Jamaica’s first gastronomy academy is to be established on the grounds of the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James.
The announcement was made recently by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett during his Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives.
“We’re going to be training sous chefs there because we have the best kitchen in the Caribbean right there at the convention centre and it seems almost a waste if you just save it for meetings and conventions when you can use it to upscale and upgrade your people to be able to have mobility and portability,” said Bartlett.
Bartlett in his presentation spoke to an expedited Sous Chef Development Programme. He said it will be done in collaboration with local hotel partners, the American Culinary Federation and the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation which has structured the programme.
Under the programme, six local chefs will mentor 25 candidates each over six months, ensuring they acquire specific skills and garner the support of leading executive chefs in the country. Following this phase, candidates will undergo further training overseas to enhance their expertise.
Bartlett also announced that the government is looking at the “building out of the promised Tourism Entertainment Academy”.
He told the House that “this is very important because every industry has its peculiarities and so, your discipline may be broad and it covers everything, but my discipline is narrow and it only covers some things. So, for you to be relevant and to be appropriate in your application, you must be trained and developed to manage the process that I have, and to be able to deliver on what I require”.
“We believe that there are qualified, top-notch producers in Jamaica. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, we don’t have to go anywhere to bring faculty, we can utilise those who we have,” Bartlett added.
He said the designs have been completed “and we will have our entertainment academy ready in short order”.
