~SHTA Taste of the Caribbean National Team selection continues~
PHILIPSBURG – The St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA), the largest private sector representative, announced an open call for pastry chefs and bartenders. The open call started Monday, February 22, and will close Monday, February 29.
Pastry chefs and bartenders, who have registered, will compete for a spot on the culinary team during a local competition to be held on March 12 at the Sundial School. Winners of the competition will earn a place on the St. Maarten/St. Martin team, who will represent the island at the June 6-10, SHTA Taste of the Caribbean competition in Miami, Florida.
Requirements for interested pastry chefs and bartenders are: The pastry chef must prepare a signature dish for 8 persons. Time to prepare is 4 hours. The bartender must prepare 3 signature drinks. Time to prepare will be 30 minutes for 3 drinks. All pastries and beverages must have a Caribbean identity and flavors in particular, St. Maarten/St. Martin flair and taste.
Bartenders and chefs interested in vying for a place on the team can submit an email indicating their interest, to the SHTA office at: office@shta.com. Interested persons are requested to use “Taste of Caribbean Open Call 2” in the email subject line.
Since 1993, Taste of the Caribbean has been the one Caribbean culinary competition not to be missed. This is an annual opportunity to network, polish professional skills and cheer on colleagues in competition, before a large audience of industry peers and food and beverage veterans.
Taste of the Caribbean provides education and inspiration through tastings and demonstrations, created to enhance performance, style and profitability in food and beverage operations. A forum for gathering practical information, sampling, purchasing, strengthening established supplier relationships and meeting new vendors, all on hand to help Taste of the Caribbean registrants build food and beverage business, and yield benefits on the bottom line.
Teams from all over the Caribbean will be vying for the titles of: Culinary Team of the Year; Caribbean Chef of the Year; Caribbean Junior Chef of the Year; Caribbean Pastry Chef of the year; Caribbean Bartender of the year; and Apprentice of the Year.
After being absent from the competition for several years, St. Maarten will be making its way back to this prestigious culinary competition. The eventual team that will represent St. Maarten will consist of chefs and bartenders from both sides of the island. Through this initiative SHTA endeavors to showcase the multitude of culinary and bartending talent on St. Maarten.
The SHTA is dedicated to bringing quality to all aspects of life on St. Maarten by promoting sustainable economic development for its members in cooperation with social partners and the creation of a fair marketplace. For more information contact the office at 542-0108 or visit the website at: www.shta.com.
Photo / Gio’s Gelato Sint Maarten
Open call for pastry chef and bartender
