My third day here. Around 8:30am Tuesday morning a tall, dark-skinned Lucian decked in dark, gold-rimmed shades picks me up at my door. As I entered his car I am met with a smile and somewhat of a rehearsed cab driver/passenger greeting, a funny one given too, I’m sure every visitor to the island that graces his brown car doors receives. With promises to get me there in no time. My taxi driver flew down the hilly, hairpin bend back roads in the attempt by pass the Castries traffic to get me to the Castries Comprehensive Secondary School on time to be apart the St Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) National Culinary Competition 2017.
I assisted the day before in preparing for this event. A yearly preliminary judging that takes place in most Caribbean islands, choosing the best of the best chefs to represent their country at the anticipated Taste of the Caribbean competition held in Miami, Florida. Sponsored fresh fruits and vegetables delivered direct from local farmers a part of the SLHTA’s Virtual Agriculture Clearing House initiative (VACH). Together with pantry items, fresh and salted fish, cryovac bags of meat and poultry stacked in disposable coolers line two of the long countertops of the large home economics room at the secondary school. I was so ready for this day, for just the scene of head chefs dressed in monogrammed coats and tall hats preparing mystery baskets of ingredients, talking amongst themselves of best practices and giving pep talks to the competing chefs as keen eyes of students and well-wishers pierce through the ground floor windows to the large room an overwhelming feeling came over me. I doubt anyone noticed though, as the only lady chef on that day in a judging capacity I had to be cool and collected. Okay Leigh-Ann – first time to the island to judge your first serious cooking competition, ha! Yeah whatever with the cool and collected crap.
Taste of St. Lucia posted by MBS Television Saint Lucia via Facebook
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Head and Executive Chefs preparing mystery baskets for the day’s cooking competition
Wendel George – such a professional person who wants the best for the youth and the island is one of the main persons that made the day’s event take off and run smooth. He is the Apprenticeship Coordinator at the SLHTA and overseas a program that places culinary students and unemployed youth in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry. Wendel, now considered my tall, younger brother is a celebrity – everyone knows him! From head chefs and managing staff of the St Lucia Culinary Team, various media houses covering the event, the teachers at the school to the competing chefs and line cooks. He is what we in the US call “a mover and shaker”. As he hands me a clip board with pages of judging criteria, dressed in his long-sleeved SLHTA monogrammed shirt my day, a delicious day had officially started.
Executive Chef and St. Lucia Culinary Team Manager, Rodroy Thomas speaking to the Chefs competing in the dessert round.
With 100 points given in each of the five cooking categories mirroring the Taste of the Caribbean competition: Junior Chef, Beef & Seafood Round, Chef of the Year and Pastry Round. I and two other judges tasted twenty-one dishes over two days. The chefs, constantly encouraged to go back to their roots, to represent and showcase local ingredients. An ideal that can be lost in young, ambitious chefs focusing on technique and plating ideas and forget how to treat and enhance the flavors of local ingredients. And that’s the thing about Caribbean cooking. The story that is told through local and indigenous fresh vegetables and fruits. Meat and fish seasoned in jewel colored herb blends and a myriad of spices. The vibrancy of the flavors. The intensity of the colors. All supporting characters in a story only we can tell.
Normally I’m glued to my phone, taking pictures of food from every angle to post and comment about its deliciousness. But this day I focused on the competing chefs: their cooking and interpersonal skills to engage respective hospitality students of the school that graciously volunteered to assist for that day. And their ability to transform foods they grew up eating into fine dining quality and winning dishes Boy did I taste good food! The dishes that stood out for me – Christophine and Ginger puree, Provincial mashes made from the ground provision the island is known for like Sweet Potatoes and marbled colored Yams. Breadfruit, Green Figs and sweet Plantains. In the Chef of the Year competition, one chef created a spice rub for his beef course after an inspiring hiking trip countryside. To top it off the most amazing Soursop mouse and Sorrel glaze I’ve ever had for dessert. My words can never make up for the lack of pictures but you have to trust me when I say there is a lot of talented chefs on the island of St Lucia.
From the left, Executive Pastry Chef Dulish Perera of Windjammer Landing, Excutive Chef Rodroy Thomas of Sandals, LAM and SLHTA Apprenticehsip Officer Wendel George deliberating after the dessert round.
There is also room for growth from the younger competing chefs. That reminded of my time in culinary school prepping for my last final. The nerves, the ideas circling my head: “use salt, did I use enough salt?” “Oh god, is it cooked yet?” “Why isn’t cooked yet!” ‘I have five more minutes!
What sets you apart from others is being true to yourself, your craft and culture. Unless practiced or have working knowledge you should not set out to create anything foreign to you especially when competing! In cooking you must exude confidence and if that means executing a dish your grandmother handed down to you–do it! Turn it into something amazing. Wow the judges with the story and flavors and don’t forget to use salt!
The result are in meet the 2017 Saint Lucia Culinary Team!
The team to represent St. Lucia at the Taste of the Caribbean 2017 in Junior Chef, Beef and Seafood Round, Chef of the Year, Dessert Round and Cocktail Round.
I’m honored to have experience Lucian food and be a part of the National Culinary Competition. These guys are doing great things for themselves and the island of St Lucia. I will see y’all in June!
Great stuff! And great you got a chance to judge your first Food Competition and probably a more meaningful one in it being Caribbean Food, something of your heritage. As oppose to judging a competition of say South West USA cooking even if it was a bigger event. I think it’s awesome and you also got to see what the young creative minds are creating with what’s local in their environment and their new spin on it. That’s always interesting to see.
I luv the look of the dish on the side. Wished you had another full pic of it and commented on the dish. I do luv the plating of the dish. Looked like Stewed Meat of some kind with Plantains but unsure what the other things are. Looks like a hash of some kind best words i can think of with two Mellon’s on top, best i can tell.
Do greatly enjoy your corner of the Food Space with your own spin. I guess we all have a cozy corner. But It’s about Food, Culture and much more surrounding it and not just recipes.
Thanks for reading. This was a dish done by a fellow lady lady chef. Seared beef, she made her own stock for the gravy. Not a hash but more of a au gratin made with breadfruit and other ground provisions. Garnished with a green fig chip and tomatoes. I know I should have been better with taking photos. My next competition I will. Yes, one of the reasons for me travelling back to the Caribbean was to be consumed by its food culture. Just as those who travel to Europe and Asia I’m not done with unlocking flavors of home.