the Culinary Arts segment of NIFCA is first and foremost a developmental aspect “designed to furnish these potential culinary entrepreneurs with the desired exposure to take their craft to the next level”. She expressed a hope that for this year’s entrants, the contest “will be but a stepping stone on your journey from participant to entrepreneur”.
Meanwhile, in a separate interview with the press, Minister of Housing, Lands and Rural Development Denis Kellman stated he was impressed with the displays seen at the Arena & Marketplace.
He added, “It shows that import substitution is very much at work in Barbados and I hope that more people would support the local produce and the local products that are being provided. You know, too often people concentrate on what they want to export and they do not realise that the first thing they should be doing is looking to see how they can satisfy the local market, which is probably one of the largest markets that they will ever have an opportunity to compete in. I always believe that if you ever want to export, you must first be able to command and take charge of your own local market.”
The Roberts NIFCA Culinary Arts Arena & Marketplace was held on Friday and Saturday at LESC where the Visual Arts and Photography Exhibition is also mounted.
During yesterday’s event patrons had a chance to browse, sample and purchase locally produced treats, beverages and food. There was also the celebrity showcase, Professional Chef Cook-Off, Mixologist Showdown and Best Bajan Cook contests to be enjoyed.
