The annual culinary event Bermuda Gourmet Getaway (BGG) left foodies around the island with full stomachs and satisfied palates; however, the five-day food and wine celebration also helped two budding chefs pursue their dreams.

Held in conjunction with BGG, the Bermuda Culinary Arts Development Fund (BCADF) is managed by Total Marketing & Communications and was established to provide financial assistance to enable young Bermudians to further their education in the culinary arts and hospitality industry.

This year's recipients, Brian Richens and Ashley Tucker, successfully demonstrated their commitment to the hospitality industry and have received a combined total of $7500 to put towards their further education and the development of their careers.

After earning a degree in mechanical and electrical engineering, Mr. Richens, worked at Harrington Hundreds Grocery store as a manager in the Dairy and Freezer Department. While there, he got the opportunity to fill in for the store's chef on occasion, which sparked an unexpected passion for food.

"Apparently I was pretty good at it," he explained and from then on, he knew he had found his calling. Mr. Richens gained the knowledge needed to be successful in the food and beverage industry by working as the Assistant Manager at The Spot restaurant and as the Head Chef at Hungry Bear, what is now Common Ground.

Mr. Richens who currently works as the sous chef at Hamilton restaurant Mad Hatters is heading back to George Brown College located in Toronto to continue his studies in Culinary Management. The degree focuses on "how to run a restaurant from the chef side of the business to the front of the house," he said.

Post graduation, the up-and-coming restaurateur hopes to one day open his own eatery here in Bermuda and even setting his sights on culinary hot spots New York City and Las Vegas.

The second recipient of the fund, Ms Ashley Tucker, recently graduated with honours from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York and is now studying at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island where she majors in Culinary Nutrition. According to Ms. Tucker this degree, "allows chefs to learn the scientific side of food. We look at the relationship of food and the body; however, we also have lab classes that focus on research and development. A main focus of this programme is to learn how to fuse science with culinary skills."

Ms Tucker who participated in the 2006 BGG event as a demo set-up assistant found her culinary inspiration from her mother.

"I always liked cooking when I was younger," she said. "However, I didn't realise that I could make a carreer out of it until pre-teenage years. My mom always cooked for my family. Every meal was made by her hands. I remember watching her buzz around the kitchen whipping up dinner before my dad got home. I usually observed or asked questions while sitting at the kitchen table. I knew that she had a tight schedule to get dinner ready so I would patiently wait for her to call me over to help peel carrots, snap off the ends of the string beans, or whatever other task she had planned for me that day.

"When the Food Network started to expand I realised that I could become a chef, too. Maybe not a celebrity chef; however, the shows just showed me that becoming a chef was possible and not just a hobby.

"One rainy Sunday afternoon, my mother called me into the TV room to look at a programme about a culinary school. She said, 'Ash, look! That can be you!' The programme was all about the world's premier culinary arts school: The Culinary Institute of America. I knew, from that day forth that I was going to that college."

The budding chef started her professional career at Four Ways Inn where she worked in the bakery.

"Baking was my first love. I worked with some of the nicest chefs. I look back at that experience now and realise how lucky I am to have been able to work with them. They made my first professional experience a memorable, positive one," she said.

Ms Tucker has also worked with her family at their restaurants Island Cuisine and Bermy Cuisine and has picked up her most important cooking lesson from them.

"My mother always told me that the most important ingredient in food is love. She showed me how to add it into any dish. It's my favourite ingredient," she said.

If you know of a student committed to the culinary arts or the hospitality industry, applicants can learn more about the fund by visiting www.bermudagourmetgetaway.bm or contacting Michelle Halpin on 278-8895 or michelletotalgroup.bm