Mr. Darren Connor and Mr. Lester Gumbs
The members of Anguilla’s National Culinary Team in this year’s Taste of the Caribbean Culinary Competition, in Miami, are emphatic that they will endeavour to bring back gold plates as they did last year.
“I can’t wear silver and I can’t appreciate bronze,” Dean Samuel, Manager of the team, remarked while stressing that he intended to lead his team to a gold victory in the culinary competition.
He was at the time speaking at a thank you luncheon held by the team in appreciation of the support received from sponsors including a number of hotels and restaurants. The event was at Santorini Restaurant at CuisinArt Golf Resort and Spa on Monday, June 16.
The team, which will travel to Miami on June 26, comprises Dean Samuel, Sous Chef at Cap Juluca (Manager); Lester Gumbs, Senior Chef of CuisinArt Golf Resort and Spa, who will be vying for the Chef of the Year Competition; Darren Connor of Viceroy Anguilla, who will be cooking in the individual Beef Competition; Jimmie Matthews, Viceroy Anguilla, who will be competing in the Pastry Chef of the Year Competition; Mtima Daniel, Junior Chef competing in the Pastry Chef of the Year Competition; and Taffi Hodge, Viceroy Anguilla, who will be competing in the Bartender of the Year Competition.
Mrs Gilda Gumbs Samuel, who will accompany the team, noted that this year there was a reduced number of Anguillian chefs at the competition as two of them were unable to attend.
“I will tell you something about the Anguilla National Culinary Team,” she stated. “We have won every medal except Team of the Year and that is something we will not stop competing for until we bring back a medal. When we bring it home, we are going to start all over again to win all the medals again. The only other medal that eluded us was the gold plates and last year we did win them [at last]. So instead of chasing two awards, we are chasing one.”
