The Mouse That Roared

Anguilla National Culinary Team took home top medals in every category at the Taste of the Caribbean finals and Glendon Carty was voted the Caribbean's Top Chef

After winning a TEAM GOLD medal in Saturday's competition, Anguilla swept the medal board on the second day of competition at the TASTE of the CARIBBEAN on Sunday June 14th. The young Anguillian Team confirmed without doubt Anguilla’s position as the premier culinary destination in the Caribbean. Team Captain Chef GLENDON CARTY (of Ripples and Cap Juluca), a 35 year old Anguillian, gained a Gold Medal for his performance and was subsequently voted overall ‘CARIBBEAN CHEF of the YEAR 2009" - a highly respected and sought after accolade.

It was definitely Anguilla's night as his fellow team members ALL placed highly and won medals in the competition - beating out culinary giants Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica for a raft of Medals. The level of support and enthusiasm from the crowd of Caribbean Professionals, Hoteliers and Press for Anguilla's 'Mouse that Roared' performance was extraordinary.

Pastry Chef COLIN YEARWOOD (Cuisinart Resort & Spa) came second in the individual pastry competition and won a silver medal. Team Chefs JUSTIN HUGHES (Cap Juluca & Sirena) and Darren Conner (Cusinart & Da Vida) won Silver and Bronze medals in the individual Chef Competitions. In addition, Anguilla won Bronze medals for Chef DEAN SAMUELS Team Managers Presentation and a Bronze Medal and special award for "Most creative" for CATHERINE NILES (Cap Juluca) in the Bar Tender Competition. All in all Anguilla won an amazing 6 Team Golds, 2 Individual Golds, 2 Individual Silvers and 3 Individual Bronzes - meaning they topped the ‘Medal table’ at the Competition - the Caribbean's Culinary Olympics. This is the highest position an Anguillian Chef or an Anguillian Team has ever achieved in the Taste of the Caribbean Competition. Anguilla has never won CHEF of the YEAR title before and Glendon will make regional history as the first Anguillian to do so.

Sherille Hughes, the President of the AHTA said "We are overwhelmed with pride in our Anguillian Team. They have practiced so hard for the last 18 months and all their hard work has paid off. Our only sadness is that the team members from previous years - who laid the groundwork for this great success - were not there to celebrate with us and enjoy their part of the glory."

This fantastic achievement would not have been possible without the generous support of the team's sponsors/funders: The Anguilla Tourist Board, The Department of Youth and Culture, Ripples Restaurant, Veya Restaurant, Cap Juluca, Cusinart Resort & Spa and Anguilla Rums.

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Notes: Glendon Carty, Taste of the Caribbean Chef of the Year has been a Chef for over 15 years. All Glendon’s training has taken place on island in Anguilla but he has worked with many internationally acclaimed Chefs. He received his initial training from Vernon Hughes at Cinnamon Reef. He then completed 1 year at ICI Restaurant at Sonesta Hotel. He has been the Executive Chef at Ripples Restaurant in Sandy Ground for 9 years and he also works part time at Cap Juluca. Glendon participated previously in the Taste of the Caribbean Competition in 2004 and in 2007 (where he competed in the Chef of the Year competition and won a Silver Medal). Glendon is passionate about the competition and had been instrumental in encouraging a number of young Anguillian Chefs to believe in their talents and get involved.

Notes on Taste of the Caribbean Competition: The Taste of the Caribbean Competition is the premier Culinary Competition in the Caribbean. It is organized by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association. This year 13 island Nations (Anguilla, Angtigua, Barbados, BVI, Curacao, Puerto Rico, St Maarten, Suriname, Grenada, Jamaica, St Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago and USVI.