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T rinidad and Tobago domi- nated the Taste of the Carib-bean Awards in Miami on June 10, sweep- ing the medals rostrum with six gold medals and two silver medals, as well as the coveted awards for Caribbean National Team of the Year, Chef of the Year and Junior Chef of the Year. An annual event hosted by the Caribbean Hotel &Tourism Association (CHTA), "Taste of the Caribbean," show- cases the best chefs and bartenders from around the region and is often described as an avenue where the Caribbean's most talented and creative gastronomic practi- tioners blossom into culinary connois- seurs. Led by team captain Adrian Cum- berbatch, the Trinidad and Tobago dele- gation ensured that T&T maintained its sterling record at the Competition. Since 1993, Taste of the Caribbean has been the Caribbean's leading culinary competition. According to the Trinidad Hotels, Restau-rants &Tourism Association (THRTA), the organization responsible for preparing the team for the competi- tion, "The first Trinidad and Tobago National team entered the competition in 1997 and won a bronze medal for kitchen standards and a gold medal in the center- piece competition. Several national teams were subsequently sent for an additional 11 appearances over a 16-year period and have collectively amassed a haul of 52 medals-comprising 23 Gold, 20 Silver and 9 Bronze medals." Prior to the contest in Miami, the THRTA ensured that the best team rep- resented Trinidad and Tobago through the development of a local competition called Making the CUTT, designed to identify and sharpen the skills of compe- tent culinary practitioners in preparation for the big stage. Following the announce- ment of the 2016 team, several practice dinners were held as groundwork for the Taste of the Caribbean Competition. B M & T ••• JuliyAugust 2016 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 17 TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO DOMINATES TASTE OF THE CARIBBEAN AWARDS IN MIAMI THE WINNERS: Team Captain – Adrian Cumberbatch Caribbean National Team of the Year – Trinidad and Tobago (Gold) Chef of the Year – Brandon Maharaj) (Gold) Chef – Jeremy Lovell (Gold medal & winner Beef Competition) Pastry Chef – Kimberly Jagassar (Gold medal & Winner-Pastry Chef of the Year) Junior Chef – Anneica Mendoza (Gold Medal-Junior Chef of the Year) Alternate Chef – Adam de Freitas (Gold Medal-Seafood); (Silver Medal-Individual Cheesecake competition) Bartender – Clinton Ramdhan (Silver Medal-Bartender of the Year) Alternate Bartender – Kishion Guillaum For more information on upcoming special events and attractions in Trinidad &Tobago, visit www.gotrinidadandtobago.com or www.visittobago.gov.tt. Photo:Credit: Richard Semik Trinidad & Tobago celebrates winning the Caribbean National Culinary Team of the Year title