Team Barbados has been named Caribbean National Culinary Team of the Year at the 2024 Taste of the Caribbean competition.
In addition to the team taking top honours at the region’s leading culinary event, two members won individual awards – Dejuan Toppin earned Junior Chef of the Year and Alex Chandler captured the award for Best Non-Alcoholic Drink.
Toppin also earned the Hans Schenk Commemorative Award for the Most Innovative Dish Utilising Indigenous Ingredients.
Returning for the first time in five years, the event featured seven Caribbean destinations, competing in a friendly but fierce battle for culinary supremacy. The other participating teams were Antigua and Barbuda, Bonaire, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Turks and Caicos Islands and the US Virgin Islands.
Regarded as the Caribbean’s premier culinary competition, food and beverage educational exchange and cultural showcase competition, the event was held in conjunction with the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA) annual industry conference, the Caribbean Hospitality Industry Exchange Forum (CHIEF), in Miami.
“Beyond showcasing our region’s exceptional and diverse culinary and mixology offerings, Taste of the Caribbean is a demonstration of our unwavering commitment to nurturing talent, providing essential resources, and cultivating opportunities that empower Caribbean culinary and hospitality professionals to thrive,” said CHTA CEO Vanessa Ledesma. “The heartbeat of Taste lies in the community it has created; the camaraderie, the connections, and the collective spirit are what make it truly extraordinary.”
The Caribbean Bartender of the Year award went to Puerto Rico’s José Yeye Ortega, who also took home Best Rum Drink, Best Mystery Bar Drink and Most Creative Bartender.
Caribbean Pastry Chef of the Year was Saint Lucia’s Emmany Hippolyte.
Bonaire’s Rhashindra Donge received the award for Best Use of Beef, sponsored by Certified Angus Beef.
The Josue Merced-Reyes Spirit of the Competition winner was Kelvin Ventura, also of Bonaire.
The Tony Mack Spirit of the Competition winner was Saint Lucia’s team manager, Fabien Vigee. (PR/BT)
