Consumer Program Set To Take Place June 29-30, 2014 At Hyatt Regency, Miami
The flavors of the Caribbean will be on full display at the 2014 annual Taste of the Caribbean culinary event scheduled for June 29-30 at the Hyatt Regency, Miami, where consumers will have the opportunity to savor Caribbean creations at a competition lunch, dinner and two bartending events and learn about each of the participating countries at the Taste of the Islands festival.
Presented by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), Taste of the Caribbean is an annual event that highlights the art of Caribbean cooking as it brings together top chefs and bartenders from the region to compete for honors in a variety of food and beverage competitions. This year there will be 10 competing teams from Anguilla, Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire, Curacao, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Suriname and U.S. Virgin Islands.
Consumers can purchase tickets to the Taste of the Islands festival on Sunday, June 29, where they will experience the culture of the Caribbean through a variety of gourmet appetizers and desserts, taste signature cocktails, listen to authentic Caribbean music and gather information about the Caribbean. In addition to exhibits from each of the 10 competing countries there will also be a number of Caribbean restaurants and other providers of Caribbean food and beverages on display.
During Taste of the Islands, consumers can also vote in the “People’s Choice” category to select their favorite culinary dish from participating teams. Consumers who vote in the “People’s Choice” awards will be entered into a drawing for the chance to win a variety of prizes. The Taste of the Islands festival takes place from 5-8 p.m. and ticketsare US$40 per person.
On Monday, June 30, consumers are welcomed to attend the Bartender Non-alcoholic beverage competition from 9-11:30 a.m. and the Bartender Vodka beverage competition from 4:30-7 p.m. to watch as 10 Caribbean bartenders prepare, shake and stir their entries for judging.
Attendees can also watch as teams go head to head in the International Caribbean Culinary Team Lunch Challenge. Taking place from 12-1:30 p.m., the lunch will include three-course meals paired with wines and prepared by teams from the Bahamas, Bonaire, St. Lucia, Suriname and reigning Caribbean Culinary Team of the Year – Barbados. Tickets for the competition lunch are US$50 per person.
The consumer portion of the annual event will close with the Caribbean National Teams Culinary Competition Dinner featuring three-course meals paired with wines prepared by teams from Anguilla, Curacao, Jamaica, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the 2012 Caribbean Culinary Team of the Year Puerto Rico. Tickets for the competition dinner, taking place from 7:30-9:30 pm, are US$50.00.
Consumers can purchase tickets for both the lunch and dinner competition events on Monday, June 30, for US$80 per person. Another package option for consumers is purchasing tickets for the Competition Lunch, Competition Dinner and Taste of the Islands festival for US$115 per person.
Relive the action from the 2013 event with videos presented by Exposure4 including: Taste of the Caribbean 2013 Overview, Judges’ Interviews, Team of the Year, Chef of the Year,Bartender of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year, Junior Chef of the Year, Taste of the Islands.
Taste of the Caribbean is staged by CHTA in conjunction with the following sponsors:
- Host sponsors: MasterCard and Interval International
- Team of the Year sponsors: Aloutte, ANCO and International Dairy Farms
- Event sponsors: Certified Angus Beef, Appellation/Esser Wines, Sonoma County andValrhona Chocolate.
Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association
The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) facilitates the full potential of the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry by serving members’ needs and building partnerships in a socially responsible and sustainable manner. CHTA is the voice of the Caribbean hospitality industry for the development of the region in the highly competitive and sophisticated environment of international tourism. Today, tourism is widely recognized as a pivotal industry in the economy of the region – and CHTA functions as the common denominator for this industry in a region of diverse nationalities, languages and styles, identifying mutual problems and marshaling the resources of the active and allied members to devise solutions. CHTA represents all facets of the hospitality industry with more than 600 member hotels and over 300 allied members. For more information about Taste of the Caribbean visit www.chtatasteofthecaribbean.com and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
