US Virgin Islands Hotel & Tourism Association

Team members gathered for the first time in Feb. to meet and brainstorm for the upcoming year. Practice will begin March 6 to gear up for the Taste of the Caribbean event in trendy Miami, Florida June 2-6. Team members include team managers Executive Chef Michael Grau (The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas) and Chef Kilian Werner (Frenchman’s Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort), Chef Shaun-Brian Sells (Gallows Point Resort), Chef Tatiana Connor (Frenchman’s Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort), Pastry Chef Natalie Buckner (Caneel Bay) and Bartender Frank Robinson (Zion Modern Kitchen).

The team participates in many events throughout the year, but practice diligently to bring home the gold as well as regional and international recognition in the annual Taste of the Caribbean event.

According to a release from the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, the Taste of the Caribbean, the region’s premier culinary competition and cultural showcase, provides a forum for gathering practical information, developing skills, sampling, purchasing, strengthening supplier relationships and meeting new vendors. One goal of the event is to help attendees build food and beverage business and yield bottom line benefits. Since 1993, the best chefs and culinary teams unite to learn, demonstrate their skills and provide the general public a scintillating exhibition of the most savory and delectable treats of the Caribbean.

The 2017 edition of Taste of the Caribbean will also bring innovative educational sessions for food and beverage professionals that promise to enhance individual skills, and will feature a major consumer component soon to be unveiled.

We are honored to have the support of our sponsors, whose assistance allows the team to participate in these local and regional events which bring positive publicity directly to the territory and your businesses. Your donations help provide space and materials for the team to hone their skills, uniforms, transportation and accommodations during competitions and much more. Call Nicole Friday in the USVIHTA office today at 340-774-6835 or e-mail nicole@usvihta.com to learn how you can sponsor the USVI Culinary Team! We cannot wait to begin another successful season!