Jamaica’s reigning Chef of the Year Brian Lumley walked away with the Caribbean Chef of the Year award at the recently concluded Taste of the Caribbean 2013 Culinary Showcase in Miami. This award is reserved only for the best in class in the field of Culinary Arts. Chef Lumley topped a field of ten elite chefs from across the Caribbean region, earning the only Gold medal awarded in the category group for a unique creation using beef.

“Our congratulations to Chef Lumley on winning this award. This speaks volumes for our top class cuisine which visitors have grown to appreciate and love,” said Jamaica’s Director of Tourism John Lynch. “We look forward to strengthening the relationship with Chef Lumley as we continue to showcase our culturally rich cuisine to a global audience.”

Chef Lumley has been making his mark on the regional culinary landscape over recent years. He has previously demonstrated his abilities by winning the Culinary Federation of Jamaica’s Chef of the Year award in 2008 and most recently again in 2012.

“I am absolutely elated about this victory. It a great reward for what has been a long journey. It’s not only a win for myself, but for Team Jamaica. This was a team effort,” Chef Lumley commented.

It has been 13 years since Jamaica captured this top award at the Taste of the Caribbean competition, when Chef Martin Maginley won the Caribbean Chef of the Year award.

Taste of the Caribbean is an annual food and beverage event organized by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourist Association (CHTA), and is designed for the culinary community across the Caribbean region, to network, hone their professional skills and support their colleagues in competition. The event also provides education through various interventions including workshops, seminars, and cooking demonstrations. The aim of this event is to advance the appreciation for Caribbean cuisine and to create a sustainable platform for exposing the tremendous culinary talent that exists across the region.