Participants and judges in the second International Men’s Thanksgiving Cook-Off.
ST. EUSTATIUS--STI/AIDS Coordinator of the Public Health Department of St. Eustatius Shanna Mercera-Gibbs said the goal of Thursday’s second International Men’s Thanksgiving Cook-Off was to encourage, educate and empower men and boys as well to discuss the importance of being a role model and a dependable father.
She said the evening was also a means to “boost the self-esteem of our men on Statia with regard to cooking, as well as to prepare recipes and enjoy father-and-son togetherness.”
The cook-off was deemed a great success and Mercera-Gibbs thanked Gwendoline van Putten School for allowing them to use the facility.
Three teams made up of five persons participated in the cook-off, during which each team had to prepare a 3-course meal within a certain time and present it to judges Ruth Leerdam-Pandt, Leonora Sneek-Gibbs and Jair Hooker. They judged the meals on three criteria: taste, creativity and presentation.
The cook-out ended in a tie between The Stars and RBM teams, which both gathered 97 points. The Home Team came in third with 93 points.
At the end of the evening, Chief Executive Officer and founder of the non-governmental organisation National Institute for Promoting Responsible Fathers in Trinidad, Wendel de Leon spoke to the attendees.
He said he was very impressed with the number of men that took part in the Boyz to Gentlemen club. He applauded the men for being part of the cook-off and encouraged them to continue.
He urged more men to participate in next year’s cook-off and stressed the importance of men and fathers being role models in the community and being part of their children’s lives.
