Great Bay:--- Students of the Sundial School culinary program have been singled out for what organizers of the first Flaavors of St. Maarten Food and Wine Festival believe will be an "enriching experience" when the five-day festival starts on November 10."We cannot have an event like this without incorporating our youngsters who are aspiring to become chefs or who dream about owning and running their own first-class restaurants," said Director of Tourism, Regina LaBega who praised the enthusiasm and support shown by Sundial School Culinary Instructor, Bart Peut.
"He came on board with a lot of excitement and ideas about how the students could benefit from Flaavors and has been an integral part of the planning and preparations for the Festival," LaBega said.
Flaavors of St. Maarten Food and Wine Festival is an initiative of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau. It was created to establish an annual event that will help showcase the island's positioning as the "Culinary Capital of the Caribbean."'
"The diversity of our gastronomic offerings is one of the things that distinguishes St. Maarten from other destinations in the region. With over 300 restaurants, an average of about 10 restaurants per square mile, one can eat in a different restaurant each day of the year without repeating," LaBega noted.
"Flaavors is designed to bring together in St. Maarten some of the best chefs in the world along with some of the most critically-acclaimed wineries in the world, who jointly with the chefs, wine and food distributors, hoteliers and other stakeholders of the St. Maarten hospitality industry will help us celebrate the best that St. Maarten has to offer," she continued.
Flaavors will begin with grand champagne tasting with Iron Chef Contestant Marc Forgione at the Porto Cupecoy on the eve of St. Martin Day. There will also be celebrity cooking demonstrations at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and the Westin Dawn Beach Resort.
According to LaBega, part of the proceeds from the St. Maarten Celebration Dinner and Benefit Auction to be held on November 12, 2010 at the Westin Dawn Beach Resort will go to the Sundial School Culinary program. The school will also participate in the St. Maarten Flaavor Fest, a kind of food and wine bazaar, which will be held on the Boardwalk to bring the curtain down on the festival on Sunday, November 14.
"That is true," confirmed Bart Peut. "Our students will be cooking up a storm, alongside Holland House, who have graciously allowed us to use all their kitchen facilities for the Flaavor Fest. I urge everyone to come and have a taste of what these young St. Maarten students can do."
