Caribbean Chefs in Miami for Regional Culinary Competition

Months of arduous training and live rehearsals are now culminating for the members of 16 national culinary teams from across the region, who traveled this week to Miami, Florida, to compete in the annual culinary competition and all-Caribbean food and beverage showcase, Taste of the Caribbean 2006.

The event, presented by the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) and Bahama Breeze, is now taking place at the Hyatt Regency Miami, and is expected to come to a close on Wednesday.

The competition features 16 teams of Caribbean chefs, each of whom won local culinary contests in their home countries. The teams will participate in qualifying rounds of “live kitchen” competitions, preparing a three-course meal for 25 people in under four hours, using a “mystery basket” of ingredients that is kept secret until the competition begins.

The competing culinary teams are from Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Curacao, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Saint Maarten / St. Martin, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, and United States Virgin Islands.

In addition to the cooking competition, each national culinary team will also host a demonstration of its country´s indigenous cuisine, highlighting the region´s diversity and variety.