Twelve young, aspiring chefs and cooks have returned home to Cayman this week after competing in the World Juniors BBQ League championships, held on 19 Oct. at the BBQ Allstars site in Southaven, Mississippi.
The students, representing high schools across Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac, were among more than 20 students to compete. They showed off their skills in the American competition, dedicated to bringing all things barbecue to teens around the world.
The young pit masters cooked up their best in four categories of the barbecue showdown, including beef brisket, pulled pork, pork ribs and chicken thighs. They secured a fourth-place finish overall, bettering their first appearance last year in which they placed second in one category and fifth place in the others.
Layman E Scott High School student Santos Flores, 13, shared with the Cayman Compass about his first experience in the competition.
“It was really fun. It made me feel good. It made feel like I had something to do. I made a lot of friends throughout the trip,” he said.
He added, “The competition wasn’t that hard because of my teammates. We worked together good, and we did a lot of stuff together.”
Flores said he hopes to become a chef in the future.
The students have cultivated their love for cooking through the Cayman Youth Culinary Programme, the non-profit that seeks to “develop world class leaders and decision makers in and out of the kitchen, and to ensure that young people in the Cayman Islands continue to be part of the tourism and hospitality industry by learning a lifesaving and employable skill”, according to its mission statement.
Director of programme James Myles told the Compass, “It was a very tough competition this year. Our fourth place finishe is a testament to the level of this contest, and we have work to do.
“We felt very welcomed by the barbecue and Christian community this year. It was wonderful to network with the world-renowned barbecue champions and television pit masters at the event, and to be afforded the opportunity to empower, engage and expose so many of our young people to this.”
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