AS the countdown to the 2018 SLHTA Chefs in Schools Cook-Off Competition begins, the Castries Comprehensive Secondary School (CCSS)culinary team is gearing up for the big day, along with the other teams in the competition.
Fortunately for them, they have a strong motivator cheering them on – the best kind any school team could wish for. Their teacher, Shiran Bernard (in photo above) participated in the very first competition, back in 2014.
Shiran was a guest of honour at the preparatory workshop that was hosted by the SLHTA for this year’s competitors on Friday (May 18) at the SLHTA Hospitality Training Centre. 15 students are participating in the competition.
A former student of CCSS, Shiran studied culinary arts at Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, and later went on to work at Sandals Grande before becoming a teacher. She was given the opportunity to share her experience with the students.
She told them it was an “exciting and wonderful experience” for her and her teammates. “We gained a lot of experience going into the competition and working with the chefs. We bonded with them and the hotel staff and management – everyone who came to support us and pushed us to do the best that we could,” said Shiran.
She added, “I went into the completion very excited and made many visits to the St James Club Morgan Bay where I worked with a number of chefs, including the executive chef – Chef Fabian who was very skilled and had a knack for improving the flavours of food. My school ended up coming fourth but we weren’t disappointed at all. We gained a lot of experience.
Shiran spoke glowingly about the time she spent working at Sandals Grande. “I got the opportunity to work with both local and international chefs and gained a lot of experience and knowledge. I worked in almost all of the kitchens on the property.”
Not only did she enjoy the experience, Shiran admired the chefs whom she described as talented and ‘very hardworking.’ However, she eventually found it difficult to cope with the long working hours, so she decided to switch to teaching instead.
“I still wanted to stay within the culinary field, so I applied for a teaching position at CCSS. There I was able to share a lot of my experiences and the knowledge I had acquired through the competition and my time at Sandals, with my students” .
Shiran is full of praise for The SLHTA and the TEF. “I would like to thank the SLHTA and the other sponsors, and the TEF for sustaining the programme throughout the years. I’m very appreciative of it, not just for myself but for my students as well. Having been a participant, I always instil in them that it’s a good opportunity,” she said.