Happenings

The kitchens of Aruba’s EPI School of Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts were busy this past weekend as twelve teams of future chefs, mentored by twelve of the island’s most respected executive chefs from restaurants and resorts, competed for the gold in the 1st Aruba Chef & Student Culinary Festival.
The festival, organized by Eddeline Dijkhoff, EPI Coordinator of the Apprenticeship Program and a dynamic team including Nathalie Maduro of the Aruba Tourism Authority, Vanessa  and Chef Leest and Randy Geerman of EPI, proved to be a landmark event which will likely become an annual competition.

EPI School welcomed three celebrity chefs to join Chef Bartholomo Kelly as judges for the event. Returning to Aruba was Chef Michael Deihl, chef to Tiger Woods at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, and  President of the Atlanta chapter of the American Culinary Federation-ACF. Chef Christian “Kit” Kiefer and Chef Charles de Vries, both award winning cooks, joined him on the panel.

The three days produced dozens of utterly gorgeous culinary creations, which Chef Deihl explained were judged not only on appearance and taste, but also a balanced use of proteins, fats sugars, as well as flavors, colors and textures. A strict international point system was employed in the judging, but before announcing the three winning teams, Chef Deihl reminded all the students they were all winners for having had the courage to demonstrate their creative cookery and egos for judging, always a difficult but rewarding, and often exhilarating experience. Teams were allowed to devise a cold appetizer and dessert before the competition, but were presented with a “mystery box” during the event, from which they had to create a hot appetizer and main course.

Claiming the third place bronze medal with a score of 34.2 points was the team working with Chef Scot Scheurman of Aqua Grill Restaurant. Chef Deihl proclaimed that choosing the first place winner was exceedingly difficult, and that only 2/100th of a point separated the silver and gold medal teams, who won with scores of 34.46 and 34.48. Silver medals went to Myron Winterdaal, Juni Henriquez, Miguel Clemendore and Eldrick Franken, under the tutelage of Chef Erwin Husken of Screaming Eagle Restaurant.

The gold medals and certificates were won by the team working with Holiday Inn Executive Sous Chef Dennis Daatselaar, consisting of EPB student Wilbert de Cuba, and Ivan Koolman, Enny Servines and Rudlaine Croes of the EPI. Chef Daatselaar reports he was very pleased with the performance of his group, which presented to the judges a menu of  Tropical Mango Salad with Poached Coconut Shrimps, Kerri-Kerri of Red Snapper with Banana Pan Bati, Leg of Lamb Papaya Style, and a Charlotte of Prickly Pear with Fresh Fruit; all distinctly Caribbean and very colorful.

Present for the closing event was ATA Director Myrna Jansen-Feliciano, who awarded Chef Deihl with the title of “Ambassador of Goodwill” for sharing time and expertise with Aruba’s present and future chefs. He, in turn, announced that he is working with Chef Kelly and the Aruba Chef’s Association to see they receive full recognition on the website of the AFC as an accredited chef’s union. “The world will be hearing about you!” he promised.

Photo’s and article courtesy of Mrs. Rosalie Klein

Top: First place team, Left above: Second Place Team and Committee members and chefs

Above: First Place Dessert and Appetizer Dishes

All Proceeds Will Go to the Mary Joan Breast Cancer Foundation

Internationally the month of October stands for the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). Therefore on October 22nd the Aruba Marriott organizes a “pink walk” in cooperation with other hotels in Aruba followed by a spectacular fashion show in Marriott’s hotel lobby. The initiative to organize a Pink Ribbon event came from the Recreation department of the Marriott Aruba Vacation Club.  “We want to create awareness about breast cancer for our local community and guests and raise funds to support the Mary Joan Breast Cancer Foundation” says, Shuraima Henriquez, Ocean Club & Surf Club Recreation Manager.

This Thursday October 22nd Marriott invites all guests and locals to participate in the pink walk, which starts at 5:00 PM from the road between La Cabana Beach & Racquet Club  and Amsterdam Manor on Eagle Beach. The walk will pass all high rise hotels ending at the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino. To participate for the pink walk, you can sign up at Marriott’s Surf Club Recreation Club Matey’s Hall. Contribution for the pink walk is 15 florins or $8.50 dollars and includes a Hotel for a Cure T-Shirt and refreshments.

