The 2014 National Culinary Team will now be cashless at the Taste of the Caribbean Competition…..but that’s a good thing!

Bank of The Bahamas Limited has provided the chefs, bartender and ice carver with a beautifully illustrated Pre-paid BOB Card which will be pre-loaded with funds that the Culinary Team will be able to use during their stateside stay.

“BOB is pleased to provide our Visa Prepaid Card as the official travel card of our Gold Medal Winning Culinary Team to the Taste of the Caribbean competition,” said Vaughn Delaney, Deputy Managing Director, BOB. “We are very proud of the team’s outstanding representation of The Bahamas in the Culinary Arts to date. They are among the greatest ambassadors for our country. We believe that they will benefit from the flexibility and convenience of our Visa prepaid card while travelling and competing and we hope that our sponsorship will assist them to yet another victory for The Bahamas.”

“We are most pleased to have the Team use the BOB Prepaid card during this competition.” states Charlotte Knowles Thompson, Executive Administrator with the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA); the organization who, along with industry partners such as the Ministry of Tourism, is facilitating the team’s ability to compete at Taste. “As Team Administrator I have to ensure we adhere to a budget, this is the perfect device to use for purchasing provisions for the competition, within our spending limit!”

The Team will travel to Miami on June 28th 2014 to compete against just under a dozen Caribbean Nations, in what has come to be known as one of the most prestigious Culinary, Cocktail and Ice Sculpting Competitions in the region. Last year the Bahamian Team brought home 13 medals, winning the highest number of medals in the competition: 8 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze Medals. In addition, the 2013 Team won the coveted “Tony Mack Spirit of the Competition Award”, which is awarded to the Team who displays the highest level of team spirit throughout the competition.

“We are very excited about this year’s competition. Bahamian Cuisine is part of our culture; the food, and the beverage cocktails which we consider indigenous to The Bahamas are as rich and diverse as our history” says Suzanne Pattusch, Executive Vice President of the BHTA, “As we seek to showcase that which makes our country unique in an increasingly competitive Tourism Industry, we can look to our Culinary and Cocktail Arts as being one of the best examples of this country’s inherent talent and distinction. We are pleased to have Bank of The Bahamas Limited cross-pollinate their support, from Prepaid Cards to Cuisine”.

Photo-caption

BOB Supports the Team! Pictured from left to right: (seated) Suzanne Pattusch, Executive Director, BHTA; Vaughn Delaney, Deputy Managing Director, BOB; Charlotte Knowles-Thompson, Executive Administrator, BHTA; and Tianya Johnson, Assistant Operations Manager, Card Centre,BOB; (standing)  Marvin Cunningham, Mixologist; and Chefs: Indra Solihan;  Richmond Fowler; Sheldon Tracey Sweeting; Team Co-Lead; Michael Adderley, Team Co-Lead; and Jamaal Small.