Culinary students from Bermuda College have today (May 16) jetted off to Chicago to attend a major restaurant exhibition.
They will attend the National Restaurant Association Show at the McCormick Centre, which highlights the latest in restaurant techniques, tools, and technology.
They will get to sample the food on display, attend workshops, and experience the sights and sounds of the huge exhibition.
Dr. Teneika Eve, a senior lecturer at the College and chairwoman of the faculty association within the Division of Business, Hospitality, and Technical Education, said: “For a young culinary mind, it’s a really amazing experience.”
She added: “They are going to walk the floor. Now, if you can imagine, the McCormick Centre is three stories high—the size of a football field—so it is huge, and we will be there for a couple of days.
“For the students, it’s going to be like, ‘Did you see that technology? Did you see that machine? Did you get to taste this new product?’
“It will open up their minds as to what’s outside Bermuda and what’s coming down the pipeline.”
In addition to the exhibition, the itinerary also includes a walking food tour of Chicago’s Chinatown.
“The whole trip is about experiences—about opening the students’ minds, seeing what else is out there,” added Dr. Eve. “I am very excited for them.”
Javontai Bailey, one of the students going, said he was hoping to experience a range of things.
“I want to be able to enjoy the environment, be able to see different things, be able to see what Chicago is like, enjoy the scenery and the different types of food.
“It’s my first time going to Chicago so I really want to experience as much as I can and take it all in.”
When asked what he was looking forward to most, another student, Kalen Jones, added: “I’m looking forward to the NRA food show because I get to experience all the latest technology and the innovations that are coming to the culinary world.”
Dr. Eve added that while the Ministry of Education had provided a $5,000 grant, for the last nine months the students had raised more than $40,000 to fund the trip by holding different events.
“They have done an incredible job to raise that amount of money,” said Dr. Eve. “They’ve been working really hard, and we’ve raised enough money to pay for a hotel, plane tickets, registration for the show, a walking food tour, and transportation.”
She thanked Lindo’s in Devonshire for allowing the students to hold bake sales on their premises and added: “I am very proud of them, and I know this trip will be of enormous benefit.”
The students going are:
Any content which is considered unsuitable, unlawful, or offensive, includes personal details, advertises or promotes products, services or websites, or repeats previous comments will be removed.
User comments posted on this website are solely the views and opinions of the comment writer and are not a representation of or reflection of the opinions of TNN or its staff.
TNN reserves the right to remove, edit or censor any comments.
TNN accepts no liability and will not be held accountable for the comments made by users.