Aleka Lewis – Observer News Desk
Aleka Lewis Crowned 2026
St Mary’s Secondary School student Aleka Lewis has been named the 2026 Taste of Wadadli Top Junior Chef after six weeks of professional kitchen training and a four-day cook-off involving 15 aspiring young chefs.
Lewis, who trained at Hermitage Bay under Executive Chef Desroy Spence, earned 687.5 points from a possible 775 to secure the academy’s top honour. Spence was named the 2026 Top Chef Mentor for his guidance, commitment and support throughout the programme.
The final score combined Lewis’s performance during her six-week internship with her result in the cook-off, reflecting her development, professionalism and culinary ability across the academy.
For the final challenge, Lewis prepared dry Creole-rubbed red snapper with brown butter sweet potato and chives, served with a coconut Creole sauce. Judges said the dish demonstrated creativity and an ability to give a contemporary treatment to one of the competition’s featured local ingredients.
Lewis also received the 2026 Innovation Award for Best Modern Interpretation of the Star Ingredient. Khloe Billey of Pares Secondary School and Nehjeann Thomas of Jennings Secondary School received the 2026 Professionalism Award for consistently demonstrating the attitudes, behaviour and workplace standards expected of emerging hospitality professionals.
The Taste of Wadadli Junior Chef Academy is an initiative of the Antigua and Barbuda Hotels and Tourism Association (ABHTA) and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. It paired 15 secondary school students with professional chef mentors at leading hotels and restaurants across Antigua and Barbuda.
From 13 July to 21 August, each participant completed at least 96 hours of hands-on industry experience. The students worked in professional kitchens, developed culinary techniques, confidence and discipline, explored local ingredients and gained first-hand exposure to careers in hospitality.
The academy culminated in the cook-off from 25 to 28 August. Participants had two hours to create an entrée or dessert using breadfruit, sweet potato or both as the principal ingredient. A panel of culinary professionals assessed technique, kitchen safety, food-waste management, costing, creativity, flavour, seasoning, texture and presentation.
Lewis will travel to the Turks and Caicos Islands in 2027 to participate in the Junior Lit’l Chefs Program, part of the TCI Hospitality Adventure Camps. The opportunity follows a new partnership between the ABHTA and the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association and will allow her to train with professional chefs and meet other aspiring culinary students.
She will also be given an opportunity to join the Antigua and Barbuda National Culinary Team as an understudy, allowing her to continue training towards possible future representation in the Junior Chef category.
The winners were announced at the academy’s closing and awards ceremony at People’s Place on 3 September, where invited guests sampled dishes prepared by the junior chefs and their mentors.
Antigua Cruise Port sponsored the 2026 academy, while the Agri-Tourism Unit in the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation and Investment donated professional knife sets to Lewis and second-place finisher Eliana Lynch.
The ABHTA also acknowledged support from Lisa McMillan and the family of the late Ted Isaac, as well as the Barbuda Ocean Club/PLH, which sponsored Junior Chef Justine Griffin.
Participating hotels and restaurants were Cocos Hotel, Charr’d Wood Fire Grill, Keyonna Beach Resort, Hodges Bay Resort and Spa, Blue Waters Resort and Spa, The Hut at Little Jumby, St James’s Club and Villas, Royalton CHIC Antigua, The Verandah Antigua, Hammock Cove Antigua, Galley Bay Resort and Spa, Hermitage Bay and Jumby Bay Island. Keyonna Beach Resort and Hodges Bay Resort and Spa each hosted two junior chefs.
The ABHTA said the academy is intended to develop young talent, connect education with industry and create pathways into Antigua and Barbuda’s hospitality and tourism sector.
