THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD FROM ST. THOMAS FINISHES THIRD IN BVI CHEF COMPETITION

Amayah G. Leader, a 13-year-old from V.I. Montessori School on St. Thomas, placed third in the 2026 Food, Wine & Rum Junior Chef Competition held in the British Virgin Islands. She was the youngest female among six young chefs who took part.

The festival ran across two days as part of the Village Cay and Rhythm & Sands Food, Wine & Rum Festival. On Friday, October 16, competitors gathered at Village Cay to work with mystery basket ingredients: mahi-mahi, pork, chicken, coffee, mango and pineapple. The chefs prepared food for over 60 guests, among them Dame Sandra Mason, Barbados' first president who held office from 2021 to 2025, and British Virgin Islands Premier Dr. Natalio Wheatley.

After sampling Amayah's dishes, Premier Wheatley made a joking remark: "I didn't want to embarrass myself. That's why I didn't lick my plate!"

The competition shifted to Scrub Island on Saturday, where participants showcased signature dishes and cooked for roughly 150 guests. A three-judge panel that included representatives from Tortola and Scrub Island, along with Chef Durant from St. Thomas, assessed the competitors' work.

Chef Dunn Wiltshire from the University of the Virgin Islands' St. Croix campus mentored Amayah throughout the event. Wiltshire had originally planned to compete himself but opted instead to support the younger chefs.

Other contestants from the U.S. Virgin Islands attended the St. Croix Career and Technical Education Center and the University of the Virgin Islands' St. Croix campus. Village Cay, led by Wendell King, organised the festival.