Chef Patrick Browne Cooks for Dignitaries at the Waldorf-Astoria; Offers a Bit of the Island’s Culture in his Cooking Demonstration of Kittitian Favorites at Bloomingdales
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – St. Kitts’ very own Chef Patrick Browne played a significant role in the week-long series of events held for the CTO’s (Caribbean Tourism Organization) annual Caribbean Tourism Week in New York, held this year from June 9th – 15th.
Chef Browne was one of only three Caribbean chefs who cooked an exclusive dinner for the dignitaries and guests attending the 34th annual Governments of the Caribbean State Ball and Awards Presentations. The Ball was held at the world-renowned Waldorf Astoria hotel on Friday evening June 15th as the culmination of Caribbean Tourism Week in New York.
The following day, Chef Browne treated a large crowd at Bloomingdales to some of the island’s native dishes. Assisting him was another Kittitian chef Verlenia Wrensford, who resides in New York. In addition, St. Kitts’ Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture Richard “Ricky” O. Skerritt and members of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority’s New York office staff were on hand to interact with shoppers and speak with them about the island.
Over the course of his appointed two hours, Chef Patrick Browne captivated shoppers on the 6th floor Cookware Department of Bloomingdales, one of Manhattan’s premier retail stores.
While Chef Browne prepared and served each dish, he engaged the full attention of everyone present by offering a tasting while simultaneously entertaining them with a brief narrative of the St. Kitts’ fascinating history and explanations of the cultural significance behind the meals he was creating.
He prepared three popular Kittitian dishes: Breadfruit and Saltfish Croquettes, Native Pumpkin and Ginger Soup, and Chargrilled Mango.
Each dish is a part of the overall National Dish of St. Kitts, which also consists of Coconut Dumplings and Spicy Plantains. The cooking demonstration was filmed by Caribvision for inclusion in a future program about Caribbean Tourism Week in New York.
