June 25, 2012 — Team Bahamas made a strong showing at the Taste of the Caribbean in Miami, June 20 – 24, ending with five silver medals, three bronze, and an overall team bronze.

The Bahamas fielded competitors in every category of the competition, producing medals in every event:

* Seafood Category – Shanique Bodie, Silver.

* Beef Category – Charon McKenzie, Silver

* Chef of the Year – Jamal Small, Silver

* Bartender Category – Gerard Brown, Bronze

* Ice Carving – Ancilleno Solomon, Bronze

* Junior Chef of the Year – Dwayne Sinclair, Silver

* Cheese Category – Team Bahamas, Bronze

* Overall Team Competition – Bronze

Devon Johnson, manager of Team Bahamas, said the judges’ critiques of Bahamian chefs were positive and encouraging. From the first two competitions of the week – the Seafood and Junior Chef categories, judges were impressed with some of the skills that Bahamians showed. The comments on Junior Chef Dwayne Sinclair were very good, he said.


The Bahamas’ pots simmer as Taste of the Islands guests prepare to sample the food. 

“They had never seen the plantain used in the form he used to make what is traditionally known as a yorkie but at home we call it a dumpling, Chef Johnson said. “So that was unique to them. They also said the cooking of his beef was very good and the taste of his shrimp was good and the slaw also, they really liked. So altogether, the components and the flavor of his plate were very good.”

Similar critiques were given throughout the competition days.

Chef Jamal Small, team captain, said the week of competition was grueling for the young Bahamian chefs.  They had many obstacles to overcome and many of them were in international competition for the first time, he said.

“This was really rough because we had to go through two pastry chefs before we got to the final product,” Chef Small said. “It was sort of rough but it’s a learning experience.  That’s why we come on these trips. We don’t come on these trips to slack off.  We come to learn, be productive and make ourselves grow.   It’s what we love. So we just look at it as a learning experience.”

Chef Small said the competition caused the team to improve. He hopes the members will remain a strong unit and return to the regional competition next year.

Team Bahamas was able to travel to Taste of the Caribbean largely due to generous support from principal sponsors – Ministry of Tourism, Bahamas Hotel Association and Bahamas Culinary Association.