MIAMI, FL Barbados is the Caribbean National Culinary Team of the Year, according to a release issued by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA).

The Bajan team won the top honors in the finale of the 2017 Taste of the Caribbean culinary competition at the Hyatt Regency in Miami Wednesday evening, after also bagging individual honors for Ryan Adamson, Caribbean Bartender of the Year, and Damian Leach for Seafood.

Kenneth Molyneaux from the British Virgin Islands was crowned Caribbean Chef of the Year and also took home the top prize in the Beef Competition. The Cayman Islands Melissa Logan was Caribbean Pastry Chef of the Year, while Kenria Taylor from The Bahamas was Caribbean Junior Chef of the Year. The Chocolate winner was Bonaires Sherundly Bernabela.

We really applaud all these Taste of the Caribbean participants, their national hotel and tourism associations, team managers and sponsors for developing 14 astounding Caribbean national teams to compete at this event, said Frank Comito, Director General and CEO of CHTA. The teams commitment to the region showed in the heart and soul that each of the participants invested in their presentations, he added.

Presented by CHTA, Taste of the Caribbean hosted cooking and bartending competitions between teams from The Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaao, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

This years event was held June 2-6 at the Hyatt Regency Miami.

Excerpt from:

Barbados Wins Top Culinary Honors At 2017 Taste Of The Caribbean; BVI Takes Chef Of The Year - VI Consortium (press release)