TRINIDAD & TOBAGO AND BAHAMAS WIN TOP CULINARY HONORS

T & T Wins Top Team, Bartender, Best Non Alcoholic Drink and Beef Categories; Bahamas Takes Chef and Junior Chef of the Year Awards at Taste of the Caribbean 2018

MIAMI, FL (June 27, 2018) – Trinidad and Tobago is the Caribbean National Culinary Team of the Year.

The team won top honors in the finale of the 2018 Taste of the Caribbean culinary competition at the Hyatt Regency in Miami yesterday evening, after also winning the Bartender, Best Non Alcoholic Drink and Beef categories.

Trinidadians in winners’ row included Shana Rajahram, who won the Caribbean Bartender Competition, and Tricia Gregoire, who captured the Certified Angus Beef-sponsored Beef Competition. The Best Non Alcoholic Drink award also went to T & T.

A dozen teams participated in the highly anticipated Taste of the Caribbean culinary competition in Miami from June 22 to 26.

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 selected their best chefs and mixologists for this year’s event.

Jamall Small from the Bahamas was crowned Caribbean Chef of the Year while teammate Hazen Rolle was named Caribbean Junior Chef of the Year. Rolle also received the Hans Schenk Commemorative Award for the Most Innovative Dish Utilizing Indigenous Ingredients.

A victorious Bahamas contingent at this year’s Taste of the Caribbean.

Vadivel Raju from Turks and Caicos won the Caribbean Pastry Chef competition; Radiance Modeste of the British Virgin Islands topped the Seafood competition, while Rodney Corbin of Barbados won the Cemoi-sponsored Chocolate category.

Best Rum Drink went to Bonaire; St. Lucia topped the vodka drink category, and Best Mystery Bar Drink, sponsored by Angostura, went to Curaçao.

“CHTA applauds this year’s Taste of the Caribbean participants, their national hotel and tourism associations, team managers and sponsors for another incredible demonstration of passion, purpose and performance,” said Frank Comito, Director General and CEO of CHTA.  “These participants are the future of tourism and the teamwork and camaraderie on display augurs well for a united Caribbean.”

For the full list of winners, visit http://www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/TASTE-2018-AWARDS.pdf .

High resolution photos are available upon request.

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, Fresh Point, Halperns’, RAK Porcelain, Rational, and U.S. Meat Export Federation. For further information, visit   www.chtataste.com  .

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 .