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The Barbados Food and Rum Festival sets out to inspire the next generation of Barbadian cuisine. Under the theme, Feed the Future, the festival is engaging young aspiring chefs on the island with the return of the Junior Chef Cook-Off Competition.
With higher stakes and bigger prizes, 10 contestants will go head-to-head for the most anticipated cook-off competition.
The winner of the Junior Chef Cook-Off Competition will receive a scholarship for an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts at the Jean and Norma Holder Hospitality Institute, an internship at one of Barbados’ premium fine dining restaurants as well as BBD $3,000.
Follow the Journey of the 2024 Contestants via our web series!
Meet Our Jr Chef Quarterfinalists
Aliah Hazzard
Javonte Patrick
Kanye Clarke-Forde
Kenyada Kellman
Makayla White
Matthew Howell
Omari Layne
Shacoby Riley
Shari Weekes
Teneal Dawson
We Cookin’ – The National Food & Rum Competition
Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) will be hosting We Cookin’– The National Barbados Food and Rum Competition from January to December, 2025 as part of the We Gatherin’ Barbados 2025 celebrations..
This competition is a community initiative geared at allowing the most lauded chefs in the community of each parish to compete in a ‘cook off’ for the best pork or fish dish, served with any ground provision, as they vie for attractive prizes. The parish based cook offs will then culminate with a national event where the winning chefs from each Parish Competition will be given the chance to compete for the grand prize at the National Competition in December 2025.
In an effort to support local farmers in the respective communities, as well as those in the fishing industry, the competition will require the participating community members to use local pork or fish and any locally sourced ground provision.
(1) Enter Your Best Pork or Fish Dish
Interested participants may enter via www.foodandrum.com. The top Three (3) will move on to the second round with the live cook-off.
How to enter?
Create a dish that features either pork OR fish, that is served with any ground provision in any variation.
To enter the competition you can:
Upload a photo of you holding the dish and the recipe via www.foodandrum.com
If you do not have access to a computer take your dish and recipe to the Heritage Centre in your parish where a representative will take a photo of you and the dish, and record your contact details.
Your likeness and the dish must be clearly visible in the photo.
The top three (3) entries will be chosen by a panel of judges with the winners announced at least one week prior to the Cook Off. The three finalists will be contacted by the BTMI.
Prior the Live Cook-Off, all parish finalists will be required to attend a short briefing sessions with regards to the conduct of the competition.
All successful applicants are required to be in possession of a valid certificate of good health (Food Handling Certificate) from a registered medical practitioner.
Applicants must habitually live within the parish and may be required to provide proof of residence (Utility bill).
(2) Parish Competition – Live Cook-Off
The Live Cook-Off of competition will take place typically on the last Saturday of each month, featuring the top three (3) cooks who will re-create the dish featured in their submitted entry photo. The winner will be chosen by a panel of judges. The judges’ decision is final.
BTMi will provide the equipment such as stove, fridge, grill and utensils, cutlery and crockery to be used in the Cook off.
Contestants will receive a stipend of BDS$150 to purchase the items for the cook off.
(3) National Competition – National Live Cook-Off
The winners from each of the eleven (11) parishes will “face-off” in a National Competition in December 2025 in order to determine the overall Best Community Cook..
Terms & Conditions – We Cookin’ – The National Food & Rum Competition
1. Who is eligible for this promotion?
This contest is open to persons who habitually reside within the parish. Applicants may be required to provide proof of residence within the parish.
2. Winning Contestant
The winner of the competition will be chosen by a panel of judges at the Live Cook Off. The winner will then qualify for the National Competition to be held in December 2025.
3. Who is NOT eligible for this promotion? Persons in any of the following categories are NOT eligible to participate or win prizes:
Any person who at any time on or after May 1, 2017 was or is a director, officer, employee, agent of BTMI.
Individuals engaged in the development, production or distribution of materials for the Promotion of this competition (collectively the Promotion Entities).
Professional Chefs- those that work as chefs in Restaurants, hotels, are culinary ambassadors or awardees.
4. BTMI hereby specifically reserves the right to terminate, cancel, suspend and/ or modify the promotion if any fraud, virus or other technical problem corrupts the administration, security, safety of the promotion, as determined by BTMI in its sole discretion.
5. BTMI reserves the right to at any time vary the terms of the Promotion, to amend its Terms and Conditions, or to withdraw the Promotion. In any of these events notice will be given via media advertisements or messages to customers or via its social media platforms and will be effective immediately or as of the date referred to in such notifications.
6. BTMI cannot be held responsible if any or all included prizes are unavailable for any reason, including any natural or unnatural occurrence.
7. Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. reserves the right to disqualify any contestant for reasonable cause.
8. Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. reserves the right to post, publish or otherwise use any image entered in this promotion.
9. Contestants must agree to be included in any promotional video or photographic promotion of the contest or Barbados Food & Rum.
10. Contestants must be able appear in person on the communicated day of competion in their respective parish.
11. This is no way sponsored, administered or associated with Instagram or Facebook.
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