U.S. Virgin Islands, June 8, 2007 Gold is the medal of choice as the Virgin Islands Culinary Team readies to compete against 13 regional teams at the annual Taste of the Caribbean Competition in Miami, Florida. The competition, sponsored by the Caribbean Hotel Association, will take place June 17-19 as a component of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Conference. The goal of the competition is to continually raise the standards of Caribbean food and beverage excellence and professionalism, promote camaraderie and educational opportunities among food and beverage professionals, and to act as a staging area for the development of food and beverage concepts.
The Virgin Islands team includes manager Leslie Gumbs of Theo’s Personal Catering on St. Thomas; bartender Steve Potter of Grand Cru at Yacht Haven Grande on St. Thomas; pastry chef Dennis Gribbin of The Cultured Pelican on St. Croix; and chefs Duane Caines, Rodney Rightenburg and Brian Wisbauer of the Ritz Carlton St. Thomas, Caneel Bay Resort on St. John, and Salud Bistro on St. Croix respectively. Mark Davis, Gumbs’ apprentice, has also been very helpful to the team. The format of the competition requires each team to prepare a 3-course meal for 20 from a mystery basket of ingredients. The bartender offers a rum, vodka and non-alcoholic drink for judging while the pastry chef submits a dessert as part of the meal.
Two student interns will join the team at the competition. Kerish Robles and Jamal Miranda were selected from a list of students who submitted original recipes for judging. Robles, a senior at Charlotte Amalie High School, offered a dish of Caribbean jerk chicken with mango-papaya chutney, mashed tania and sauté sweet christophene. Miranda, also senior attending the St. Croix Educational Complex, submitted a dish of stuffed pineapple pork with a pineapple demi sauce, sweet mashed potatoes and okra. He will enroll in the culinary program at Monroe College this fall while Robles will attend the Art Institute of Atlanta.
“I’ve been able to experience the amazing culinary talents of the team through the fundraisers that have been held, said Rik Blyth, President of the Hotel & Tourism Association. We should be proud of the skills and creativity of these professionals and the first-class dining experience that they offer our visitors. We look forward to competing for the gold.”
At the request of the Department of Tourism, team members Leslie Gumbs and Brian Wisbauer, and Wyndham Sugar Bay Executive Chef Eddie Williams will participate in the Caribbean Tourism Association’s Caribbean Week Activities June 9-16 in New York. The chefs will conduct demonstrations at Bloomingdale’s Department Store and prepare lunch for the cafeteria of Conde Nast Publications.
The team could not travel without the generous support of the following sponsors: American Airlines, Bolongo Bay Beach Resort, Caneel Bay Resort, Coral World, the Department of Tourism, the Hotel & Tourism Association, Quality Foods, the Ritz Carlton, and the West Indian Company Limited.
