US Virgin Islands Hotel & Tourism Association
The 2016 USVI Culinary Team continues to practice diligently. Team members met March 22 to sharpen their skills and their knives. They hit the ground running, brainstorming ideas and dishes. The team is comprised of: team captain Michael Grau from the Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, co-captain Kilian Werner, executive sous chef at the Frenchman’s Reef and Morningstar Marriott Beach Resort, chef Tatianna Connor from the Frenchman’s Reef and Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort, chef Shawn Brian Gallows Point Resort, bartender Frank Robinson from Zion Modern Kitchen, chef Michael Mathew, and pastry chef Natalie Buckner from Caneel Bay Resort.
But we are missing one crucial team member – our junior chef! We are looking for a professional and creative individual between the ages of 16 and 21 who can contribute a unique skill set to our team, and who wants to learn more about the culinary industry. The junior chef must either be in culinary school, working in the culinary field, or have culinary training. If you have an employee who would like to be part of this incredible team, gaining a wealth of experience that will benefit your business, or if you know a culinary hopefully in the industry, call or e-mail Nicole Friday (contact information below).
Teammates will meet several times a month to coordinate and create recipes for delicious dishes, culminating in a trip to trendy Miami, Florida for the Taste of the Caribbean competition this summer. The Taste of the Caribbean event allows teammates to not only showcase their skills, but also to learn from other professionals in their field, network and more. Not to mention the satisfaction of coming home an award-winning team! The team will also participate in many local events, helping support the V.I. community while they continue to learn and grow.
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. Thank you to the incredible sponsors already supporting our elite team: the USVI Department of Tourism, Glazer Distributors, International Capital and Management Company, Innovative Companies, Merchants Market, the Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, Frenchman’s Reef and Morning Star Marriot Beach Resort, Taste of St. Croix and the Virgin Islands Port Authority. Will your business be next? 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 and look forward to bringing home the gold this year!