Cooking champions of a special mode

Marion Sankey (right) receives her prize for being the winner of the Westmoreland Nestle/JCDC Amateur Culinary Arts Competition. Diane Thompson, Consumer Affairs manager of Nestle Jamaica Ltd. presents the prize. - Contributed

MARION SANKEY is special. She will never win a sprint final, never be a contender for the Miss Jamaica title or possess bulging muscles. However, in spite of her obvious disabilities, when the scores were tallied in the Nestle/JCDC (Jamaica Cultural Development Commission) Amateur Culinary Arts Competition, on Thursday, May 31, Marion, a mentally challenged youngster, emerged the Westmoreland champion.

Surrounded by her awards in the St. Josephs Catholic Church Hall, Savanna-la-Mar, she described her feelings about her triumph as "great, wonderful and unbelievable."

Marion's story hinges on the decision taken by her mother, Florence Walters-Taylor to treat her just like any other human being with strengths and weaknesses. She explained that when she realised that this child was special, she decided to invest extra love, attention and guidance in her development.

Mrs. Walters-Taylor's investment has paid off. In a competition where all the contenders were regarded as normal, Marion scored 97 out of a possible 100 points for her overall entries, which included a gold medal for liqueur and the award-winning piece de resistance, guava ice-cream.

Marion is painfully shy, but as the evening progressed and she returned several times to the winners circle she blossomed and became more confident. Described by her younger sister as loving and friendly, Marion is a fan of gospel music and attends church regularly.

The involvement of males in the competition also gave a new face to the culinary arts. The Westmoreland parish finals, which had an array of exhibits ranging from desserts to main course to liqueurs, had other interesting aspects which heralded the changing landscape in the culinary arts. Orville Allen won a gold medal for his 'Fry Fish in Coconut Sauce' and a silver for his 'Maggi Jamaica Red Peas'.

Orville explained that his interest in cooking dates back to an occasion when his mother was not at home and his younger brother decided to cook. "Well," he said, "I could not allow that, as I am older and more responsible".

That first dish turned out well and he's been cooking up a storm since then. He cooks dinner for the family almost every evening. His interest in cooking has taken off to the point where he is even considering this area as a career. He is now actively seeking out courses that can prepare him for tertiary training in the food and hospitality industry.

Dianne Thompson, consumer affairs manager from Nestle Jamaica Limited, sponsors of the Westmoreland leg of the competition, said: "We have an interest in developing the young people who enter the competition and so our sponsorship is a way of encouraging them to pursue their skills in the culinary arts.

"The achievements of Marion and Orville show us that we shouldn't dismiss the possible contributions of mentally challenged individuals."

Marion plans to enter the competition next year "to do even better, to get gold for all her entries," she says. Orville, on the other hand says he is "going to continue cooking the family dinner and aim for university in this area of endeavour".

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