Antigua and Barbuda’s leading tourism industry body has marked a major milestone in workforce development for the local hospitality sector, closing out its second annual professional training program focused on elevating kitchen operations and leadership for culinary teams across the islands.
The Antigua and Barbuda Hotels and Tourism Association (ABHTA) wrapped its 2024 iteration of *Kitchen Management Essentials: People, Systems & Service*, a two-day intensive training held June 17–18 at the Muriel O’Mard Campus. The program brought together culinary professionals from a wide range of local hotels, restaurants, and hospitality outlets, all aiming to refine their core management capabilities that underpin smooth, profitable kitchen operations.
Led by Olvanah Richardson, Executive Sous Chef at Antigua’s renowned Blue Waters Hotel, the curriculum covered a comprehensive set of high-priority topics for modern kitchen management. Sessions delved into foundational team leadership strategies, rigorous food safety protocols, efficient inventory tracking and management, accurate food costing to protect profit margins, practical waste reduction techniques that cut costs and support sustainability, and consistent execution of high-quality customer service standards.
At the conclusion of the program, all participants who completed the full training received official certificates, celebrating both their successful mastery of new skills and their ongoing commitment to continuous professional growth within the hospitality sector. For many attendees, the training fills a critical gap between hands-on culinary experience and the management expertise needed to advance into senior kitchen leadership roles.
Looking ahead, ABHTA has already announced its next targeted professional development initiative for local hospitality workers: the *Supervisory Management Development Course*, scheduled to run from September 10 to October 15, 2026. The association confirmed that interested hospitality professionals can reach out directly to ABHTA’s administrative team for full details on curriculum, eligibility, and registration for the upcoming course.
Industry observers note that ongoing workforce training initiatives like these play a key role in strengthening Antigua and Barbuda’s competitive position in the global luxury travel market, by ensuring local hospitality teams maintain the high standards of service and operational efficiency that international travelers expect.