FIFTEEN women from the Amerindian community of Mashabo in Region Two, recently completed a cookery training programme which was organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce through the Guyana Tourism Authority, in collaboration with the Basic Needs Trust Fund. Guyana.

The skills gained from the training will complement a restaurant that is currently under construction in the village, allowing the women to offer their culinary expertise and provide visitors with a unique dining experience.

The two-day training was led by the Carnegie School of Home Economics, with the primary goal of empowering the women.

Participants learned essential components of food safety and how to integrate indigenous ingredients into traditional Guyanese dishes. The dishes prepared included farine fried rice, farine potato balls, and farine callaloo cook-up.

Among the other meals prepared during the training were vegetable salad, corn on the cob, metemgee, macaroni pie, breaded fried fish, baked chicken in pineapple sauce, and soya balls.

The women expressed their satisfaction with the training, noting how much they were able to learn.

Vendita Wilson, one of the participants, mentioned that the skills she gained would make her more marketable.

“I love independence, and once the restaurant is completed, we can get jobs and provide for our families,” Wilson said.

Another participant, Viola (only name given), shared that she learned many new things and that her cooking skills will see significant improvement.

“When I heard about the training, I made sure to be part of it, and I’m glad I was. It was a great experience, and now I know how to cook better,” Viola said.

Afeerah Shabeer, the Toshao of the village, expressed her happiness that the women were able to benefit from such an exercise.

She highlighted the ongoing infrastructural development in the community and noted that enhancing the women’s skills would lead to more employment opportunities as tourism spots are established and more tourists visit the area.

Previously, the women of Mainstay had benefited from training provided by the ministry in areas such as bakery, digital marketing, and delivering quality service.