The Bermuda Culinary Team is convinced that they have the recipe for success to win gold at the Taste of the Caribbean Competition.

And they are so confident of their chances to taste glory that they have taken the mission to a new personal level: "We decided that if we win the gold, we will shave our heads,'' revealed senior team member Olivier Ramos following the final practice dinner, held over the weekend at the Bermuda College.

The team left Bermuda yesterday for the annual international competition which is being held this year in Miami, Florida.

The Taste of the Caribbean Competition, which is organised by the Caribbean Culinary Federation and sanctioned and judged by the American Culinary Federation, draws international attention from the industry and the consumer food and wine press.

Despite their confident mood, the team has endured a difficult journey to get to this moment.

"It has been a long, hard struggle, especially over the last year,'' said team chairman Graham Redford. "This team put in hundreds of hours of practice time but could not compete because of a hurricane.'' Last year the team were left in a stew after Hurricane Georges dashed their hopes of repeating their award-wining performance at the event which was to be held in Puerto Rico.

During their first appearance at the prestigious competition, the Bermudian junior team won a gold medal achieving the highest overall scores ever.

Junior team member O'Shea Tucker was selected as the Caribbean representative to the Chaines de Rotisseurs world wide and the senior chef's team came away as silver medalists and finishing fifth overall in a field of 20.

As a result of last year's misfortune, officials decided to retain the same team to represent Bermuda at this year's competition.

"We kept the same team because they deserved to go,'' noted Mr. Redford.

"They are going to make Bermuda proud and represent Bermuda overseas.'' Senior Team manager, Jean-Claude Garzia predicted that the local chefs would at least make it to the finals.

"They will do very well, there's no doubt about it,'' he insisted. "They will definitely get to the finals.

"Its a good team and they work well together. We're calm and ready to go win the gold.'' At the competition, the senior team will be given a mystery basket of goods from which they must prepare an appetiser, main course and dessert within an allotted time.

Junior team coach, Joe Gibbons, said the all-Bermudian junior team had been practising their hors d'oeuvres for seven weeks for the prestigious event.

"We meet once a week on Thursdays for practice... I think our chances are very good.'' And veteran junior team member, O'Shea Tucker, said representing Bermuda at an international competition was an opportunity the young members would all benefit from.

"It's a great opportunity,'' he said. "I think the secret to our success will be our cooperation, We work as a team and it is entirely a team effort.

"I just want us to go out there and defend our title.'' The National Culinary Team consists of senior chefs -- Oliver Ramos, Marcus Wesch, Matthew Lines, Christian Buggelsheim and Colin Wilson -- and junior chefs -- O'Shea Tucker, Sherman Trott, Tenika Eve and Antoine Smith. Bartender Delvin Caines rounds out the team.