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JUNIOR CHEF COOK OFF COMPETITION CONTESTANTS SELECTED

Twelve aspiring chefs have been selected to take part in the 2023 Junior Chef Cook Off Competition.

This year, the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc remains committed to empowering the next generation of Barbadian chefs. This was made evident at the official media launch of the Junior Chef Cook-Off Competition, held on July 10th.

The Junior Chef Cook-Off Competition, which is a signature Festival event, epitomizes the overall Festival’s theme of ‘Feed the Future’. The finals take place on Saturday, October 21^st from 4pm-7pm at the Bajan Fair.

The Most Anticipated Cook-Off

Twelve young aspiring chefs will go head to head, in an immersive training period, honing their skills under the mentorship of the esteemed Chef Peter Edey.

Then the top participants will face off, putting their skills and creativity to the ultimate test.

(Back row L-R) Dejuan Toppin, Raphael Blenman, Kobe Balgobin, Gabrielle Bynoe, Rojae Griffith.(Front row L-R) Reese-Ann Alleyne, Domonique Grant, Sian Edwards, Ashonnia Taitt and Jade Harewood.

(Front row L-R) Reese-Ann Alleyne, Domonique Grant, Sian Edwards, Ashonnia Taitt and Jade Harewood.

“The Festival has been with us now for 12 years and we thought that if we were to have any longevity then we really needed to ensure that we develop the stars that will be the future of the Barbados Food and Rum Festival,” said Aprille Thomas, Director of Public Relations and Corporate Communications at the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.

She added that this year a tourism component will be introduced to the competition so participants will be out in the field during the training process to get hands-on experience. This year the entire competition will be filmed and curated similar to MasterChef Junior and Chopped Junior

After a selection process conducted by a panel of judges, twelve individuals ranging from 16-21 years old were chosen to compete in the competition. The selected contestants are Reese-Ann Alleyne, Kobe Balgobin, Raphael Blenman, Gabrielle Bynoe, Achon Callender, Sian Edwards, Dejuan Toppin, Dominique Grant, Mya Thornhill, Rajae Griffith, Jade Harewood and Ashonnia Taitt.

The Competition

The Junior Chefs will undergo an 8-week training which will include culinary and destination tours, challenges and elimination rounds. For most of the rounds, contestants will work as individuals, however, there will be the occasional team challenges.

The final eight contestants will then compete in the semi-finals and the top four will battle in the finals to see who the next Junior Chef Champion will be.

Empowering the Next Generation

The Cook-Off Competition was first established in 2022, where two winners received scholarships to the Jean and Norma Holder Hospitality Institute. This year the stakes are higher, and the prizes are even bigger as one winner will receive BBD $3000 cash, a scholarship to the Caribbean Cuisine Culinary Institute and an internship at the historic Crane Resort Barbados.

Though The Crane Resort has partnered with the Festival over the years, this is the first time the resort will be sponsoring an internship at one of their top restaurants.

Christopher Forbes, General Manager at The Crane Resort stated he is looking forward to welcoming the winner of the Junior Chef Cook-Off Competition to his team and providing them with the opportunity to experience different types of cuisine.

“The winner will be able to experience the pace in any of the restaurants as well as the cuisine while working with the ladies and gentlemen at the back and front of the house. They will able to see the movement of a large resort over a three-month period,” he explained.

Supporting Aspiring Chefs

The finals for the Junior Chef competition will be held in front of a live audience on October 21st, 2023, at the Bajan Fair, which is a new family-friendly event added to this year’s Festival. Admission for the Junior Chef Cook-Off Competition finals is $USD 15.

Tickets for the Festival including Junior Chef will be available for purchase on Friday, July 14^th at foodandrum.com. (PR)

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SPECIAL POLLING DAY NOTICE

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FundAccess To Host Legal Clinic Workshop from May 13th

Entrepreneurs will soon get another opportunity to learn about critical legal matters that are key to the operation of their businesses.

FundAccess will be hosting The Legal Clinic Workshop, which will commence on Tuesday, May 13, and continue each Tuesday, until May 27, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The workshop will be facilitated by Attorney-at-law Ondene Kirton and participants will discuss Understanding Business Legal Structures; Contracts & Agreements; Employment Law & Compliance; and Examination of the Various Laws Relating to Small Business.

