|
|
|
|
Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
The Bahamas is playing host to the world’s first summit for minority professionals in the food and beverage industry.
The Minority Chef Summit held in Nassau from
May 1st to the 4th and will take place at the College of The Bahamas in Nassau.
Erika Davis, summit founder, chef, and chocolatier, has worked in the industry for 22 years and was featured as a competing chef on Bravo’s inaugural “Top Chef Just Desserts” show. She is also the first black female chef to receive Detroit’s Chef of the Month award. Davis spent considerable time teaching the culinary arts to aspiring chefs in Nassau, which gave her the idea for the summit.
“This is a unique opportunity to come together, recognizing not only our individual craft, but the true excellence of our culinary community,” Davis said in a statement.
The summit will allow the industry’s leading minority professionals to cross minds and knives with a series of seminars, hand-on classes, competitions, and will even feature a culinary market. The goal of the conference is to encourage the participants to come together to network, educate, and to support the minority culinary community.
The Minority Chef Summit was founded by Chef and Chocolatier Erika Davis. Erika formerly served as Creative Director for Graycliff Chocolatier in Nassau, and is a highly-celebrated chef within the culinary field. Having been in the chocolate-making industry for over 22 years, and recognized as one of the United States’ top chefs, Chef Erika has received many note-worthy commendations, among which include:
-
Competing Chef “Top Chef Just Desserts” inaugural show by Bravo
-
First Black female chef to receive Detroit’s Chef of the Month
-
Showcased in several culinary magazines and invitational culinary events
-
Featured chef of “Sunday Dinner” promotion with Publix Grocery Stores
-
Chocolatier Ambassador of Cocoa Barry Chocolates
Chef Erika’s time spent in Nassau working with and teaching aspiring Bahamian chefs lies at the heart of her inspiration for creating the Minority Chef Summit. As she says, “This is a unique opportunity to come together, recognizing not only our individual craft, but the true excellence of our culinary community.
The 2014 Minority Chef Summit keynote speaker is Chef Jeff Henderson, an award-winning chef, public speaker and author of the New York Times Best Seller Cooked.
Additional featured culinary artists include:
-
Chef Asha Gomez, owner/chef of Cardamom Hill Restaurant and Third Space in Atlanta, GA. Cardamom Hill was a 2013 James Beard nominee for Best New Restaurant.
-
Chef Jerome Brown, a celebrity private chef whose clientele include Shaquille O’Neal, Colin Powell and Priscilla Presley, to name a few. Chef Brown also has his own TV show, “Cooking with Rome.”
-
Chef Guy Wong, owner/chef of Miso Izakaya, and recently named one of Atlanta’s 2012 Rising Stars
-
Chef Ron Duprat, a fierce competitor on season six of Bravo’s “Top Chef.” Chef Duprat is author of “My Journey of Cooking” and if affiliated with organizations that contribute and give back to the community and people all over the world, including First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move
-
Chef Keith Rhodes, voted Wilmington, NC’s Best Chef for three consecutive years
-
Chef Hugh Sinclair, executive chef and owner of Irie Spice personal catering in south Florida
-
Chef Bryant Terry, eco-chef, food justice activist, and author. Terry was a 2008-2010 Food and Society Policy Fellow, a national Program of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
-
Chef Dana Herbert, Owner of Desserts by Dana and winner of TLC’s “Cake Boss Next Great Baker”
-
Chef Kenny Gilbert, Executive Chef of Plainfield Country Club and contestant on season seven of Bravo’s “Top Chef.”
-
Chef Nedal Mardini, chef de cuisine of Matthews Restaurant in Jacksonville
-
Chef Thierry Delourneaux, Executive Pastry Chef at Fairmont Singapore & Swissotel The Stamford in Singapore
-
Chefarmer Matthew Raiford, a sixth generation farmer behind Gilliard Farms and Executive Chef of Little St. Simons Island a private resort located off the coast of Georgia
-
Chef Dwight Evans, recently awarded Chef of the Year by the American Culinary Federation
-
Chef Duane Nutter, chef at One Flew South, voted one of the best airport restaurants
-
Mixologists, Tiffanie Barriere and Tokiwa Sears, from One Flew South
The Minority Chef Summit 2014 has been made possible through the assistance and support of The College of The Bahamas, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Graycliff Chocolatier, Graycliff Hotel & Restaurant and countless other corporate sponsors.
More information at: https://www.facebook.com/MinorityChefSummit2012
© Copyright 2014 by thebahamasweekly.com
Top of Page
|
|
|
|
