EDITORIAL REVIEW REQUIRED — EXPRESS DRAFT. This is an unpublished draft. Some claims may be unconfirmed. Check dates, sources, claims, photographs, and video rights before publishing.
Annelca Mendoza’s culinary journey began in her mother’s kitchen, where she learned to cook pelau under careful guidance—right down to turning off the gas tank. That foundation would eventually carry her to Miami in 2016, where she presented a Trinidad Sunday lunch to a panel of judges at the Taste of the Caribbean competition. When the bronze and silver medals were announced, her teammates already knew what was coming. Mendoza earned gold in the junior chef category, helping Trinidad and Tobago claim the overall title among 13 national teams.
Mendoza has been cooking professionally for 12 years, starting with a night shift running the kitchen at Shakers bar on Ariapiita Avenue while studying culinary management at the Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute. A three-month internship in France taught her the discipline that now shapes how she trains her own staff—meticulous cleaning before service, during meal breaks, and after each shift. She won the local Junior Chef of the Year title at Making the CUTT, the competition used to select the national squad, before competing internationally.
For her competition plate in Miami, Mendoza shaped provision oil into quenelles and paired them with curry stew beef and vegetables glazed with local spices. The aroma of bay leaf, allspice, chadon beni and pimento filled the room. "I wanted my plate to feel like a bite-sized Sunday lunch," she explained. The gold medal brought immediate returns—new clients discovered Ann Iesa Events, her personal chef and catering business named after her mother, a promise she had made years earlier.
Today, Mendoza balances multiple ventures. She works in sales and culinary development at Malabar Farms Food Service Ltd while managing Ann Iesa, which handles private dinners, catering, event planning, and seasonal menus for promoters and the Ministry of Tourism. The Hyatt’s LIME Carnival fete represents her most demanding assignment, requiring precision planning for large crowds. Her corn soup orders arrive year-round, with some customers freezing batches to take to the United States. Bread, cakes and desserts have grown into a significant part of her business; she has launched a frozen cake and dessert line now served in select restaurants.
What drives Mendoza most is teaching. She has provided staff uniforms and her own tools so they could train and practise. "I just love to see growth," she said. If she could create one plate to tell someone where she comes from, it would feature bhagi rice with smoked bones, Creole stewed beef, a risotto in coconut broth with coconut-pimento cream, dasheen bush with coconut and saffron, and braised beef short rib—all finished with fresh green seasoning, ginger, bay leaf, cinnamon, allspice and star anise. The rice her family loves most is her mother’s bhagi, prepared in a specific order with coconut milk and topped with a small knob of butter. "That just says home for me," Mendoza reflected.
Trinidad and Tobago has a strong tradition of culinary excellence and food culture deeply rooted in the nation’s multicultural heritage. The Taste of the Caribbean competition brings together junior and senior chefs from across the Caribbean region to showcase their skills and celebrate regional cuisine. Mendoza’s success reflects the broader recognition of Caribbean culinary talent on an international stage.
Mendoza’s story exemplifies how Caribbean chefs are building sustainable businesses by honouring traditional flavours and family recipes while competing at international standards. Her success in the Taste of the Caribbean and her thriving catering business demonstrate the economic potential of culinary entrepreneurship in the region, particularly for young professionals who blend heritage cooking with professional training.
Sources and attribution
- Trinidad Guardian
- Winners of Taste of the Caribbean
- CARIBBEAN NATIONAL TEAM – caribbeanhotelandtourism.com
- Trinidad and Tobago sizzles at Taste of the Caribbean Awards
- Annelca Mendoza | LinkedIn
CVCA Express Draft: verification pending; WordPress publication is manual.