A promising young culinary talent from Antigua has taken the first major step toward her professional career through a targeted industry training initiative. Destiny George, a student at Ottos Comprehensive School, has officially started a 10-week culinary internship at the luxury Keyonna Beach Resort Antigua, placed through the highly anticipated Taste of Wadadli Junior Chef Academy 2026 program.
As the sixth young chef selected to be featured in this initiative, George will receive one-on-one mentorship throughout her placement from seasoned professional Chef Patrick Brown. Unlike traditional classroom learning, the internship is designed to immerse participants in the fast-paced environment of a commercial resort kitchen, giving George the chance to build practical, hands-on skills that cannot be learned from textbooks. Over the course of the placement, she will develop core culinary techniques alongside customer-centric hospitality expertise, laying a strong foundation for a future career in Antigua and Barbuda’s thriving tourism sector.
The structured program follows a clear timeline that builds from training to competitive evaluation: the in-resort internship runs from July 13 through August 21, after which all participating trainee chefs will advance to a high-stakes cook-off competition held between August 25 and 28. The entire initiative will wrap with a formal closing ceremony on September 3, where final awards and recognitions will be distributed to participants.
The top prize for the program offers a life-changing career opportunity for one outstanding trainee: the selected Top Junior Chef will earn the right to represent Antigua and Barbuda at the 2027 Junior Lit’l Chef Camp hosted in Turks and Caicos, opening doors to international networking, skill development, and industry exposure.
The Taste of Wadadli Junior Chef Academy is a collaborative effort between three key stakeholders invested in nurturing local talent: the Antigua and Barbuda Hotels and Tourism Association, the Ted Isaac Family, and Global Ports Holding, which is the operator of Antigua Cruise Port. The initiative reflects a growing commitment across Antigua’s tourism industry to train young local professionals and build a skilled, homegrown workforce for the country’s top economic sector.