Warm welcome for ‘elated’ Barbados culinary team

Article by Natanga Smith

FAMILY MEMBERS and Barbados tourism officials welcomed back members of the Caribbean Team Of The Year earlier tonight at the Grantley Adams International Airport.

Laden with their gold medals, the Barbados team returned home jubilant, but tired from the annual culinary competition, Taste Of The Caribbean, in Miami.

Nicholas Ifill, Javon Cummins, Kirk Ruck, Ron Maynard, Andre Nurse bartender coach Jamaal Bowen and assistant training chef Glenroy Alleyne were greeted on the tarmac by Alvin Jemmott of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI).

Inside the arrival lounge they were given hugs and kisses by Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association president-elect Patricia Affonso-Dass; Paul Collymore, Chairman Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) Marketing Committee; Gerry Lewis, BHTA First Vice-Chairman; Judy Wilkinson, Special Projects Coordinator; Shakida Grant, marketing operations manager of BTMI and BHTA president Roseanne Myers.

“Thank you for flying the flag so high. We are very proud and just wanted to celebrate you. Congrats and you did excellent work. We wanted to come out and say thank you in person,” Myers said.

Members of the team spoke to the media and excited, joyful, proud, elated and emotional were some of the words used to describe their win at the four-day competition.

Barbados won eight gold and a silver to beat 13 other Caribbean islands.

Missing from the group were Caribbean Bartender Of The Year Ryan Adamson, gold medal winner in Chef Of The Year category Willis Griffith, gold medal and Best Seafood Overall winner Damian Leach and team manager Henderson Butcher who stayed to complete work duties. (NS)