by: Bahamas Information Services
The awards ceremony for the 33rd Annual Bahamas Young Chef 2025 Culinary Competitions, and 9th Annual Bahamas Young Chef Culinary Conference, was held November 21, 2025 at Government High School.
Keynote speaker was Minister of Education and Technical and Vocational Training, the Hon. Glenys Hanna-Martin. Minister Hanna-Martin thanked the teacher mentors, coaches, and partners for their support; in addition to the business community, namely Mahatma Rice, Robin Hood Flour, distributor Asa H. Pritchard Limited; the team of chefs with special thanks to Chief Judge Chef Gerald Rolle, and the participating universities, Johnson & Wales University and St. Thomas University.
Minister Hanna-Martin conveyed thanks to them for investing in the students’ futures.
She left this thought with the students: “Whether your name is called today as a winner or not, do not for one second believe your journey ends here. You have already won, you are not just learning to cook; you are learning to feed a nation, to build an industry, and to tell our Bahamian story.”
Chief Judge Chef Gerald Rolle had these remarks: “Today, we gather to celebrate far more than a competition. We are here to honor creativity, courage, and passion. As I watched each of you prepare your dishes, I didn’t just see recipes being followed, I saw ideas coming to life. I saw talent in its purest form, expressed through colors, textures, aromas, and flavors. And perhaps most inspiring of all, I saw confidence. Confidence in your hands, in your choices, and in your unique culinary voices.
“You have proven today that great cooking is not merely about technique, it is about imagination. It’s about daring to try, daring to taste, and daring to create. And that spirit is what will carry you forward in this beautiful, ever evolving world of cuisine.
“Here in the Bahamas, we are blessed with an incredible tapestry of indigenous ingredients, vibrant fruits, fresh seafood, aromatic herbs, and traditional flavors that tell the story of our islands.”
Chef Rolle said he wished to encourage them to explore, saying: “Let our native ingredients inspire you. Let them spark new ideas, new combinations, and new culinary expressions that honor who we are and where we come from. The world is hungry for authenticity, and you hold the key in your hands.
“As you continue your culinary journey, I urge you to always put your best food forward, yes, your best food, because each dish you create is a reflection of your heart and your perspective.”
He advised, “Keep pushing yourselves. Keep learning. Keep experimenting. The culinary world is vast, exciting, and full of endless possibilities, possibilities that each of you has the potential to shape.”
He told them they are the future of culinary arts, and after witnessing their passion and skill, he felt the future “looks incredibly bright.”
“Never be afraid to mess up, after all as one of your participants stated yesterday — ‘chefs don’t make mistakes, they create new recipes.’
“Congratulations to all of you. Continue to dream, continue to create, and continue to taste your way toward greatness.”
Top performers — winners of medals, cash, prizes, scholarship opportunities were:
Junior High School (14 schools competed) — First place, Claranise Gibson, Central Eleuthera High School; second place, Donella Green, Admiral Ferguson High School, Crooked Island; third place, Shylah Smith, H.O. Nash Junior High School, New Providence; fourth place, Sabrina Bain, Patrick J. Bethel High School, Abaco.
Senior High School (17 schools competed) — First Place, Charity Knowles, Central Eleuthera High School; second place, Antwanique Turner, Bishop Michael Eldon School, Grand Bahama; third place, Ivan Moxey of Program Sure, New Providence, and fourth place, David Cooper, Windermere, Eleuthera.
(BIS Photos)
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