PHOTOS: C’bean Baking Awards should be perfected in BVI before expanding

Judges for the Caribbean Baking Awards believe the event should be refined in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) before expanding to other Caribbean nations.

Following the conclusion of the second annual Caribbean Baking Awards, event organiser Shanda Glasgow-Webster revealed that several Caribbean countries have expressed interest in hosting the competition.

“Other Caribbean countries have been reaching out to me to have the event held there, and that’s a conversation I’m having right now,” Glasgow-Webster stated.

However, judges believe the event should be perfected locally before being introduced elsewhere.

“Of course, in the first three years of an event, you’re building it into what it needs to be,” said Chef Kareem Brooks, one of the judges. “I’d say give it another two years in the BVI before taking it to other Caribbean islands.”

Chef Mike Hogan, another judge, shared similar sentiments.

“I think it needs to be perfected here in the BVI first,” he said. “I’d love to see where else it could be held, but I also want to see it expand from a position of strength—not while still working out challenges.”

He added: “This is an idea born in the BVI, so let’s get it right before we take it anywhere else.”

Organisational issues

This year’s Caribbean Baking Awards was held at the Multi-Sports Complex from February 21 to 22. However, there were operational challenges, including delays in the event’s start time and organisational shortcomings, which some participants noted.

“There’s a lot of things they need to work on,” one contestant remarked.

Glasgow-Webster acknowledged these concerns and assured that steps were being taken to address them before the next Caribbean Baking Awards in 2026.

She also agreed that keeping the event in the BVI for a few more years was the right decision.

“I agree because that was my initial reason for hosting another year here,” she said. “After the first year, different Caribbean islands reached out, but I made it clear that I wanted to establish the brand here first, because it was created and launched in the BVI.”

She explained that her original plan was to host the event locally for four to five years before expanding, likening the approach to the Olympics.

However, she also noted that the event’s name makes it fitting for a broader Caribbean presence.

“Even after the second year, people are still asking me to bring it elsewhere, and I have no issue with that—because, after all, it is the Caribbean Baking Awards,” she said, emphasising the “Caribbean” in the name.