Participants give PAN 2024 workshop the thumbs up

Participants at last Sunday’s PAN 2024 workshop in St James, have given the workshop their stamp of approval.

Held on Sunday, July 28 on the grounds of the Montego Bay Community College, this was the second of two workshops this year.

The annual PAN competition hosted by CB Foods is back with a slightly different twist this year. Traditionally, patrons have enjoyed two regional events followed by the grand finals. This year, however, CB Foods introduced empowering workshops designed to provide comprehensive training and support to PAN vendors. These workshops aim to help vendors grow their businesses, enhance their culinary skills and customer service, as well as elevate the overall standard of PAN chicken in Jamaica.

“I found the practical session very interesting. I have been doing PAN chicken around 21 years and today I learnt how to do quite a few things differently. I learnt how to make sauce and how to season the chicken on a different level. I really appreciate the session,” Andrew Reid who hails from the community of Cave Valley in St Ann.

Shavae Reid from Savannah-la-Mar, who entered PAN 2024 as an assistant to her father Raymond Reid, found the theory session particularly engaging.

“I enjoyed the money management session because, for me, it was very educational. I didn’t have much knowledge about banking and the different options that Jamaica National has for PAN vendors, which can be beneficial to your business. The presentation by JN Money taught me a lot about finances and managing your business,” Reid explained.

Sasha Kaye McCalla, marketing specialist for Jamaica National (North America), presented on effective money management skills during the workshop.

“We focused primarily on money management, the effective ways to ensure that the PAN vendors manage their money and strategies they can employ each month to stay on top of things. In terms of savings and investments, it’s crucial for a small business owner to track their finances and ensure they’re putting a little money away for the future – save for the future. We also delved a little into retirement schemes. At the end of the day, we want them to see the benefits of the hard work they’re putting in,” said McCalla. She said the participants were quite receptive to the presentation.

“It pretty much was a reinforcement for many of them. The PAN vendors have always been our target market,” said McCalla.

QUALIFYING ROUNDS

Other presenters included Michael Gordon, director of innovation at the University College of the Caribbean (UCC), who spoke about business management; Shaneek Kelly, who focused on food safety and personal hygiene; Nicole Hall, commercial marketing manager at CB Foods covering Customer Service; and Mark Cole, executive chef at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, who led the practical session.

Cole, an award-winning chef, found the workshop to be an excellent experience. “I was deeply impressed with the PAN competitors. They were highly attentive to the knowledge I shared throughout the workshop. They learned the difference between sauce and gravy, how to make their own special sauces, and the techniques for cooking different parts of the chicken and more. The knowledge was well-received, and their execution was commendable. I am very happy with the outcome,” he explained.

The workshops are also used as the qualifying rounds for the grand finals

Following the theory exam and practical cook-off presentations, two winners (first and second place) from the parishes of Hanover, Trelawny, St Ann, St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, and St James were announced. They will join two wild cards and the first and second-place winners from Kingston and St Andrew, St Catherine, Portland, St Mary, Clarendon, Manchester, St Thomas, and Portmore at the grand finals, which will take place on Sunday, August 25, at Independence Park in Black River, St Elizabeth.

The first and second-place winners from each parish received cash prizes of $50,000 and $30,000, respectively, and prizes from other PAN partners.