This year our Annual Local Food Competition has just gotten a lot more special, because Cayman Style Beef and Heavy Cake have just been officially declared as national dishes of Cayman!
This competition features a mix of experienced traditional home cooks and local business chefs, all competing for the top prize by showcasing their culinary skills. The competition, on Saturday 13 April, will be hosted in the All Things Cayman area, which has been kindly sponsored by the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Heritage.
We’ve received a handful of brave contestants from West Bay to East End who are eager to join in on the fun. Each contestant shared their passionate background stories, and we wanted to share them with you too!
Sheron Campbell
Heavy Cake Competitor
I have a few years under my belt in baking cassava cake and I’m ready to give it a go! This will definitely be my year.
Jodiann Jackson
Heavy Cake Competitor
My grandmother was a baker. I love my tradition of being from East End.
Elizabeth Larsen
Heavy Cake Competitor
Hi! I’ve competed in various heavy cake competitions throughout the years. I was taught to make various heavy cakes by my grandmother who is from Cayman Brac.
Anola Smith
Heavy Cake Competitor
I am a home baker of local treats and cakes. I have been baking for 20 years, and established my company Kay’s Treats & Cakes Home Bakery 5 years ago. Baking is my happy space as it brings out my creative nature which allows me to find an inner peace that keeps me grounded. As a single mother with a daughter who developed a love for local food and sweet treats from a very early age, I decided to learn how to make the food and treats she loves.
Nordell Jackson
Cayman Style Beef Competitor
I was the 2019 winner of the Cayman Style Beef Competition. I love celebrating old time Caymanian traditions
James Ebanks
Cayman Style Beef Competitor
I’m 47 years old, born and reside in Grand Cayman. I work for a local financial institution. I enjoy DIY, cooking on the weekends, and especially during the Christmas holidays, which is where the history of Cayman beef started.
Phenicia Fraser
Cayman Style Beef & Heavy Cake Competitor
I am a multi-generational Caymanian, hailing from the district of West Bay, where I have lived my whole life. I first learned how to make cassava cake from my aunt when I was 15 and Cayman Style beef from my grandmother when I was 18.
Marlena Anglin
Cayman Style Beef & Heavy Cake Competitor
I am a 90-year-old West Bayer who has been cooking for all of my adult life and I am proud to showcase my talent and knowledge when it comes to Cayman Style Beef and Heavy Cake. * Ms. Marlena will also have a demonstration in thatch hat making in the All Things Cayman section
