Caribbean Cuisine Plays Major Role in Tourism Strengthening

The close ties between cuisine and tourism will be hyped during the upcoming 2004 Taste of the Caribbean to be held within the framework of the Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference (CHIC) scheduled from June 13 through 16 in Puerto Rico.

The annual meeting of the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) is always held in June and serves as a perfect setting for the exchange of ideas and information, for social and professional interaction, as well as for cutting new trade deals and professional agreements.

Eleven chef teams specialized in Caribbean pastry and cocktails will celebrate the bonds between good food and tourism before an audience of some 1,000 members of the Caribbean hospitality industry.

The event will take place at the Wyndham El Conquistador Resort in the Puerto Rican capital.

"Caribbean food and drinks are comprehensive elements of tourism," said Alec Sanguinetti, director-general of the Caribbean Hotel Association, the event´s organizer.

"CHIC, for its part, has to do with the development of a much better Caribbean tourist product. With that concept in mind, Taste of the Caribbean is not only a celebration of top-notch cuisine, but also a good opportunity to work for higher quality standards in terms of professional management and execution," Mr. Sanguinetti explained.

There´ll be cooking contestants from Anguila, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Curacao, Cayman Islands, U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago.

Each team will compete in a live kitchen environment, fixing and presenting a three-dish meal for 25 patrons in only four hours. All teams should deign their menus on the spot during the competition, using ingredients contained in their "mysterious baskets" that will remain unknown until the contest kicks off.

"There´s no better way to gauge the professional skills of Caribbean cooks, chefs and bartenders than Taste of the Caribbean," Mr. Sanguinetti went on to say as he called on owners and managers of hotels, resorts and restaurants to make event attendance an incentive for their employees.

The prize-presenting ceremony in the categories of food and drinks will take place in the course of the 2004 CHIC Closing Banquet.

Top honors will go to members of the Caribbean food and drink industry in the following categories: National Team of the Year, Chef of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year, Bartender of the Year, Ice Sculptor of the Year, Most Creative Caribbean Menu, Best Non-mechanical Ice Sculpture, Most Creative Cocktail (made of rum, vodka and non-alcoholic beverages), the Spirit of the Competition, Best Individual Effort, and Team with the Highest Professional Standards.