NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (February 28, 2023) – Premier Hon. Mark Brantley, Minister of Tourism in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), is encouraging persons in the field of culinary arts to apply for a scholarship for a training course overseas, on offer from the Nevis Tourism Authority (NTA).

“I am very pleased to announce the Nevis Tourism Authority is offering a scholarship to a qualified individual with a passion for the culinary arts, for an opportunity to pursue a ten-week course in plant-based cooking and nutrition in the United Kingdom(UK) at Leiths School of Food and Wine,” he revealed at his monthly press conference on February 28, 2023.

The scholarship will cover airfare, tuition, room and board, and living expenses. The course will run from April 19 to June 29, 2023. The applicant must be a resident on the island of Nevis and must be employed in the culinary or hospitality industry for at least five years.

Interested persons can contact the NTA at 469-7550 for more information. The deadline for applications is Monday, March 06, 2023.

The prestigious Leiths School of Food and Wine in West London is described as an award winning UK culinary school offering a world class professional chef diploma.

“I’m very proud that we can offer that, and culinary, of course, is a critical part of our tourism industry, our tourism product and so we invite all those chefs and others out there to take advantage of this opportunity…

“We cannot, and we must come to that realization, have a sustainable tourism industry unless our people have been trained to command the heights in that industry. So I really want to see more of our people [wanting to become] chefs that are trained, who can go into any fine-dining establishment, who know how to cook any types of food that these high-end establishments would offer. We need to start to see ourselves in those ways and to be able to move in that particular direction, and that can only come through training.”

The Premier emphasized that it is imperative to the development of the island of Nevis and the advancement of its people that citizens and residents equip themselves to take on top roles in the tourism industry, instead of companies and institutions having to source qualified persons from outside of the territory.