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QUINTESSENTIAL – FOOD & BEVERAGE APPAREL

NCF SUPPORTS LOCAL CHEF TREVON STOUTE

Kitchen, restaurant and bar staff all around the world can now enjoy new, stylish looks thanks to Quintessential by T. Stoute, a line of Food and Beverage apparel, designed by renowned local chef, Trevon Stoute.

Quintessential was funded in part by a National Cultural Foundation grant, and is the apparel partner for the Barbados Food & Rum Festival. The brand has been officially launched this month to coincide with the festival.

Actually, chefs participating in the final upcoming events of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI’s) Food & Rum Festival will be wearing the Quintessental brand.

“I am ecstatic and super, super, happy for the opportunity to have the entire Food & Rum team fully drapped in the apparel. It is an absolutely blessing. The response has been huge. People love what they have been seeing. They love the fit. I am honoured to see the Food & Rum Festival posters plastered on the highway with the chefs in gear my company designed,” the 28-year-old said.

Stoute was also in high praise for the funding and other support provided by the NCF.

“Special thank you to the NCF. The project was a tough undertaking from the get go. It was a very expensive project and the NCF did lend a hand with the grant and I appreciate that. Any help is a big help. The process was a tedious one but it was tedious for a reason. The NCF grant process ensured that I was well-organised and had all my ducks in a row which is good for anyone starting a new business,” he stated.

“Quintessental was born out of a desire to revolutionise apparel in the Food and Beverage industry”, the chef explained.

“Due to the demanding nature of our work, we have been forced to prioritise function over fashion. But our job is about more than flipping pasta or pouring a glass of wine; we create an immersive dining experience, and I believe that we deserve to be a part of that experience as well, starting with the way we present ourselves,” owner and founder said.

Stoute has been one of the major players in Barbados’ culinary scene for several years, representing the island around the world as a culinary ambassador, and has received a number of titles, including Barbados’ Chef of the Year, a Taste of the Caribbean award-winner, and the Hans Schenk Commemorative Awardee.

It is this expertise and experience he has brought to Quintessential, where the pieces have been designed with important elements like water and stain repellence, breathable fabrics, and added features for increased airflow and improved fit.

“Quintessential proves that fashion and function can comfortably coexist. It means the world to me that I’ve been able to design pieces that function like well-oiled machines in the kitchen, while maintaining a superior level of elegance and style the moment you step out of the kitchen.”

Stoute added: “Ultimately, I want our food & beverage teams to feel good about themselves. I want the heart and soul we put into our work to be reflected in the way we present ourselves while on the job.”

The Quintessential line currently includes chef’s coats, mixologist jackets, servers’ shirts and aprons, and is currently offered online with worldwide shipping available. (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