Port of Spain, Trinidad – The Trinidad & Tobago Culinary Team was named “best of the best” at the 2006 Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference (CHIC) this past week in Miami by taking home the gold medal in the Taste of the Caribbean culinary team competition. Team members also snagged individual gold and silver medals in the “Best Chef” category.
A panel of culinary officials adjudicated the event and judgment was based upon taste, execution of skills, presentation as well as the ability to maintain a clean, safe and efficient working environment throughout the competition.
The Trinidad & Tobago culinary team consisted of Tricia Corbin-Oliveire, Raymond Joseph, Bernard Long, Ottley Alexis, Raymond Edwards and Debra Sardinha-Metivier.
The Nation’s Culinary Team Takes Home the Gold
The Trinidad & Tobago team brought home the culinary team of the year award in 2004. “We are proud that we could represent our country and bring this award home again,” said Debra Sardinha-Metivier. “Trinidad & Tobago has many different cultures that reside on the island and that diverse blend reflects in our deliciously interesting cuisine,” added Sardinha-Metivier.
Held at the Hyatt Regency Miami, the Taste of the Caribbean culinary team competition involved a total of 16 teams cooking and presenting food which was judged over the course of two nights.
The competition consisted of a dinner preparation where six teams worked simultaneously in the competition kitchen. Trinidad & Tobago competed against Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Curacao, Puerto Rico, United States Virgin Islands, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Antigua & Barbuda, Bonaire, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Maarten/St. Martin, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Cayman Islands, and St. Lucia.