During those sessions, the participants will be exposed to sole proprietorship, partnerships, corporations – pro and cons; how to choose the right legal structure for a business; the importance of contracts in business operations; avoiding common contract pitfalls; and employee rights & employer responsibilities, among others. Some of the pieces of legislation to be examined include the Employment Rights Act and National Insurance and Social Security Act.

Interested persons may attend the workshop in person at FundAccess’ Pinfold Street, Bridgetown location, or online via the Zoom Platform. To register, click on the following link: https://bit.ly/3Fu09Jv.

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Centenarian Built On Firm Foundation Set By Grandmother

“Trust God first” is the mantra of one of Barbados’ newest centenarians, Athelstan Browne, who celebrated his 100th birthday on April 29, 2025, at his home in Montrose, Christ Church, surrounded by family and friends.

One of his specially invited guests was President of Barbados, Her Excellency, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason.

Mr. Browne shared that he grew up “not knowing a mummy” as his mother passed away at age 23, when he was two years old, and his brother was only one year old.

Crediting his grandmother for his upbringing, Mr. Brown remarked: “I had a real good, good grandmother that raised two of us, and everything we learn before we went to school, she taught us.”

Pointing to a humble yet deeply religious upbringing, Mr. Browne said: “I and my brother slept on the floor. Our grandmother spread things down there, and she just put the pillow under our head.”

He recalled that they had to sing the hymn “Under the Blood” before going to bed, and first thing in the morning before they had breakfast, which usually consisted of “a cup of tea and two biscuits”. Adding that the hymn was “our song”, Mr. Browne sang the hymn from memory.

Stressing that his grandmother was a great provider, he noted: “My grandmother had land, and she would work the land…. We would eat raw potato, raw okras, (green) peas, cucumbers…. The only thing we did not eat was raw yams and eddoes.”

Mr. Browne continues to enjoy his ground provisions “with a little rice”, as he likes his rice with green peas, and if available, chicken boiled with the rice. “I am a fish man,” he remarked, eating it either fried or with a “stew sauce”.

Continuing to nurture his Christian beliefs, he joined the Mount Ararat United Holy Church (currently in Dayrell’s Road, Christ Church) in 1967, at age 33, and has continued there ever since.

Once the Superintendent of the Sunday School at the church, Mr. Browne is still instrumental in providing leadership to the youth there. “I have a crowd of young people at church that love me…especially when I have to talk to them…. It is what they should hear and what they should have,” he said.

The centenarian was raised in Montrose, Christ Church, and attended the Christ Church Boys’ School (now Milton Lynch Primary School). After leaving school, Mr. Browne initially took to agriculture but then worked cutting soft stone in two quarries in Christ Church.

In 1947, at the age of 22, he decided to join the US Farm Labour Programme and took the first Pan American Airlines flight out of Barbados. Over 10 years later, Mr. Browne returned to Barbados and married Monica Browne (deceased). Together, they built the house where he currently resides.

Returning to his roots in agriculture, the centenarian worked at the Ridge Plantation, Christ Church, until retirement. He also planted and reaped ground produce at home, as well as planted and cut canes.

Mr. Browne, who is generally in good health and has a sharp memory, still works around the home and enjoys reading, which he does without glasses. He also keeps in touch with his family in New York and North Carolina, and will do some travelling, but he is always ready to return home.

After toasting the centenarian, Her Excellency remarked: “You are in the midst of a lot of love, and I am sure you are going to enjoy the rest of your birthday. I am really happy to have met you. I am grateful for the work that you still continue to do with our young people because a lot of them lack direction, and we, nowadays, don’t take enough time to sit down and speak with them…. We don’t remind them that they are important, that they are somebody.”

Mr. Browne responded: “You got to make them understand what … the Lord expects of them… We have to acknowledge the Lord.”

Mr. Browne has two children, 10 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. (PR/GIS)

Caption: President of Barbados, Her Excellency, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason, and Barbados’ newest centenarian Athelstan Browne take a walk outside during his birthday celebrations in Montrose, Christ Church