The Barbados Community College’s (BCC) Jean and Norma Holder Hospitality Institute (JNHHI) has been recognised for its outstanding work, and has been nominated for the World Culinary Awards 2023.
The JNHHI, a first time nominee, will be competing against entities from the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, for the top spot in the category of the Caribbean’s Best Culinary Training Institution.
All Barbadians, particularly BCC alumni, are being encouraged to cast their vote via the World Culinary Awards website. Voting will close on Friday, June 30.
The World Culinary Awards, which is in its fourth year, seeks to celebrate and reward excellence in the culinary industry annually. It is the sister event of World Travel Awards, which has been celebrating excellence in travel and tourism since 1994.
The institute is named after the late husband-and-wife pair, Jean and Norma Holder. Mr. Holder has been described as a Caribbean tourism pioneer, having led the Caribbean Tourism Organization for more than 30 years, and stood at the helm of regional airline LIAT in the latter part of his career. Mrs. Holder was a long-serving Principal of the BCC, and an acclaimed musician.
The JNHHI was constructed in the 1990s, with assistance from the European Union. Its aim is to strengthen the island’s tourism sector by increasing the number of people trained with the requisite skills.
In the early years, the institute’s training capacity moved from 250 to 400 persons. Almost 30 years later, in 2022, just over 2,000 students have graduated from the JNHHI with Associate Degrees, and make up a significant proportion of hotel workers on the island.
The JHNNI boasts local celebrity chefs Damien Leach, part-owner and Executive Chef of Cocktail Kitchen; Javon Cummins, Executive Chef of Treasure Beach, and Creig Greenidge, among its long list of graduates.