It’s a
Trin i Thing
Culinary Competition
T&T’s top chefs cook the regional competition For yet another year, the “sweet han” of Trinidad and Tobago reigned supreme at the premier regional cook-off, Taste of the Caribbean. The country’s top chefs cooked the competition in a three-day event that allowed the Caribbean’s brightest gastronomic talents to show off their skill before an audience of international food-and-beverage experts and culinary enthusiasts. Team captain, Bernard Long, commented, “It was a very gratifying experience. We went there with the hope of getting a Gold, but to win overall was a complete surprise. Apart from myself, it was a completely new team with young talent, whereas the other countries had seasoned competitors, executive chefs and restaurant owners. We really had no expectation of winning overall, but we worked very hard as a team, so to come out on top was phenomenal.” This year marked Long’s twelfth year as a member of T&T’s team (he is the only original member) and his third time as captain. It is also the fourth
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time that he has been a member of the competition’s Highest Scoring Team. He added, “The fact that we were a predominantly young team was a real plus for us because we were able to think outside the box and be open to the challenge. Also, the country’s diversity was a real advantage when we were creating our menu. We were able to pull from all the cultures that make up the landscape of Trinidad and Tobago, and allow us to present cuisine that wowed the judges.” Long, who runs his own business, Bernard’s Gourmet Services, was joined by fellow chefs Sabrina Rosales (Chef’s Delights Gourmet Services), Keirha Forde (Courtyard by Marriott) and Lennox Scott (Botticelli’s), pastry chef Avanelle James (Crews Inn Hotel) and bartender Ryan Newallo (T&T Hospitality and Tourism Institute). Margaret Jones of Cara Suites Hotel was the alternate chef. T&T’s top chef served up a culinary tour de force, using a mysterious basket of 20 ingredients. The team produced
The Ins & Outs of Trinidad and Tobago
Pan-Seared Herb-Rubbed Grouper on a Caribbean Slaw with a curried vinaigrette and chadonbeni emulsion as an appetizer. The main course was Roasted Chocolate Peppered Beef, PanFried Chicken Pot Sticker with a Tomato Buerre Blanc, Garlic-Roasted Mélange of Vegetables and a Plantain-Coated Geera Provision Cake. Indian-Spiced Rice Pudding on an almond base topped with caramelised mango accompanied with Kurma Wafer and Beetroot Coulis was dessert. In addition to winning the overall award for best team, T&T’s culinary ambassadors also copped the special prize for Best Use of Angus Beef. As individuals, the delegates were awarded two Bronze, two Silver and one Gold medal, this prize going to Rosales, who is T&T’s Chef of the Year. Held from June 12–14 at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Taste of the Caribbean brought together thirteen teams from Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, Curaçao, Grenada, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, St. Maarten/St. Martin, Suriname, T&T, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The culinary festival is organised annually by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), which this year teamed up with the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau, the Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association and the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Taste of the Caribbean aims to provide education and inspiration through seminars, workshops, tastings and demonstrations, created to enhance performance, style and profitability in food-and-beverage operations. The event also features a trade show that offers a unique, onestop forum for gathering practical information, sampling, purchasing, strengthening established supplier relationships and meeting new vendors. At an appreciation cocktail reception hosted by the Ministry of Tourism in June 2009, T&T’s Minister of Tourism Joseph Ross, remarked, “It is my great pleasure to recognise the best talents in the food and beverage industry in T&T and indeed in the region. We acknowledge seven young men and women who have contributed to showcasing Trinidad and Tobago as a gastronomic centre of excellence in the Caribbean.”