The week at SLHTA, July 20, 2012

Friday, July 20, 2012
In This Edition
Hotel Devlopment
Summerlicious Menu
VAT Corner
Sportivo Fitness
John McDonald
Hospitality Scholarship
La Terrasse
ISO 9001:2008
Golf Country Club
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Hotel Development

Ti Kaye Village Resortappointed a new chef from Jamaica, Mr. Conroy N. Arnold, known for his passion for food and creativity.  Chef Conroy is in the process of introducing new sets of menus for lunch and dinner, featuring items from his newly planted herb garden as well as using all local products.  Ti Kaye will also open the beach restaurant twice at night to give more dining options to their guests.  The resort has already completed major refurbishments and additions including newly upgraded cottages and installing wireless internet access throughout the resort.  Additionally, a new Kai Manje Bar, a new Lounge Area, the largest Underground Wine Cellar on Saint Lucia, with more than 460 bins, were all completed in early 2011.

 

Staycation

Our lovely Saint Lucia has been highlighted on a recent HBO drama series entitled The Newsroom. In the episode based on a true story, a character named McAvoy, suffers from a mental breakdown and seeks clarity and a tranquil environment on the scenic shores of Saint Lucia for a two week vacation. Needless to say under such ideal conditions he could not be found by colleagues.

This quintessential surrounding can be available to all Saint Lucians via this year’s Summer Promotion, dubbed Staycation.

Have you done Summerlicious yet?? Unsure where to eat?? Let us tempt your taste-buds with this three course dinner menu from Body Holiday LeSPORT with the price point of EC$145 per person.

 

 

Appetizer Selection

Seared Tuna

Seared Tuna – Basil Soft Cheese – Tomato Jam – Sesame Seed Crisp

or

Rice Paper Roll Salad

Mix Vegetable Rice Paper Roll – Papaya Salad – Passion Fruit Chili Dressing

or

East Asian Platter

Chicken Shitake Spring Roll – Prawn Wonton – Sweet Sour Sauce – Beef Cashew Nut Dim Sum -Soy Sauce

Main Course Selection

Seafood Ravioli

with Thai Red Curry Dressing and Pea

or

Tikka Chicken

Chicken Breast Cooked in Banana Leaves with Fragrant Roasted Garlic Rice

or

Pork Loin

with Mango Aioli – Olive Powder – Sesame Oil Glass Noodles

or

Teriyaki Flank Beef

with Coriander Gnocchi- Basil Parmesan Crisp

Dessert Selection

Tao Daily Ice Cream and Sorbet

or

Chocolate Fondant

VAT Corner

With the implementation of the Value Added Tax (VAT) from October this year, a threshold has been set at which persons must be registered as VAT taxpayers. For VAT purposes it is not the business activity which is registered, but the person who conducts it. The registration covers all the business activities of that person.

The next few upcoming VAT column gives you information on who should be registered for VAT, who can register voluntarily, and why you will benefit from voluntary registration.

Sportivo Fitness will be having guest instructorChristine Samuelteaching a Soca Dance and Dance Vibes classes over a period of 3 weeks.

If you are not a current Sportivo Member you can attend a single class for $20 EC. Current Sportivo members can attend FREE of charge.

SLHTA Honours Common Enterance 4th Place Young Aspiring Chef

It has been an exciting time for young Sean Francois over the past few weeks as he realized and surpassed one of the biggest dreams of his young life and promises of even more to come in his immediate future.Just two weeks ago the 11-year-old student of Bonne Terre Preparatory School learnt that he had placed fourth on the island in the overall Common Entrance Examination, making it into St. Mary’s College with a pass rate of 93%.The second son of Alison and Dr. Sylvestre Francois, Sean has always been extraordinarily interested in cooking for a child so young. His mother remembers that as a toddler, he always wanted to be around anyone in the kitchen to observe their cooking. Sean’s mother remembers vividly her son’s tender passion for the culinary arts and he is an avid viewer of the Food Network and once harassed her to buy him an assortment of ingredients to sample different flavours and also to eat out regularly to experience various styles of cooking.

Sean’s aspiration is to become a world class chef and attend a prestigious culinary school. This desire was understood at an early age when he explained his ambition to his older brother, by simply stating, “I live to eat and not eat to live.”

When the Francois family expressed a desire to attend last Saturday’s “Golden Dish Dinner” at the Landings Resort that showcased the winning dishes of Saint Lucia’s Culinary Team at the recently held Taste the Caribbean Culinary Competition in Miami; and upon hearing of this young man’s achievement at Common Entrance and of his interest in the culinary arts, the Saint Lucia Hotels and Tourism Association (SLHTA) wanted to recognize him for his outstanding performance at his exam and to motivate him in aspiring for his goal buy showcasing the skills of our awarded chefs from the Saint Lucia Culinary Team.In addition to providing young Sean with a complimentary ticket to attend the three course gourmet dinner, the SLHTA’s Executive Vice President Noorani Azeez paid tribute to the young man and his achievements, lauding his dreams to become a master Chef in front of the room of esteemed guests. Sean was also surprised by a generous gesture of a one week summer internship at any of the home properties of the Saint Lucia Culinary Team Members.

