The dates are now set for the Cayman Culinary Society’s annual culinary competition, the 20th year of this exceptional showcase of Cayman’s culinary skills when the islands’ top industry professionals will be on hand to test their ability in this gastronomic showdown.

The competition will be a two day event hosted by The Ritz-Carlton on 2 and 3 November, followed by a gala dinner and awards ceremony on 4 November. The first day of competition will consist of a cold salon which will be closed for judging from 10am onwards, whereby chefs will compete in six categories and the winners of each category plus the two highest scoring runners up will progress to a live cook-off competition held on day two. The cold salon is closed to the public while judging is taking place but will be open for viewing from 5pm.

Keith Griffin, owner of Bacchus restaurant and co-president of the Cayman Culinary Society says the event is a real test of skill and knowledge: “Chefs are really put to the test as they are judged not only on the taste of the dish but also the look and presentation as well as how well they have incorporated local ingredients into their dishes. All participants give the competition 100 per cent of their effort and judging is always a challenge because of this,” he says.

The second day will encompass the trade show, bartending competition, ice carving, ‘Chef of the Year’ cook off and the medal presentation (gold, silver, bronze); the grand awards will be presented at the gala dinner. Judges from the American Culinary Federation will be overseeing the event along with several local experts and prizes will be awarded in six different food categories.

The trade show and live competition events will be held on Wednesday, 3 November, from 9am onwards in the main ballroom. The public is invited to attend all the events and there will plenty to see, with a live mystery basket challenge for Chef of the Year commencing at 9am and running until 2pm, live bartending at 2pm, including samples for the audience, ice carving and wine and food sampling at the trade show throughout the day.

The gala dinner and awards ceremony will include a live cooking demonstration dinner featuring chefs from Cayman’s top restaurants cooking tableside, with each chef hosting a private table for 10 to 12 guests. Key note speaker for the awards will be internationally-renowned chef Eric Ripert, who overseas The Ritz-Carlton’s Blue by Eric Ripert restaurant. Awards will be presented for Best Showpiece, Most Innovative Caribbean Dish, Best of the Show, The Philip Pratt Memorial Trophy, Chef of the Year and Bartender of the Year.

Chef Shetty, executive chef at the Beach Suites and co-president of the Cayman Culinary Society encourages everyone to attend and support Cayman’s chefs. “This is an event that has grown in popularity from year to year and is always well supported by the local community. With so much on show it is a great way for the public to see all those who usually work behind the scenes and are such a big part of Cayman’s culinary scene,” he says.