By Desirée Vichot

While the British Virgin Islands may be known for its crystal-clear waters and breathtaking scenery, it was its culinary achievements that brought these tiny islands and 10 of its chefs to near rock star status. Every year teams of food and beverage experts from across the Caribbean come together to represent their country at the Taste of the Caribbean culinary competition. In 2011, the BVI culinary team rocked the judges and brought home five gold, one silver and three bronze medals.

The Taste of the Caribbean is the one Caribbean food and beverage event that provides an annual opportunity for participants to network, polish professional skills and cheer on colleagues in competitions held before a large audience of industry peers and consumer culinary enthusiasts. It also provides education and inspiration through seminars, workshops, tastings and demonstrations, all of which are designed to enhance a chef's performance, style, profitability and success in food and beverage operations.

And success was definitely the name of the game for the BVI team. After nine months of intense preparation, their hard work paid off when they won a gold medal in the Caribbean Culinary Team of the Year category.

The team comprised Team Manager Chef Caswall Ponte from Little Dix Bay Resort, Head Coach Chef Henry Prince from the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College, Team Captain Chef Kenneth Molyneaux from Treasure Isle Hotel, Chef Imran Ashton from The Moorings, Pastry Chef Ansony Salmon from Peter Island Resort & Spa, Bartender Elton Sprauve from Mine Shaft Café,
Junior Chef Mikhala Bagot, Pastry Chef Macgarvey Thompson, and Junior Chefs Brentfield Lettsome and Jason Dalmida, Jr.

In order to win their gold medal, Team Manager Chef Ponte, Chefs Molyneaux, Ashton and Salmon, Junior Chef Bagot, and supporting Junior Chef Brentfield Lettsome prepared a three-course meal in less than four hours using a basket of mystery ingredients. Dr. Birney Harrigan, Chairman of the BVI Chamber of Commerce and Hotel Association, the presenting organization for the BVI National Culinary Team, said, "The team performed brilliantly and was like a symphony working together." Contributing to the overall team score and Team Gold medal win were the scores of Bartender Sprauve, and Taste of the Islands, the latter of which was coached by Chef Prince.

Team Captain Chef Molyneaux, a talented representative of the BVI's burgeoning world of fine dining, has been making a splash wherever he goes, and the Taste of the Caribbean competition was no different. In addition to the team gold medal, Molyneaux won two gold medals: one in the Chef of the Year category and the other in the Certified Angus Beef category.

Junior Chef Bagot won a gold medal in the Junior Chef of the Year category.  Another special personal win for the BVI went to Bagot who won Junior Chef of the Year for the entire competition, and will be inducted in the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association's Hall of Fame.

The silver medal went to Elton Sprauve in the Bartender of the Year competition and bronze medals went to Chef Salmon in the Pastry Chef of the Year competition, Chef Thompson in the Seafood competition and Chef Ashton in the Ice Carving competition.

Chairman of the Culinary Team Committee, George Chapdelaine, described the team's impressive performance as "stellar!"

Their successes against larger teams, including those from Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad and Tobago, are a testament not only to the culinary prowess of these chefs, but also to the outstanding culinary delicacies the British Virgin Islands has to offer.

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