By Kenicia Francis
The top three finalists for the Taste of Wadadli Pastry Chef Competition have been announced, taking the country one step further to completing the team that will be sent to The Taste of the Caribbean culinary competition.
The Taste of the Caribbean is a food competition that showcases the flavors and cuisines of the Caribbean region.
Chefs from different Caribbean countries compete in various categories to showcase their culinary skills and creativity.
The Taste of Wadadli is a local food festival that features a variety of exciting competitions, showcasing the talents of chefs and food enthusiasts.
It has evolved from a street festival to a series of competitions to build a culinary team that will compete in The Taste of the Caribbean contest.
Murine Bowers, executive pastry chef at the Curtain Bluff Hotel, and one of the judges for Taste of Wadadli described the event as “the most prestigious culinary competition in the Caribbean.”
Here are the winners from the Wadadli Pasty Chef competition. Tameka Hamilton, from the Blue Waters Resort and Spa, took first place.
She prepared a triple chocolate cake with Antiguan black pineapple accented with watermelon caviar, English Harbor rum sauce, mango paint, and beetroot fluff.
It was described as being presented to the judges with perfection, causing them to not leave any leftovers.
Britanaya Mclaren from the Hermitage Bay Hotel came second.
Her dish was described as absolutely beautiful because of the various ingredients she used – some she picked herself.
She prepared a tropical pistachio and cavalier bread pudding.
In third place, Viva Ingram from Jumby Bay Island Resort prepared a mango and passion fruit bon bon.
Her dessert was described as bursting with flavor.
The winner of the next competition on Saturday, May 11 will be selected as part of the team representing Antigua and Barbuda, and he/she will be hailed as the country’s best pastry chef.
Currently on the team is Altino Spencer, the mixology competition 2022 and 2023 as well as Azarie Crump, winner of the junior chef competition 2023.