Culinary Team gears up for competition

Organised by the Trinidad Hotels, Restaurants and Tourism Association (THRTA), the event took place on March 28, at the Port-of- Spain Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Trinidad.

The team: Brandon Maharaj, chef, Sails Restaurant Pub & Grill; Aswad Forde, chef, Hyatt Regency Trinidad; Tyrone Benjamin, bartender, Nari’s On the Avenue; Anasuya Jackson, pastry chef, Jaffa at the Oval; Rondell Thompson, junior chef; Ridge Juman, alternate chef, Fanatic Kitchen Studio; Shana Rajahram, alternate bartender, The Rise Restaurant.

This team will compete against their Caribbean counterparts at the highly prestigious Taste of the Caribbean Culinary Competition, organised by the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHTA ), which will be held in Miami from June 2 to 6. The year marks the 20th anniversary of TT ’s participation in this premier Caribbean competition.

At the Taste of the Caribbean competition, teams from all around the region will vie for honours including: Caribbean Culinary Team of the Year, Caribbean Chef of the Year, Caribbean Pastry Chef of the Year, Caribbean Bartender of the Year, Caribbean Junior Chef of the Year and Best Caribbean Chef in the category of beef and seafood.

Last year the TT Culinary Team “trumped” its Caribbean counterparts by winning the Caribbean Team of the Year an unprecedented six times as well as five other Gold medals and two silver medals.

Those collecting awards and prizes included Brandon Maharaj, Chef of the Year Rondell Thompson, Junior Chef of the Year Anasuya Jackson, Pastry Chef of the Year Tyronne Benjamin Bartender of the Year Jordan Cox, TT HTI student, Best Rum Drink Shana Rajahram, Best Vodka Drink Naomi Lovell, Hyatt Regency Trinidad, Most Creative Menu (Junior and Senior Chefs)