[*Note: See photos of all four teams in the print-newpaper or via digital subscription.]
If you didn’t get to experience the magic yourself, you’ve definitely heard the buzz around the Caribbean Baking Competition, which transformed St. Maarten into the Caribbean’s baking capital on Saturday, July 25, and Sunday, July 26. The exciting weekend brought the region’s finest bakers, pastry artistes, culinary entrepreneurs and food lovers together at ALEEZE Convention Center & Event Hall to celebrate talent, passion, creativity and cultural flavours.
Sunday’s elegant All-white Gala honoured a total of 65 nominees from 17 Caribbean islands and territories, and revealed the winners of Saturday’s competition. While we can’t name them all here, the website listed below has full descriptions of all honourees/ awardees. This article centres on Saturday’s Ultimate Caribbean Cultural Bake-off, where contestants poured their soul into creating flavourful, elaborate, multi-tiered masterpieces, as well as separate “tasting cakes” within a tight four-hour timeframe.
The tasting cakes incorporated the mystery ingredient for this year – guavaberry rum. The pressure was palpable as the bakers brought their visions to life, step by step and layer by layer. MC Rummer kept the mood light and the audience involved.
While eight groups had been expected to take part, only four ended up going through with the competition: The Wishmakers from St. Maarten, Baking Harmony from Trinidad and Tobago, Kaieteur Bakers from Guyana, and Flavor Masters Possé from Trinidad and Tobago. They were evaluated on creativity and artistic design, technical execution, Caribbean theme representation, use of mystery ingredient, taste and flavour profile, presentation, and visual impact.
The judging panel comprised prestigious chefs with diverse and impressive careers in the industry. Son of the soil, Chef Kareem Brooks from St. Martin was joined by Chef Nadine Anthony from Antigua & Barbuda; Chef Dominic Datt, based in Guyana and originally from Trinidad; and Celebrity Chef Lincoln Alexander from Detroit – all of whom flew in especially for the competition.
Speaking to The Weekender, the judges all expressed what an honour it was to be there, and how they found the competition to be a unique, meaningful, and impactful event for the entire region, and an excellent showcase of Caribbean talent.
“The talent I’ve seen today was tremendous,” said Chef Dominic Datt at the end of the competition. “All four teams portrayed some great talent, some great skills, and I’m truly, truly proud of seeing this coming from the Caribbean because this is literally one of the only competitions that speaks ‘baking’ for the Caribbean.”
“Seeing everyone come together and seeing the diaspora of the Caribbean represented here today was just amazing, because I haven’t seen anything like this before” said Celebrity Chef Lincoln Alexander, for whom a Caribbean baking competition was a first-time experience. “I am so proud of everybody for representing their countries and representing excellence and cake artistry. This is a phenomenal event…”
The event’s visionary founder, Shanda Webster-Glasgow, also expressed how amazed she was with the beautiful results. She had had high expectations but the level of execution had still left her impressed.
“When you look at our cake, you’re not just seeing layers, you’re seeing St. Maarten,” the Wishmakers told the judges as they presented their final piece. They had drawn inspiration from the many nationalities that call St. Marten home and included images of Ruby Bute, Tanny and the Boys, Lionel Bernard Scot (L.B.Scot), Claude Wathey, King Beau Beau, and Emilio Wilson – as well as a flamboyant tree; references to carnival, monuments, tourism and our crystal clear waters; the Court House, which was its own layer; and the St. Maarten and Unity flags side by side. The tasting cake was a decadent chocolate mud cake with guavaberry rum infused into the batter and icing, the fruit into the filling, and paired with another cheesecake filling. The team did the island proud, claiming three awards for Best use of Mystery Ingredient, Best Taste & Flavor Cake, and People’s Choice.
Baking Harmony presented what was by far the most surprising reveal, as most decorations were placed on one side, which had been facing the opposite direction of the audience. The team was also commended for having to work through extra difficulties, including needing to start over with the tasting cake more than halfway through the competition. They also had setbacks including equipment needing to be replaced, and even some ingredients they were travelling with being taken away at the airport. Despite the stress, the team powered through and ultimately won Best Cake Design. “You blew us away when that cake turned around,” Chef Dominic Datt said, and repeated for emphasis. The team described their cake as “a love letter to the destination. In Trinidad & Tobago, love isn’t just celebrated, it’s celebrated with rhythm, colour, flavour, and soul.” Design elements included symbols of the country’s carnival, flora, and fauna, as well as a couple in an intimate and magical sunset scene. The tasting cake was vanilla, spiced with cinnamon and flavoured with guavaberry rum which was incorporated both in the batter and crumble and used to soak the cake.
Kaieteur Bakers created an impressive four-tier cake, with two tiers being upright heart shapes. In their presentation, they tied the colours of the prominent Guyanese flag to the virtues of marriage. They also incorporated a magnificent waterfall, the national bird and flower, and the pattern of a white wedding gown. The tasting cake was a rich coconut sponge, covered in a guavaberry rum buttercream. After the competition, they shared with us that it was their first time participating in a cake competition, and called it a “remarkable experience”. The team won Best Cake Presentation.
The Flavor Masters Possé brought the story of a bride and groom to life in their wedding cake design, and also incorporated flavours from this love story into their tasting cake. Recapping a love story of the bride from St. Maarten and the U.S., and the groom from Trinidad, the design elements included a flower from their first date, Trinidad’s carnival, the national bird, and a picturesque sunset. Another nod to the special couple was the incorporation of pecan pie and peach cobbler into the filling of the tasting cake. Its base was banana cake, and the mascarpone cream cheese Chantilly at the top was infused with guavaberry. One of the teammates had participated in last year’s competition, while the other had never taken part in one. They both told us that they loved the experience, and were proud of how the final product came out. This team won the award for Best Storytelling Cake.
For descriptions of all of nominees/awardees, competition teams, judges, and organisers of the Caribbean Baking Awards, make sure to check out the new, specially made magazine on the event via www.caribbeanbakingawards.com. Follow the Caribbean Baking Awards on Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date on developments and to see more pictures and videos of the event.
This has been the third edition of the Caribbean Baking Awards, and the event is slated to be hosted in St. Maarten from now on (it was previously held in the British Virgin Islands). Next year’s dates have already been announced, so plan ahead, share with friends, and don’t miss out on the excitement!
