May 16, 2009 — Afiyah Augustus, Jean Marc Joseph, and Kalim Ventura, three students from the St. Croix Educational Complex, will go head to head in a cookoff on May 21 to see who will join the VI Culinary Team at the Taste of the Caribbean Competition in June in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Judges selected these students based on the use of local ingredients, originality, flavor and presentation.
“All the recipes were great but these three students really stood out," said chef Leslie Gumbs, manager of the V.I. Culinary Team. "I am excited to see the level of creativity and the skills our culinary students are displaying. They have very bright futures ahead of them.”
For the cookoff, the three finalists will prepare the entrees they submitted for the competition. Augustus will present her lemon mango red snapper rolls with chickpeas. Joseph will prepare his "coconut madness" and Ventura will be judged on his marinated grilled wahoo with pineapple mango salsa.
Culinary team members Brian Wisbauer, Josh Vilian and Dennis Gribbin will select the student who will travel with the team.
“It’s truly rewarding to see my students in this competition," said Anton Doos, culinary instructor at Educational Complex, in a statement from the V.I. Hotel & Tourism Association. "My job is to foster a ‘maybe’ into a ‘for sure.’ Sometimes I succeed, and the results are students, like these finalists, who are willing to take a risk and use food as their artistic medium. “
The Taste of the Caribbean Competition is sponsored by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association. The team heading to Puerto Rico for the cooking battle includes: Gumbs, of Theo’s Personal Catering, Wisbauer of Zebos on St. Croix, Vilian of Bacchus on St. Croix, Ashley Allen Sr. of Ken’s Food Mobile on St. Thomas, Dennis Vanterpool of Marriott Frenchman’s Reef on St. Thomas, Gribbin, pastry chef at Starfish Patisserie on St. Croix, and bartenders Steve Potter of Wikked on St. Thomas and Joshua King of the Ritz Carlton on St. Thomas.
In the past, the team has brought home bronze, silver and gold medals.
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