The Tribune

The 2014 National Culinary Team will be cashless at the Taste of the Caribbean Competition…..but that’s a good thing.

Bank of The Bahamas has provided the chefs, bartender and ice carver with a Prepaid Card that will be pre-loaded with funds the Culinary Team can use during their US stay.

“BOB is pleased to provide our Visa Prepaid Card as the official travel card of our Gold Medal-winning Culinary Team to the Taste of the Caribbean competition,” said Vaughn Delaney, deputy managing director at Bank of the Bahamas.

“We are very proud of the team’s outstanding representation of the Bahamas in the Culinary Arts to date. They are among the greatest ambassadors for our country. We believe that they will benefit from the flexibility and convenience of our Visa prepaid card while travelling and competing, and we hope that oursponsorship will assist them to yet another victory for the Bahamas.”

Charlotte Knowles Thompson, executive administrator with the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), said: “As team administrator I have to ensure we adhere to a budget. This is the perfect device to use for purchasing provisions for the competition, within our spending limit.”

The team will travel to Miami on June 28 to compete against just under a dozen Caribbean nations, in what has come to be known as one of the most prestigious culinary, cocktail and ice sculpting competitions in the region.

Last year, the Bahamian team brought home 13 medals, winning the highest number of medals in the competition: Eight Gold, three Silver and two Bronze Medals. The 2013 team won the coveted ‘Tony Mack Spirit of the Competition Award’, which is awarded to the team who displays the highest level of team spirit throughout the competition.

“We are very excited about this year’s competition. Bahamian Cuisine is part of our culture; the food, and the beverage cocktails, which we consider indigenous to the Bahamas, are as rich and diverse as our history” said Suzanne Pattusch, the BHTA’s executive vice-president.

“As we seek to showcase that which makes our country unique in an increasingly competitive tourism industry, we can look to our culinary and cocktail arts as being one of the best examples of this country’s inherent talent and distinction. We are pleased to have Bank of the Bahamas Limited cross-pollinate their support, from Prepaid Cards to Cuisine.”