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Students get great opportunity to cook with Sandals!

Posted by CaribShout on July 15, 2009 at 11:34pm

Students in Sandals culinary training program will get a chance to work with seasoned chefs at Sandals properties. By: Kayra Williams St. Lucia, July 15, 2009. Sixteen students from secondary and tertiary institutions on the island are set to take advantage of a topnotch culinary training opportunity that was launched on July 8th by Sandals. The students met at Sandals Regency Hibiscus room for an orientation session where staff of the hotel, including managers and chefs, gave inspirational words of advice and told them to make the most of the once in a lifetime opportunity. There’d been over 100 applications for the culinary awards program but Sandals public relations manager Dominic Fedee said the chef had selected some of the very best. Augier, Babonneau, Gros Islet and Castries Comprehensive secondary schools as well as students from the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College were the schools represented. “It’s not everyday that one is provided with an opportunity to get education or to receive training in something that he or she loves and then build it into career,” said Judith Crane St Hill who spoke at the event. “In the case of the culinary arts, it is entirely possible.” The objective of the program was to develop culinary talent in young people and elevate interest in the profession, by cultivating a greater awareness of the culinary arts. St Hill went on to say that if one possessed a gift for cooking and good taste, they would have a bright future in the food service industry. “Over the next twelve weeks you will be immersed in the fast paced world of the hotel industry, building your techniques and skills with hands on learning and personalized attention. The hours will be long and the nature of this work is often very physically demanding. Most of you have a busy social life but I wish to encourage you all to make the very best use of this unique, amazing opportunity.” General manager for Sandals Halcyon, Lennox Dupal, said the launch was another demonstration of Sandals’ commitment toward the advancement of St Lucian communities. He expressed that culinary arts added marketing value to a destination and used the French and “wine and cheese,” as an example. “We need to master the art of using our indigenous products to excite the taste buds and unveil an eye candy to the world,” he said adding that the launch was more that just another set of workshops; it was the first step towards producing more St Lucian executive chefs and transforming the island into a mecca of culinary excellence in the Caribbean. “There’s a big difference between a cook and a chef. We need to teach our young people the difference and encourage more of them to pursue the field.” The lucky sixteen will be broken into three groups and sent to the various Sandals property on island where they will be trained by professionals who have worked and instructed all over the world, at world class hotels, and some of the best culinary institutions on the planet. The highly acclaimed chef Valmont Brown, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu is one of the select trainers who will be part of the program. At the launch Brown said he’d gotten involved with the program, not for financial gain, but to give back. “Doing this for Sandals today is a pleasure,” he said. “When I was first approached I was excited about it. I’m not here to spend 10 or 20 years, I’m just passing through to leave a mark on the Caribbean.” To get a feel of students’ excitement to be part of the culinary awards the STAR spoke with Dwight Degazon who’d just graduated from the Castries Comprehensive Secondary School. The now past student told the STAR he’d been involved with his school’s exquisite cuisine competition. The teen won the school’s 2009 student of the year award at his graduation. “Cooking is a passion for me. I really enjoy it and I’m excited to be part of the program. I’m looking forward to the next three months,” he said. “After this hopefully I’m heading to Sir Arthur Lewis to study food and beverage management.”

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