The 2nd Annual Cayman Day in the UK sees the return of the Heavy Cake Competition, promoting Cayman’s culinary heritage, overseas.
Now in its second year, the Cayman Day in the UK event experienced an increase in the number of attendees; it also boasted an expanded roster of top tier artists and special guests, not to mention a wider range of Cayman Islands products. The 2022 Heavy Cake Competition, which was renamed from Cassava Cake Competition to allow for additional cake varieties to be included in future, also saw growth.
The first year three bakers competed: Athena Robinson, who won the Best Heavy Cake Baker title; Nicole Wood; and Judy “Jazz” Rivers. This second year saw both Ms. Robinson (representing Spot Bay, Cayman Brac) and Miss Wood (representing Bodden Town) return to the competition. Two new home bakers, Natasha Jervis of North Side and Demetra Mighty of East End joined, and all bakers chose to bake cassava cakes. Two additional categories were created to include yam and Cream of Wheat, but cassava was the only category subscribed to by bakers.
Official judges included the Honourable Minister for Culture, Mr. Bernie Bush; Dr. Mark Paramlall, a Consultant Neuropsychiatrist; Phillippa Knights of the CIGO-UK, and student judge, Elijah Esteban-Estevanovich, age nine. The corner edges of cassava cakes were sampled and discussed amongst the judges using taste, texture and colour as the criteria for determining the best cake. Dr. Tasha Ebanks Garcia also sampled centre pieces once judges had completed their tasting, confirming the winning cake.
Dr. Mark Paramlall shared, “It was my second year judging and I was really pleased to see that we had four excellent competitors. We had a very difficult decision to make. It stimulated a lot of good discussion because the quality of the entries was very good. On behalf of my fellow judges, I’d like to congratulate Natasha Jervis on winning the Best Heavy Cake Baker for 2022.”
Phillippa Knights representing the CIGO-UK in her first year as a heavy cake competition judge said, “It was an honour to be one of the judges of the Heavy Cake Competition. Thank you [to] Nicole, Demetra, Athena and Natasha – you all transported me home. Congratulations to the winner.”
Also a first-time judge, and the youngest at age 9, Elijah Esteban-Estevanovich was happy to be involved. “To be a judge in the Heavy Cake Competition…it’s amazing, I loved it. What I like about cassava cake is that it is chewy on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside. I loved all of the cakes. I want to be a judge every year!”
Dr. Tasha Ebanks Garcia broke the tie in last year’s competition and was called upon again this year to confirm the winning cake by tasting pieces taken from the centre. She was expressed her gratitude to this year’s bakers, sharing her own experience of baking. “A special thank you to all of our home chefs who took the time to make cassava cake and bring to Cayman Day. I had a chance to make cassava cake once in my life – I was determined to learn…so I know though, the effort, the time, the technical expertise, the heart and soul that goes into a really, good cassava cake. I can say I was transported back home on Saturday eating those cassava cakes. Special congratulations to Natasha Jervis for the winning cassava cake. Looking forward to more cassava cake for 2023.”
A special Cayman Connection Virtual Yard Meeting was held on 16 November at 7pm GMT to make the official announcement of the 2022 winner of the Heavy Cake Competition, and gift bags were awarded to each baker with additional prizes for this year’s top baker.
The first-place winner Natasha Jervis commented: “I entered the Heavy Cake Competition this year because I wanted to pay homage to my grandmother Blanch Rankine. She was a great baker and cook; people came from all over to get her heavy cakes, peppermint candies, coconut tarts and buns. I spent a lot of time as a young child watching her dance and sing while she cooked or baked and was fortunate enough to get to help now an again. I learnt so much from her and I want to carry on those old-time traditions that are slowly being lost and not passed down as before.”
Demetra Mighty shared similar sentiments about the importance of preserving the tradition for future generations. “I entered the Heavy Cake Competition as I feel it is very important for the younger generation of the Cayman Islands to continue our traditional heritage. It is important for our young people especially, to keep our traditional foods alive and pass our culinary skills on to our generations to come. It was a privilege as a young Caymanian living abroad to be given the opportunity to participate in Cayman Day UK.”
For Nicole Wood, it was also important to keep the tradition alive, noting that learning to cook traditional foods is key. “So besides me being competitive as a reason to enter, I think food is a way of preserving culture so it’s important to me that I learn how to cook traditional dishes so that I can also pass them on one day.”
Athena Robinson, whose cake earned her last year’s Best Baker title, explained her motivation for taking part, connecting it with memories of growing up in the Sister Island of Cayman Brac. “I took part in the cassava cake competition because it brings back memories of watching my grandmother in Cayman Brac making it every Christmas Eve. It was our little tradition to do every Christmas Eve before Mr. Tibbetts had the fireworks. We would sit and talk and laugh about everyone in the family; it was one of the best times of my life. I’m very proud to pass it on to my daughter (all the boys will do is eat it!).
To support the Heavy Cake Competition initiative through sponsorship, providing prizes or funding to expand the competition into an educational component of Cayman Day in the UK, contact caymanday@caymanconnection.org.
Cayman Day in the UK was presented by the Cayman Islands Government Office in the UK, produced by Cayman Connection, and made possible with the generous support of the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Culture & Heritage, and support from the Ministry of Education.