Willemstad - On Tuesday, CHATA announced the new bartenders of the Curaçao Culinary Team 2018. The bartenders together with the 5 winning chefs of the culinary competition of last Saturday will represent Curaçao internationally at the Taste of the Caribbean competitions in Miami next year.
Every year, CHATA holds a Culinary Competition for local chefs and bartenders in order to select the new members of the Curaçao Culinary Team. The Curaçao Culinary Team consists of 4 chefs, 1 pastry chef and 2 bartenders. During the course of that year the members of the team will receive regular trainings and coaching sessions by local and international culinary professionals in order to prepare them for the Culinary Competitions in Miami.
On Tuesday, 7 bartenders competed for the honors of becoming part of the new Culinary Team. The winner was selected by a group of elite judges consisting of international judge Raakesh Madoo (CHTA - Taste of the Caribbean Head Judge), Fenton Thomasita (Bartender Association) and Vanessa Venturini (General Manager - Papagayo Beach Club). The proud sponsors of the bartender competition are: Acoya Hotel Suites & Villas, Curaçao Tourist Board , Dani's Fruit Center, Dutch Treat, Firgos, Gidiana's Catering, Licores Maduro, The Jongs Trophies, Contemporaneous Events, and Point Snack.
During the competition the bartenders had to present 3 drinks, one using Rum (Bacardi Rum), Vodka (Greygoose) and one Non Alcoholic drink. After this all finalists moved to the next round where they had to prepare a drink out of a Mystery Basket. Based on the scoring of all the rounds the judges announced the winner and runner up of the evening. The winner of the evening was Jurnick Merced from Sprock Distilleries and the runner up was Girainey Muskus from Renaissance Curaçao Resort & Casino.
CHATA also wants to congratulate the following participants for signing up and showcasing their talents at the bartender competitions:
| Name | Property |
| Brairon Juliana | Renaissance Curaçao Resort & Casino |
| Luis Parra | Renaissance Curaçao Resort & Casino |
| Rileyson Frans | Avila Beach Hotel |
| Harol Ovieda Maceo | Hilton Hotel Curaçao |
| Ricardo Allen | Hilton Hotel Curaçao |
The new Curaçao Culinary Team 2018 consists of the following participants:
|
Name |
Type of Chef | Property |
| Jereld Balentien | Senior Chef | Nemo Restaurant |
| Jevgeny Hasselmeyer | Assistant Chef | Renaissance Curaçao Resort & Casino |
| Sjagnon Winklaar | Pastry Chef | Renaissance Curaçao Resort & Casino |
| Brayan Arroyo | Junior Chef | Hilton Hotel Curaçao |
| Jonathan Pietersz | Junior Chef Runner Up | Renaissance Curaçao Resort & Casino |
| Jurnick Merced | Bartender | Sprock Distilleries |
| Girainey Muskus | Bartender Runner Up | Renaissance Curaçao Resort & Casino |
| Carlos Anthonij | Team Manager | Nemo Restaurant |
The Curaçao Culinary Team 2018 is now ready to start preparing for the competitions of the Taste of the Caribbean. For more information and updates about the journey of the Curaçao Culinary Team 2018 to the Taste of the Caribbean competitions in June 2018 please visit www.facebook.com/CHATACuracao.
