CARIBBEAN GEARING UP FOR CULINARY SHOWCASE IN MIAMI

Taste of the Caribbean and Caribbean305 to be held this month

MIAMI (June 11, 2018) – A dozen teams are getting ready to participate in the highly anticipated Taste of the Caribbean culinary competition taking place June 22 to 26 at the Hyatt Regency Miami.

Hosted by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bonaire, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos have selected their best chefs and mixologists for this year’s Taste of the Caribbean.

A combined team representing chefs from some of the Caribbean destinations that were impacted by last September’s hurricanes will also compete. The team comprises members from Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands .

Since 1993, the Caribbean’s best chefs and culinary teams meet at Taste to compete, demonstrate their skills, learn from each other and offer the travel trade a scintillating exhibition of the most delectable culinary treats of the region.

The Caribbean cultural showcase also provides a forum for food and beverage professionals to gather practical information, develop skills, sample and purchase, strengthen and establish supplier relationships and meet new vendors. “In addition to the exciting competitions, food and beverage managers and hospitality professionals will once again participate in innovative and exciting educational sessions that promise to enhance individual skills and increase the value of their businesses,” said Frank Comito, CHTA’s CEO and Director General.

He added that due to hurricane recovery efforts in some of the islands, CHTA was delighted to welcome a united “Caribbean Strong” team, a significant development as the trade association emphasizes the need to develop superior  food and beverage professionals across the entire Caribbean.

In addition to judging the best chefs, mixologists and culinary teams from the region, CHTA will feature the cuisine of 16 Caribbean destinations in one night when the general public can enjoy the second annual Caribbean305 culinary and cultural spectacular on Saturday, June 23, 2018 at 8 p.m. at the Treetop Ballroom in Jungle Island in Miami. Tickets are available at www.caribbean305.com .

Both Taste of the Caribbean and Caribbean305 run concurrently with CHTA’s fourth Caribbean Hospitality Industry Exchange Forum (CHIEF), taking place from June 22 to 24.

For further information, visit www.chtataste.com ,  www.caribbean305.com  or call +1 305 443-3040.

About Taste of the Caribbean

Produced by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, Taste of the Caribbean is supported by host sponsors Interval International and JetBlue Vacations. The House of Angostura is the Bartender of the Year sponsor, while event sponsors include Certified Angus Beef, Best Dressed Chicken, Figment Design, Marketplace Excellence, Mastercard, OBMI, Rak Porcelain and Travel Channel. Product sponsors include C & T Design and Equipment Co., Certified Angus Beef, F resh P oint, Halperns’, RAK Porcelain, Rational, and U.S. Meat Export Federation.

About the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA)

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) is the Caribbean’s leading association representing the interests of national hotel and tourism associations. For more than 50 years, CHTA has been the backbone of the Caribbean hospitality industry. Working with some 1,000 hotel and allied members, and 32 National Hotel Associations, CHTA is shaping the Caribbean’s future and helping members to grow their businesses. Whether navigating new worlds like social media, sustainability, legislative issues, emerging technologies, climate change, data and intelligence or, looking for avenues and ideas to better market and manage businesses, CHTA is helping members on issues which matter most.

For further information, visit www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com .