The Tribune

The sweet aroma of fresh brioche filled the kitchen as students in the advanced baking and pastry class at the University of The Bahamas College of Tourism, Hospitality, Culinary Arts and Leisure Management (THe CALM) eagerly waited to learn from an industry expert.

Returning to his alma mater, UB alumnus and pastry chef Antonio Dean led a hands-on demonstration in artisanal bread-making, sharing both technique and industry insight.

For Antonio, now a chef at Rosewood Baha Mar, the experience was “surreal”.

“What I think was very important for people who’ve been here before – industry professionals – is you’ve got to prepare students for the industry,” he said. “Even how the industry is now, compared to what it was just a couple of years ago, there’s an opportunity for them to use artisanal bread-making skills… It’s just an opportunity for us to come and share information so that they could be better prepared for the industry that they’re going into.”

Bringing students face-to face with industry professionals, many of whom are UB alums climbing the ladder of success, is a priority for UB. THe CALM has, over the years, in several different iterations, been serving as a robust pipeline for talent throughout the culinary, tourism and hospitality sector.

On the work table, Chef Antonio demonstrated the versatility of brioche, and together with the students they created variations that included chocolate brioche, a German-style bean and stitch, brioche coffee cake, and even laminated brioche, similar to croissant dough.

“I wanted to show them the same way that you would go in a culinary class and you would learn the five mother sauces, you could see brioche as a mother dough,” he said.

The class, taught by adjunct faculty instructor, Chef Rebekah Brice, marked a milestone for UB as the first cohort of students pursuing the Associate of Science in Pastry Arts. For her, industry partnerships like this one with Baha Mar elevate the programme.

“I love it because I was a former COB student, and back then we did not have a pastry associates [degree] programme,” she said. “It’s fabulous to see chefs from the industry coming in to share what they do, and the students being able to get that firsthand industry knowledge along with the knowledge I give them in class.”

Dean of THe CALM Mario Adderley also emphasised how collaborations with industry partners enrich student learning.

“Typically, they would not have gotten to this extent because there’s so much content in the class, and so being exposed to it at this level broadens their knowledge and a bit of their horizon. We’re fortunate enough to be able to have these relationships with properties like Baha Mar, Atlantis, and others,” he added.

Students were equally excited about the experience.

“I’ve always wanted to be a pastry chef,” said Pastry major Tehryn Cash. “So, when someone comes in with the knowledge that he has and shows this expertise, I was really excited.”

As UB continues to open doors for these kinds of opportunities, it was proof for Chef Antonio that giving back is just as rewarding as moving forward.