In the 30 years to date, over 2,000 students have taken part in the Mahatma® Rice/Robin Hood Flour Champion Young Chef Competition, over $250,000 has been awarded in scholarships and over 100 contest participants have gained full-time employment in the hospitality. Having carried out routine media advertising for Mahatma (Riviana Foods) for several years, P.S. Advertising and Public Relations foun
ders, Keith and Sara Parker in 1992 proposed to Mr. Paul Galvani of Riviana Foods, that a “cooking contest” for High School Students, using Mahatma® Rice would be an ideal way to promote brand recognition and even more effective use of Mahatma® Rice. After research and discussion with the Home Economics officer in the Ministry of Education, a proposal was made to the then Minister of Education Dr. B.J. Nottage, that Mahatma® Rice would offer three (3) scholarships totaling over $3,000, the leading three students in a contest to be known as “The Champion Young Chef Contest”. This contest was included in the Ministry of Education calendar for the year September 1992 - June 1993, with a tentative date set for March 1993. There are 12 major islands comprising the Bahamas each with secondary school-aged students in more than 200 schools! Obviously, we could not invite even one (1) student from each school and pay the transportation costs of students and teachers to Nassau. It was decided therefore that each school should hold its own cooking contest to determine their school “Champion Young Chef”. Each Island would then stage a competition around the school champions to determine the “Island Champion Young Chef” eg. Exuma champion, Long Island champion, etc. Since New Providence Island had more schools and students than all the other islands combined, New Providence was allowed two entries into the "All Island Final" Young Chef Championship. The budget for the first contest was pegged at around $12,000, which has risen to over $25,000 in 2011. In addition to actual cash scholarship prizes, the budget covers promotional expenses, including local television, travel and daily stipends for students and teachers traveling from the various islands, medals and certificates for all participants. Mahatma® Rice is distributed throughout the Bahamas by Asa H. Galvani discussed the contest with the distributor and it was decided to include another Asa H. Pritchard product- Robin Hood Flour. Each product shares the contest expenses and competitors are required to prepare two dishes - one using Mahatma® Rice, one using Robin Hood Flour®. The first contest was held in March, 1993, and received widespread media coverage including T.V. Ministry of Education officials presented the awards and lauded the contest as “A fine example of a corporate entity promoting activities and providing scholarships for young students, particularly in an area in which there are numerous employment opportunities”. The judges for the contest were qualified Bahamian Chefs, employed in local hotels and restaurants, led by then President of the Bahamas Culinary Association, Chef Edwin Johnson. Chef Johnson has judged in every contest to date and is a most enthusiastic supporter. The Chefs too, were most enthusiastic about the contest, congratulated the students, and encouraged them to pursue well-paying jobs in the hospitality industry. The basic pattern has continued for the past 19 years and it has been gratifying to note that successive Ministers of Education and Home Economics Supervisors spearheaded by Ms. Sharon Ferguson, have embraced the contest as “a major event on the annual school calendar”. Chefs view it as a major recruiting activity for their profession. The two sponsoring products, Mahatma® Rice and Robin Hood Flour, have become household names throughout the Bahamas and dominate their respective markets. The collaboration with The Ministry of Education has provided extended opportunities for
These annual competitions continue to attract students from Government and Independent High schools throughout the country, who eagerly compete for the scholarship awards and other incentive prizes. For the past five years, several International Institutions and local partners have co-sponsored activities associated with this event. These activities provide extended learning opportunities for our students to gain exposure, expand their training and prepare for transition into tertiary institutions, hospitality, and culinary arts related careers. We are grateful to our many educational and community stakeholders who have supported and/or provided a variety of incentives that continue to motivate our competitors. Namely, Lincoln Culinary Institute, Johnson & Wales University, Keiser University and Munroe College for the scholarship awards and internships; The Ministry of Education's Management Team, officers of the Accounts, Communications and Career and Technical Education Division, District Superintendents, Principals, Parents, the staff at P.S. Advertising and Public Relations, local distributors of Mahatma® Rice and Robin Hood Flour® - Asa H. Pritchard, The Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association, The College of the Bahamas - Culinary and Hospitality Management Institute, the Media and Host schools - past and present.
