SOME of the chefs and bartenders who are vying for a place on the Barbados Culinary Team. (MH)

CUISINE CHEFS, bartenders and pastry chefs vying for a position on this year's Barbados Culinary Team got the first opportunity to show off their skills when the first in the series of Gourmet Evenings was held at the Barbados Golf Club last Friday night.

Two of the four teams preparing the training dinners gave diners the unique experience of enjoying a three-course meal, while being asked to critique each course.

And the verdict of diners? The food was "absolutely fantastic".

Team "A" comprised chef John Hazzard of Sandy Lane, chef Creig Greenidge of Sandridge Hotel, chef Mitchell Husbands of Coral Reef Club, pastry chef Kerwin Alleyne of Hilton Barbados and bartender Adrian Bynoe of Sandy Lane. Team leader was chef Max Benz.

Team

Team "B" included chef Henderson Butcher of the Savannah Hotel, chefs Wayne Knight and Heather Gill of Sandy Lane Hotel, pastry chef Alicia Olton of Aqua Restaurant and bartender Jacqueline Proverbs of Almond Beach Resorts, with chef Graham Licorish of Coral Reef Club as team manager.

Six Gourmet Evenings are planned for this year, and at the end the Barbados Culinary Team will be chosen for local and international competitions.

Ralph Yorke, chairman of the Culinary Alliance of Barbados, disclosedthat the first international competition takes place in Miami in June and the team will be led by John Hazzard, the only chef to have twice been named Caribbean Chef Of The Year.

Training

Yorke said the work to improve the skills of Barbadian chefs was ongoing.

He added plans were afoot to bring an Olympic culinary team to Barbados to train local chefs. Members of that team are experienced participants in the Culinary Olympics.

For the training dinners, participants are given a mystery basket of items from which the three-course meal must be created, in two-and-a-half hours of preparation. Yorke said the aim was to encourage the creative use of Caribbean ingredients.

The second Gourmet Evening will be held at the Savannah Hotel on April 13, when the other two teams will be in action. (GC)