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Last Updated: Jun 10, 2017 - 3:54:16 AM |
The youngest member of the 2017 National Culinary Team Kenria Taylor stunned the region recently when she won Junior Chef of the Year at the Taste of the Caribbean 2017 held in Miami, Florida from June 2-6.
The Bahamas National Culinary Team overall scored two gold and several silver medals at the regional culinary showdown.
Taylor, a recent graduate at the University of The Bahamas, was a part of a dynamic new culinary team that included Mario Adderley,team manager,University of The Bahamas; Emmanuel Gibson, team captain,Manuelos Lettuce Eat; Owen Bain, senior chef, Cassava Grill; Jamall Petty,senior chef, Courtyard by Marriott; Angel Betancourt, pastry chef, One & Only Ocean Club; Carvison Pratt, senior chef,Baha Mar; Kevyn Pratt, chef, One & Only Ocean Club; Asteir Dean, chef, private chef; Tamar Rahming, chef, Island House (Shima); Ryan McIntosh,apprentice chef, Sandals Royal Bahamian and Gino Wilson, bartender, The Cove at Atlantis.
It was her first time competing in an international competition and Taylor admitted that she had mixed emotions.
“I was anxious, yet humble and confident so there was a mixture of all types of emotions to see The Bahamas showcase on a platform such as this in front of all the Caribbean and it’s amazing,” she said.
“I’m just a rookie and I’m just learning and getting into it and just being surrounded by these senior chefs and me being the junior chef and being the only female is rewarding.”
Taylor won over the judges with her dish that included spice rubbed beef with a tamarind reduction with corn dusted coconut marinated shrimp, sweet potato and thyme waffle, charred pineapple syrup and warm cayote, and cole slaw.
Meanwhile, Gibson, who is not a stranger to the Taste of the Caribbean, received a gold in the Chef of the Year competition.
Some members of the Bahamas National Culinary Team. (L to R) Team Manager Chef Mario Adderley; Senior Chef Owen Bain, Angel Betancourt, Pastry Chef; Junior Chef Kenria Taylor; Team Captain Emmanuel Gibson; and Apprentice chef Ryan McIntosh. Missing is Carvison Pratt, senior chef; Kevyn Pratt; Asteir Dean, chef, private chef; Tamar Rahming, chef; and Gino Wilson, bartender, The Cove at Atlantis. (Photo/Kendea Smith)
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His dish included spiced rubbed beef ball tip, jerk chicken and thyme sausage with papaya chutney, mango and ginger glazed shrimp, plantain and potato croquette, medley of cayote brulee carrots.
Gibson, who is also a Culinarian Olympian, said the experience was not unfamiliar.
“The experience was basically the same for me. I think as a new team, we worked out well. We stood together and we worked well. I think Bahamians should be proud of us. It’s all about Caribbean flavour and spices and I think as chefs we really tried our best to do that,” he said.
President of the Bahamas Hotel Tourism Association (BHTA) Carlton Russell said the organization is proud to support the Bahamas National Culinary Team and will continue to for many years to come.
“Our job is to support the overall tourism product and culinary is a very important part of that puzzle. What you see is that we are able to bring a team to compete in the Caribbean. The team is comprised with so many diverse individuals and it allows our team to compare their skills,” he said.
“We are here to win but it is about taking our skills to another level.”
The chefs on the National Culinary Team are sponsored by their respective employers who represent a wide cross section of hotel properties and institutions in The Bahamas including The University of the Bahamas’ CHMI; Atlantis; Baha Mar, Courtyard Marriot, Melia Nassau Beach Resort, Sandals Royal Bahamian; SHIMA Restaurant and the One and Only Ocean Club.
In addition, a young chef from Grand Bahama is supported by the Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board (GBITB).
Other corporate sponsors include The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Cable Bahamas (RevOn), Key Platinum Sponsors of the team; Sandals Royal Bahamian, Gold Sponsors, Bahamian Brewery (Sands Beer), Bahamas Food Services (BFS), Bahamasair and Betty K Shipping, Cassava Grill and Manuelo Lettuce Eat.
© Copyright 2017 by thebahamasweekly.com
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