By Kathryn Campbell
A malfunctioning oven did not deter her completely. In fact, her Abaco Crab and Chicken Duff and Marsh Harbour Guava Rice Cheese Cake landed her in the top spot of the senior high division of this year’s Young Chef Culinary Competition.
With only two minutes left on the clock to complete her dishes, Mia Adderley discovered that the oven she was assigned to was not heating.
“The oven felt as if it was heating, but it was not. I actually used two different bakers so I could get my dishes out. It discouraged me but I made it this far,” she said.
Mia transferred from Patrick J. Bethel High School, Abaco, to Doris Johnson Senior High School after Hurricane Dorian in September 2019. The transition wasn’t easy and Mia was uncertain of her ability to compete.
“My teacher believed in me,” she said. “We practised every day after school until 9 pm sometimes.”
Mia was among the twelve students, representing 8 schools, who displayed their culinary skills in Phase 2 of the New Providence District contest to the theme, ‘Preserving Our Heritage: Exploring Bahamian Gastronomy.’
The 28th annual regional competition, sponsored by Mahatma and Robin Hood, was held recently at Doris Johnson Senior High School and judged by chefs Clement Williams, Theodore Burrows, Celeste Smith, Gerald Rolle and Jimmy Dean. The professional chefs tasted the dishes, assessed the students’ performance, provided critiques of each dish and offered ideas to improve them.
Chef Rolle described the students’ level of skill in this year’s competition as “good”.
“The knife skills, sanitation practices and techniques performed today were better than last year. Hats off to the coaches in preparing the students for today,” he said.
He highlighted and congratulated the three males (Santone Pugh, Doris Johnson Senior High School; Ashton Newbold, Government High School and Tevin Wright, C.R. Walker Senior High School) who participated in the competition. “I wish we could have more males join,” said Chef Rolle.
Raquel Turnquest, Acting Education Officer, explained the process.
“Once each school has chosen an individual candidate we move to Phase 2, which is the district competition or island competition.
“Any school that has a hospitality and tourism studies program is allowed to enter one entrant along with schools that have a food and nutrition program at the senior level.
“The top 2 students from each one of the junior and senior high competitions go to the Nationals. The National round is the final round of competition which will takes place the week of March 16-20, 2020.”
Ms. Turnquest said the competition is an expensive venture but it provides an opportunity for parents, teachers and the industry to work together.
“Parents have to come up with ingredients to do experiments, work on dishes and refine them. I encourage Family and Consumer Science Teachers to reach out to hotels, restaurants and private chefs who are already executing at that level because exposing that young chef to somebody in the industry brings the teachers and the students’ skills up higher. If they forge relationships with hotels and restaurants they might get a better result,” said Ms. Turnquest.
“We also ask the schools, once they’ve had a school run- off in November, to make a little investment in the student that’s representing their school. The ingredients are expensive and it calls for continuous practice.
“We need more principals to come on board, perhaps to include the Young Chef school-based competition as part of their inter-house competitions. The houses can get awarded points for whoever is winning at the school-based level to encourage greater participation.
Santone, who finished 8th place in the 2018 competition, emerged as the second place winner. His rice dish: ‘Tropical Sunrise’; flour dish: ‘Peas Soup on a Clear Day.’ Santone and Mia will move on to the nationals in March.
Anyenna Neymour, Kingsway Academy; Shania Clarke, Aquinas College; Kayla Ellis, Aquinas College; Anyah Coke, Anatol Rodgers; Valexia Saint-Ange, C. C. Sweeting; Nahijah Laramore, C.C. Sweeting; Aliesha Carey, Bahamas Academy of Seventh Day Adventists; and Alleyah Forbes, Government High School were the other participants.
Mia Adderley, a student of Doris Johnson Senior High School, is the winner of the 28th annual Young Chef Culinary Competition (New Providence district). Mia beat out Santone Pugh, also a student of Doris Johnson Senior High School, who finished 2nd and Anya Coke of Anatol Rodgers who placed 3rd. Mia and Santone will move on to compete in the Nationals which will be held in March. Keyshan Bastian, Assistant Director of Education and Raquel Turnquest, Acting Education Officer are shown viewing some of the dishes. Students prepare, and talk about their dishes to the judges. Some of the dishes prepared by students are shown.
(BIS Photos/Derek Smith)
