Chefs brush up on skills with international expert

In an effort to inspire local chefs to keep spicing up menus across the country, for the last four years the Belize Tourism Board has been sponsoring a series of instruction courses for all manner of cooks. One such course ended today at the Institute for Technical Vocational Education and Training in Belize City. News Five’s Kendra Griffith reports.

Kendra Griffith, Reporting
There was a whole of chopping, stirring, baking, and frying going in the ITVET kitchens this morning as the participants in the Advance Culinary Training Course whipped up their last meal.

June McKoy, Cook, Fido’s Restaurant and Bar
“I am making the callaloo right now. … It consists of coconut milk, chicken stock, thyme, okra, and that’s all sautéed in a pan.”

Trinell Smith, Chef, Robert’s Grove
“We’re doing plantain with bacon and garlic.”

The eighteen cooks, chefs, and caterers all came to class with at least two years experience under their belts. But none could pass up the opportunity to study for five-days with Professor Phillip Crispo of the Culinary Institute of America.

Phillip Crispo, Facilitator
“This course is designed for cuisines of Latin America so we looked at all southern and central American cuisines and then we spend some time talking about ingredients and some of the history and the cultures that influence the cuisines then we come into the kitchen, I do a couple of demonstrations and then basically the students have complete recipes, quite comprehensive recipes, and then they go ahead and produce that food.”

After cooking, teacher and students eat and critique.

Phillip Crispo
“We keep one plate of everything so we sit down and eat buffet style and when we are all done, when we’re cleaned up, we come back into the classroom situation again and I take each dish and I talk to them about it; what we liked, what we thought we could improve on and then also talk about other things like presentation techniques, which hold true for any cuisine.”

Improved presentation techniques and a desire to do better in the Taste of Belize competition is what compelled Stephanie Crawford to take the course.

Stephanie Crawford, Head Chef, Barton Creek Outpost
“I came in like fifth this time and I think that I did something wrong somewhere, so I decide to take this course. This is my first course actually and I said I am gonna do it just to improve either in my plating, either in some flavour that I fell short, and I’ve learnt a lot.”

Kendra Griffith
“So we could look fi you inna a first place spot next year’s Taste of Belize?”

Stephanie Crawford
“Sure, between one and three.” [laughs]

But while this is Crawford first time, Trinell Smith, who’s been toiling in the Robert’s Grove kitchens for almost ten years, has taken about four.

Trinell Smith, Chef, Robert’s Grove
“There’s a lot to learn out here and I like challenges”

Kendra Griffith
“What are some of the tips you picked up this week?”

Trinell Smith
“The tips that I have picked is the way how to set soupy stuff in bowls and also what goes with what. Especially when you are dealing with hot sauces or anything hot, you gotta put in something with lime or sugar to cool off the heat.”

With all those pots on the stove, there was a lotta heat in the kitchen, but the chefs didn’t seem to mind.

June McKoy, Cook, Fido’s Restaurant and Bar
“Love it! We have a lot of fun, while cooking.”

Darwin Pitts, Princess Hotel and Casino
“It’s gotta be something you enjoy, if not it’s not for you. The long hours standing on your feet, getting burnt on a regular, getting cut on a regular, but it’s what I do, I do well, and I enjoy it. ”

Phillip Crispo
“It’s an industry, a global industry that you cannot do if you don’t have a passion for food and these guys certainly have a passion and their food this week has been fabulous.”

The course is funded by the Belize Tourism Board and at closing ceremonies this afternoon, Director of Tourism Tracy Panton, applauded the chefs for improving their standards.

Tracy Panton, Director of Tourism
“We’d like to congratulate each of you for taking the initiative to sharpen your skills so to speak. The culinary arts is a very important and maybe critical part of the overall tourism experience. Through the culinary arts we celebrate the diversity of our culture, the diversity of our people, it certainly helps us to promote our locally made produce, goods and services that we offer here in Belize. It helps us to distinguish ourselves, to have an identity.”

The chefs will now return to their own kitchens with new skills and a certificate from the Culinary Institute of America. Kendra Griffith reporting for News Five.

According to the B.T.B., the course was an investment of approximately twenty-five thousand dollars.