Commercial Food Preparation: Local Cuisine

Abstract

Employers in Saint Lucia and the region continue to lament that employees lack the skills to operate productively and efficiently at the workplace. The local cuisine of a country is one of its unique selling points (USP) which sets it apart from other places and attracts visitors. As a country whose economy depends heavily on tourism, it is imperative that visitors continue to sample the appetizing foods that Saint Lucia has been known to create, both those that they may be familiar with in their home country and those that are unfamiliar. In that regard, a course in Commercial Food Preparation with an emphasis on preparing delicacies using local produce and variation in preparing imported produce will equip hospitality workers with the skills, knowledge and competencies of how to prepare our local produce and other produce using our signature methods and techniques as well as cater to the pallet of people of different cultures. This is likely to foster longevity of the local cuisine and maintain a particular standard of preparing foods. Moreover, since the course can be taken by any nationality, it will be a medium to market the local cuisine internationally. Most importantly, it is hoped that the emphasis on local cuisine will encourage practicing and up-coming food preparation personnel to develop even more creative ways of preparing our local produce.