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- BOBO
BERGSTROM OF ST. LUCIA NAMED CARIBBEAN CHEF OF THE YEAR AT CARIBBEAN
CULINARY FEDERATION’S TASTE OF THE CARIBBEAN 2003,
JAMAICA
- ~
St. Lucia Cops 8 Medals ~
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- SAN
JUAN, Puerto Rico (October 7, 2003) – Bobo Bergstrom, director of
culinary services at the Windjammer Landing Village Beach Resort, was
named Caribbean Chef of the Year 2003 for his individual entry in
competition for the Caribbean Food and Beverage Awards of Excellence
among 11 Caribbean national teams at the Renaissance Jamaica Grande,
Ocho Rios, Jamaica, October 2-5, 2003.
The St. Lucia Culinary Team, composed of Bergstrom; Gilroy
Samuel, pastry chef of Windjammer Landing; Perpetua
Busby, from Capone’s Restaurant; and Rajah Pillay, executive chef of
The Body Holiday at Le Sport, won two gold medals, one in the
preliminaries and one in the final competition, in the team category.
The awards, highest honors for food and beverage professionals
in the Caribbean region, culminated three days of events at Taste of
the Caribbean, annual showcase for the development and refinement of
Contemporary Caribbean Cuisine, sponsored by the Caribbean Culinary
Federation (CCF) and the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA).
- Pastry
Chef Gilroy Samuel demonstrated his personal best in patisserie,
winning recognition as Team Competition Outstanding Dessert - with his
creation “Red peppercorn, vanilla and Malibu poached pineapple in
its own syrup, with jelly coconut mousse, sugar nest, and zabwiecco
ice cream” - while Rajah Pillay and Perpetua Busby won silver medals
in the individual Chef of the Year Competition. Bartender
Marcus Henry, bartender and bar manager at Sandals Grande, earned a
gold and a silver medal. Meanwhile,
individual St. Lucia competitor Alvin Philip, sous chef at Sandals
Grande St. Lucian, earned a gold medal in the individual fish
category.
- (more)
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- TASTE
OF THE CARIBBEAN 2003 …
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- The
competition brought teams of chefs, who won local culinary contests in
their home countries, to Taste of the Caribbean 2003, for qualifying
rounds of "live kitchen" competition in which each team
prepared a 3-course meal for 40 persons in under 4 hours.
- "We
demonstrated our personal best and exchanged skills and information with
a network of professionals, members of the press and the public who are
interested in the culture and cuisine of our region.
It was an inspiring and educational experience for everyone who
attended," said Peter Rousseau, President of CCF.
- Teams
(in the preliminaries) and individuals from Gold Medal teams (who
advanced to the finals) competed for point scores according to standards
for professional competition set by the American Culinary Federation (ACF),
not against each other. The
scoring system provides clear criteria for excellence and is unaffected
by the relative levels of the competitors skills.
- Officials
for the competitions were Head Judge, Rick Crossland, Senior Vice
President, Culinary and Beverage; Bahama Breeze; Augusto
Schreiner, Executive Chef and Owner, Augusto’s Cuisine (Puerto
Rico); Klaus Friedenreich, CMC, AAC, CHE, Director, Culinary Arts
Program, The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale; Kerry
Beadle CEC, CFE, Department Chair of Hospitality Technology, Morrisville
State College (NY); Timothy
Murray, Corporate Executive Chef, Culinary Development, Peer Food;
Hendrik Kolenbrander, Corporate Executive Chef; Hans
Schenk, Food & Beverage Consultant (Jamaica).
- Beverage
competitions were judged by Robert Renovales, Director of West Coast
Operations, Worldbeverages Logistics Inc., and Josué
Merced-Reyes, Food & Beverage Consultant, El Buen Vivir and
Pleasure in Puerto Rico Host.
- Taste
of the Caribbean 2003 was hosted by the Jamaica
Hotel & Tourist Association, Jamaica
Tourist Board, Jamaica
Cultural Development Commission, and the Renaissance Jamaica Grande
Resort, with the sponsorship of Air
Jamaica Ltd., Bahama
Breeze, Digicel,
International Development Bank, Jamaica Broilers, Jamaica
Observer Ltd., Jamaica
Tours Limited, Sandals Royal
Plantation Spa & Golf Resort, The Shell Company (WI) Ltd., U.S.
Meat Export Federation, and Wray
& Nephew. Product
sponsors are Certified Angus
Beef, Chef Revival,
Chiapetti Lamb & Veal, Jamaica
Broilers, U.S. Meat
Export Federation, and WISYNCO
Trading Ltd.
- Taste
of the Caribbean strives to promote the development and refinement of
Contemporary Caribbean Cuisine, its signature foodstyle, which rests
firmly on the use of indigenous ingredients and the interpretation of
Caribbean culture and traditions by food and beverage industry
professionals. While maintaining a focus on professional development in
the region, it also seeks to contribute to the promotion of tourism, and
the region's overall economic growth, by enhancing the food and beverage
experience offered to visitors by Caribbean resorts and restaurants.
For
more information, contact Lorraine J. Ortiz-Valcárcel, telephone:
787-725-9139
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