St. Maarten and St. Martin plan Taste of the Caribbean return

St. Maarten and St. Martin will send a joint culinary team to the Taste of the Caribbean competition in Barbados this November, according to a joint announcement on Wednesday 21 October by the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association, l’Office de Tourisme de Saint-Martin and the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau.

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association organises the annual competition. The organisations said the new delegation will be the first joint team sent from the island since 2017, and that its roster will be announced shortly.

Preparations began on Tuesday 20 October under coach Renata De Weever, according to the announcement. It said the team will take part in training sessions and practice exercises before the competition.

The organisations said St. Maarten Flavors, an annual culinary month on the Dutch side, raised funds toward the delegation’s costs. They also said Winair is supporting the team’s travel to Barbados.