Pegasus Dominates Taste Of Jamaica
Published:Tuesday | December 18, 2018 | 12:00 AMLatara Boodie/Gleaner Writer
The Jamaica Pegasus hotel dominated the Taste of Jamaica Culinary Expo last month at the Montego Bay Conference Centre. The hotel entered 15 culinary experts who portrayed their creativity and prowess in the culinary arts at the two-day event. All 15 chefs were successful, and the renown hotel is proud of the talent and the hard work of their team.
"This was a great experience for me. It was one of my biggest achievements in the culinary industry and I look forward to excelling even more. I was really hungry for the win and so I dedicated all my time to prove my skills. Winning just proved to me what hard work can do and how passionate I am about culinary arts," said Pastry Chef of the Year, ambassador Michael Ellis.
Beef Category Winner, Sheldon Pryce is incredibly grateful for being a part of the winning team. "I developed a lot of experience. I think, as a chef, it has allowed me to grow and shown how much I can do with my talents. It was also my first time entering the competition, so to win as a first timer, I was overjoyed." he said.
Second-place Chef of the Year Shanika Clarke was overjoyed with the results. "I've entered the competition more than once, but this year was different. I was more prepared, and winning gave me the motivation to continue achieving my culinary dreams. As a female chef, it is difficult, but I've broken barriers and will continue to do so," said Clarke.
Team lead and Sous Chef Patrice Malcolm described the training for the team as rigorous because it took place before and after work. "We had to test what complimented some dishes so that we could perfect everything, from the garnish to the meat," he explained. "The team really did well with the limited time they had. Each of them showcased not just their culinary skills, but their level of creativity. Food is art and they've excelled at showcasing that," he continued.
His most memorable moment from the competition was the awarding of the silver medal to Leroy Brown. "When he came to Pegasus he was just learning, and for him to enter Taste of Jamaica for the first time and earn a medal, it was just epic for me. I'm just so proud of him and everyone. We have high expectations of each of the chefs and they represented the hotel and themselves well," said Malcolm.
Preparation for Taste of the Caribbean, which will be held next year in Miami, has already begun. Medallists who scored extremely well will be selected to represent Jamaica in the category they won in.