The best chefs and bartenders who serve up food and beverages at some of the top hotels in St. Vincent and the Grenadines were in action last weekend.{{more}}

The kitchen and bar experts, along with suppliers of local food, fruits and services to these hotels and guest houses, were all a part of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Hotel and Tourism Association’s (SVGTHA) Vincy Flavour exhibition, which took place in the parking lot of the cruise ship terminal in Kingstown, on Saturday, February 5.

The event, which was scheduled to take place last November, but was postponed due to heavy rains, was considered a success by its organizers, who indicated that the event is one that is expected to be around for some time to come.

Suppliers to the hotels, like Villamar, Vincy Fresh (formerly Lauders Agro Processors), LIME, Vincy Klus, Diane’s Island Flavours, Kitchen Essentials, the Kinstown Fish market and close to 20 others, also displayed their products for the more than eager, who visited the exhibition to sample and savour the many dishes and drinks that were on hand.

An official from the SVGTHA said that the exhibition, which is in its fourth year, is growing and continues to grow, with enquiries already being made for the next hosting of the event.

The official said that the SVGHTA and the successful competitors will now focus on being a participant in the annual taste of the Caribbean competition, which takes place in Miami, USA.

Last Saturday’s winners included King Fields, a bartender at the Grenadine House Hotel, who won both the non alcoholic category with his ‘Grenadine House Callaloo Creation’ and the St. Vincent Distillers Ltd sponsored rums category with his drink ‘ De Captain’s Cream’.

Second in the non alcoholic category was Gomez Clarke of Chillerz Bar with his concoction of Vincy Paradise, with Uz Hall of the Canouan resort placing third with his ‘Vincy Connection’ mix.

Hall took the second place in the rums category and Clarke, third.

The highly anticipated culinary competition was divided into a junior, intermediate and senior category, with Kufanya Woodley, a student of the SVG Community College’s Division of Technical Education Hospitality Department, taking the top spot in the junior category with her entrée dish called ‘A Vincy Delight’.

Second was Vanelle Matthias, also of the Community College, with her dessert ‘Ripe Banana Coconut Loaf with Pineapple Arrowroot Sauce’.

Gale-Ann Porter of Gale-Ann’s Catering took the top spot in the intermediate category with her production of Vincy Delight, while Canouan Resorts chef Dillon Payne’s ‘Coconut Breaded Jack Fish with Breadfruit Gnocchi and Stewed Callaloo’ placing second and Alita Garraway of Aurora placing third with her ‘Fish Callaloo Soup’.

The senior category was won by Casrick Porter of the Canouan Resorts, who prepared ‘Breadfruit Rings’ filled with ‘Jackfish Vegetable Soup’, and ‘Breadfruit Cream with Batter Fried Jackfish’ on a bed of ‘Dasheen and Corn’.

Young Island’s Resort chef Enos Roberts’ entrée preparation of ‘Coconut Crusted Jackfish with Warm Banana Salad’ and ‘Chilli Callaloo Puree’ took second place and ‘Stuffed Jackfish with Corn Meal Crusted Breadfruit Ball’, ‘Callaloo and Vincy Sweet Corn’, prepared by Timothy Meyers of the Paradise Beach Hotel, placed third.

The event was sponsored by The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority, Courts, St. Vincent Distillers Ltd, IKTV, and Invest SVG.