Beaches Negril’s chefs dominate Taste of Jamaica
NEGRIL, Westmoreland — Beaches Negril’s 5-Star Global Gourmet™ chefs are still celebrating their remarkable medal and trophy haul at the 12th annual Taste of Jamaica Culinary Competition and Expo held over two days at Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, St James, recently.
The event is the premier culinary competition hosted by the Culinary Federation of Jamaica and is aimed at showcasing the island’s most outstanding gastronomic talents.
The food and beverage professionals representing Beaches Negril Resort and Spa walked away with numerous wins in their individual categories.
Natale Douglas was announced the winner in both the cheesecake and chocolate categories; Amoy Munroe walked away with the top title for wedding and celebration cakes; Shantoya Hutchinson copped the win for the crème brûlée category; Tavia Shepherd was the winner in the showpiece category and Oran Beeput won the seafood category.
Conroy Scott got a bronze medal in the lamb category, while Turay Taylor copped silver for the second time in the beef category.
The group of mostly first time competitors, except Taylor, who entered for the second year, was beaming with pride at their performance.
“Those two days were amazing. Despite the anxiety we experienced during the pressuring moments, we all demonstrated great self-control and skill. We knew that we had to combine everything we learnt and deliver, and we did just that,” they all shared.
They had high praises for their team leader and the resort’s pastry chef Kirk Sanguinetti, who shared that he was not the least bit surprised at their performance.
“They are all very talented and equally eager to learn, and this competition has really made them all better at their craft,” said Sanguinetti.
He stressed that they were already in competition mode long before the event.
“They were always researching on new and emerging trends, practicing using the same time limit and smaller work area and would always be asking questions about what to expect once the competition was underway. They were definitely set to do well,” he explained.
