NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (October 25, 2022) — Mr. Royston Queeley of Newcastle village, the winner of the first Men Can Cook Grill Master Edition hosted by the Department of Gender Affairs placed 3rd from a field of seven participants at the Dr. Packer Annual Backyard BBQ contest in Palm Bay, Florida on October 15, 2022.
His participation was the prize offered to the winner of at the Men Can Cook Grill Master Edition, an event which formed part of International Men’s Day 2021 activities on Nevis.
Mr. Queeley described his participation in the Florida contest as a delightful one.
“The experience was a wonderful experience. It felt good competing against other chefs outside of Nevis. The competition was a fierce one. This was my first time attending and I gained a lot of experience which will help me to win the trophy next year,” he said.
The Newcastle villager expressed his gratitude to all who gave him the opportunity to participate in both contests.
“I want to thank the Department of Gender Affairs for giving me an opportunity to showcase my talent not only in Nevis but also in Florida. I also want to thank Dr. Donald Packer-Manners for his warm Nevisian hospitality,” he said.
Ms. Catherine Forbes, Training Officer who represented the department, described Mr. Queeley as being eager to compete in the competition in which he was required to barbecue in the categories of chicken, pork and fish.
“He was very enthusiastic, very meticulous, paid great attention to detail and exhibited creativity. It was the first time he had been to something like that. It was easy for me to work with him. He took criticisms and ideas in a positive way and improved in areas suggested. He was cooperative and interacted well with other grillers and exhibited good social skills before and after the contest,” she said.
The Department of Gender Affairs thanked the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank for what it termed as “their generous sponsorship” towards Mr. Queeley’s participation in the overseas grilling competition. They also expressed gratitude to Dr. Packer, his wife Edna and Mr. Steve “Piggy” Parris for the kind hospitality extended to Mr. Queeley during his stay in Florida.
Registration for the Department of Gender Affairs 2022 Men Can Cook: Grill Master Edition, scheduled for November 13, 2022, is open.