MIAMI (May 27, 2020) – Caribbean food and beverage industry aficionados have been raising their glasses every Friday evening to toast the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA) new “Limin’ wid Taste” expositions by some of the region’s leading mixologists. Each Friday, CHTA’s Taste of the Caribbean judges unite to bring the hospitality industry and Caribbean enthusiasts together in a celebration of Caribbean flavors, creativity, showmanship, and passion.
The six-week series, which began earlier this month, is a virtual addition to the famed annual Taste of the Caribbean combined culinary competition, food and beverage educational exchange, and Caribbean cultural showcase, which the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic derailed this year. Since 1993, the Caribbean’s best chefs and culinary teams have converged on Taste to compete, demonstrate their skills, and learn from each other, while offering the general public a scintillating exhibition of the most delectable culinary treats of the islands.
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“We’re very pleased with the reach of our Friday limin’ sessions along with the exchange between the panelists and the audience as it highlights Taste of the Caribbean’s role as a facilitator of professional development for the food and beverage community,” said Vanessa Ledesma, Chief Operations Officer of CHTA. She promised the association would carry on serving informative and educational tourism sessions for the industry.
During each session, a featured bartender showcases three drinks: “Cocktail @ Home,” a beverage that you can stir up at home; “The New Norm,” adapting your bar and creating a new experience in a post-COVID world; and “Reimagined Cocktail,” featuring an award-winning Taste cocktail from a previous year’s competition. The first edition of “Limin’ wid Taste” highlighted Trinidad & Tobago’s Raakesh Madoo, who opened and led a discussion on classic cocktails, stressing the importance of understanding the evolution of mixology.
In the second session, Jamaal Bowen of Barbados took viewers on a journey through sustainability and agricultural linkages, which focused on local ingredients and establishing working relationships with local farmers. Last week, Bahamian Marv Cunningham put the focus on culinary cocktails, highlighting the overlap of the culinary and mixology worlds and stressing the importance of diverse training.
On Friday, May 29, Caribbean Bartender of the Year Jurnick Merced of Curaçao will explore “Culinary Tourism”; on Friday, June 5. Shana Rajahram, the 2018 Hall of Famer from Trinidad and Tobago, will examine “The Role of Women in Mixology”; while Ira Claxton of the U.S. Virgin Islands will focus on “Developing your brand” to close out the series on June 12.
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