Hacker: Restaurants lack coordination skills

A 37-year veteran of culinary arts has identified the coordination of service as a major weakness of the Caribbean tourist industry.

Don Hacker, Director of Studies at Birmingham College of Food in England said that while the Caribbean boasts of its unique culture, which is reflected in its food, many of the restaurants lack the type of first class coordination skills that tourists look forward to.{{more}}

“There needs to be better coordination between the kitchen and the restaurant, no matter where you are, food for six should come at the same time,” Hacker said.

Hacker, who was at the time concluding a four day training course along with his colleague Robert Smith, who trained attendees in Wine, Food Service and Food Preparation, told SEARCHLIGHT that too often that orders made by a group are brought two by two, with a long time of waiting in between.

That’s unacceptable, according to the qualified trainer.

“Not many people are really prepared to spend three to four hours over dinner,” he said.

The training course, which began on Tuesday, June 26, at New Montrose Hotel and climaxed with a lip-smacking demonstration on Friday, June 29 at Young Island, attracted 30 participants drawn from hotels including Raffles Resort, Tamarind Beach Resort, Young Island Resort, along with teachers from the Technical College and Home Economics centre among others.

Commenting on food in the Caribbean, Hacker said that it was also important for regional chefs to experiment with modern ideas and find innovative ways to mix the traditional Caribbean cuisine with the modern trends happening around the world.

Hacker however noted that one of the challenges that he has found around the region is the lack of availability of the right ingredients at a reasonable price.

A highlight of the course was the intelligent serving of wines with dishes.

Speaking to SEARCHLIGHT, Robert Smith said that it was important that persons serving wines know what type of wine goes best with different dishes and be able to guide their guests accordingly.

Dawn Smith, Executive Director of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Hotel Association, which hosted the course, said that she thought the training programme went well and was well worth the while.

She was particularly impressed with the wine serving aspect led by Robert Smith. She expressed the hope that the training will make servers more aware of which wines they should recommend to their guests for varying dishes.

Students who completed the course will receive a certificate from the Barbados Community College, Hospitality Division and the Birmingham College. (KJ)