A jubilant Sean expressed his delight at this opportunity, and the aspiring chef and his budding palate expressed pleasure in the appetizer: “Duo of Cheese” – Cream and Blue Cheese Ravioli served with herb crusted Brie and Chicken Roulade with a Spicy Cheese Sauce.

Outstanding Staff Profile – John McDonald – Windjammer Landing

Mr. John Mc Donald, an industrious team member, commenced his employment with the Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort in 1995 as a Landscape Attendant. John is a dedicated lover of nature. He has a passion for plants and flora. He is called the walking encyclopedia of plants, as he is always quick to respond to any question relating to the cultivation and management of plants.John is a team player who can be called upon to assist in any activity within his capability. John will respond willingly with a broad smile. He never frowns and always has an encouraging word to brighten your day. The members of his team are very supportive of him. He has very strong organizational skills and has proven himself to be a very dependable individual.

The Windjammer Landing was proud to honor Mr. John McDonald as the “Employee of the Year’ – 2010 in the Support Services category andwas awarded for his Outstanding and Dedicated Service, from Windjammer Landing, at the Saint Lucia Hotel and TourismAssociation’s President’s Gala Ball.

       
CTO and Monroe College offer Scholarship and Grants
 

The Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) Scholarship Foundation is offering a number of scholarships to Caribbean nationals to advance their education by pursuing a bachelor’s degree programme in Hospitality Management or a Master’s degree programme in Tourism/Hospitality Management, full-time study, at Monroe College in New York, NY, U.S.A. (website address: www.Monroecollege.edu) or at its campus in Saint Lucia, West Indies. 

This very generous offer comes as a result of a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Monroe College and the Caribbean Tourism Organization in March 2012, which established a three year agreement for scholarships and study grants, to support students from the Caribbean to advance their tourism/hospitality education at Monroe College. Scholarship awards will range from US$4,500.00 to US$18,660.00 annually, equally distributed over three semesters. The funds will be used to offset student tuition expenses at Monroe College. All scholarship and grant candidates must be new toMonroe College.

 

Students interested in applying for these scholarships and study grant opportunities are asked to go to the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s website at www.onecaribbean.org to look at eligibility requirements and to access the application forms. The deadline for applications is August 3, 2012.

New Members – La Terrasse

In 2006, we opened our first restaurant in France in the beautiful region of Le Lot (46), famous for duck, foie-gras and other typical culinary specialties! After 4 years, learning French cuisine techniques together with a talented Chef, we felt like broadening our horizons. We were also looking for sun and 28 degrees sea all-year long and in January 2010 we made a first wonderful trip to St. Lucia, followed by a second trip in April 2010 when we discovered this charming house that became La Terrasse!We quickly decided to take our chances here in St. Lucia creating a nice and cozy French restaurant with four newly renovated and comfortable rooms. La Terrasse first opened its doors in December 2010 and quickly became one of the best tables on the island, top rated on Trip Advisor with great comments. La Terrasse is a great combination of relaxation and fine dining; offering simple yet tasty French cuisine, where all dishes from our starters to desserts, are made from scratch with passion and professionalism. You will enjoy our beautiful garden, always refreshed by the light evening breeze.

Strategically located in the heart of the Rodney Bay, do not miss this special opportunity to start a great night at La Terrasse, with French Chef Thomas and his charming wife Claudia who will give you a warm welcome, attentive and personalized service.

ISO 9001:2008 Executive Overview – Quality Management System

The Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) in collaboration with Moz Management Consulting conducted an Executive Overview of ISO 9001:2008. The three hour presentation was held at the Palm Haven Hotel in Rodney Bay and was facilitated by Ms Betty Combie, who is the Process and Systems Management Consultant. 

Quality Management System is in simple terms, the way an organization directs and controls its activities associated with quality. The quality of a product or service is defined as all those features of that product or service that are required by the customer. Further to that, there are other elements such as the organizational structure, planning, processes, resources and documentation associated with this system.

 

In attendance at the presentation were members of the accommodation, allied and statutory corporation sector. It was a very interactive session and the participants were quite satisfied and all shared similar views about the presentation. “The presentation was exceptional and very interactive. Everyone participated in the question and answer segments and it was worth my three hours. I think we should have more presentations like this one because it helps in providing a better service to our customers” says Cheryl Gustave from Bay Gardens Resorts. Ms Barbara Antoine also shared the similar sentiments, “I think that this was a great presentation and is very applicable to the Saint Lucia National Trust. I am actually going to use it shortly, since I was in the process of implementing a similar system for the trust. So therefore, I think this came at the right time.”

 

Ms. Betty Combie is also a new member of the SLHTA and is available should you require her expertise not only on Quality Management System, but also in other areas of training and development.