Following the pink walk Marriott welcomes you to a spectacular fashion show.  This never-done-before event in Aruba is a must see fashion show with dresses made of balloons created by Marriott’s associates. The show starts at 7:30 PM in Marriott’s hotel lobby. MC during the fashion show is PR-diva Rona Coster. Donations can be made throughout the show and all proceeds will be donated to the Mary Joan Breast Cancer Foundation.

In 2007, the Marriott organized a beach walk raise funds towards the same cause, collecting 1,000 florins in one day. This year the Marriott Ocean & Surf Club Recreation department organized weekly events on Thursdays during the entire month of October. Guests were encouraged to create their own tye die T-Shirt and “pink ribbon” beads. Calendars, T-shirts, cakes and other merchandise were sold to generate donations. So far, Marriott’s fund raising initiatives brought together 1,250 florins. The final event for the breast cancer awareness month is the pink walk and fashion show on October 22nd. The donations collected during the month of October for the Breast Cancer awareness will be presented by means of a cheque to the Mary Joan Breast Cancer Foundation on November 1st.

Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino boasts 411 fully renovated guest rooms – the most spacious on the island – each with large, private balconies overlooking the sparkling waters of the Caribbean Sea. On property, seven restaurants and cafes provide fare from light to elegant, while the largest casino in Aruba, a 6,500 square-foot spa, renewed free-form swimming pool with cascading waterfalls and high-energy health club offer entertaining diversions. To obtain more information call the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino at 888-PARADISE or visit www.arubamarriott.com.

Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean & Mexico Resorts is comprised of ten resorts in seven of the top tropical destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico – Aruba, Cancun, Curaçao, Grand Cayman, Puerto Vallarta, St. Kitts and St. Thomas. To experience these resorts and learn about special promotions, please visit the new www.ParadiseByMarriott.com.

Above: Marriott Recreation team selling Pink ribbon T-shirts for the Mary Joan Breast Cancer Foundation
Below: Marriott Aruba Vacation Club Recreation team

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Volunteers Wanted for Beach Cleanup Day
October 24th - 8 am to 12 pm
North of Alto Vista - Free catamaran and snorkel trip for volunteers
Call - 586-1603

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November 19th and 20th, 2009
Aruba Renaissance Convention Center

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The 2009 2nd Island Wound Care Symposium is commemorating the 10th anniversary of Aruba’s first Out-Patient Wound Care Clinic at the Dr. Horacio E. Oduber Hospital. The theme of this year’s symposium is “Retrospective Milestones Providing Wound Care Services” and “A Closer Look Beyond the Surface of Wound Care Challenges”.
Most of the discussions will focus on the important role that our out-patient clinic and its professionals can play in Wound Care Services. An updated brochure with a symposium agenda for further details about time, date and location will follow as soon as it is completed and confirmed.

With certification continuing education credits, the 2nd Island Wound Care Symposium 2009 is an informative, educational and empowering two-day session for any wound care professional. Here is what one Wound Care Symposium attendee had to say about his experience in 2002: “The First 2002 “Island Wound Care Symposium: A Blueprint for Healing”  was superbly organized; information was presented in an excellent and interactive way. The atmosphere was friendly and supportive. I am very pleased with everything and will sincerely recommend the symposium to my colleagues.” The organizing committee have been working to make this a truly memorable experience for all it’s participants.

The Symposium sincerely hopes that you will join them in making “2nd Island Wound Care Symposium 2009” a success, and looks forward to welcoming you to Aruba.

Chef and Student Culinary Festival and Competition
Sign up for the “Best Homemade Cheesecake Contest”
EPI Hospitality and Tourism located at Seroe Blanco

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Popular online poker site UltimateBet proudly welcomes back the charismatic charms and superb skills of Master Tournament Director Matt Savage.

This year, online poker players have an unprecedented number of reasons to join the online poker site in Aruba with today’s announcement that the world’s leading tournament director Matthew Savage will return to oversee UltimateBet’s prestigious 2009 Aruba Poker Classic.

“Matt’s natural ability to run a smooth and fair tournament and his talent for making it feel more like a party than a poker room is one of the many reasons why our Aruba  event is still one of the most popular on the annual calendar, ” said Phil Hellmuth, UltimateBet’s Pro poker player.

“For the third straight year, Savage Tournaments partners with UltimateBet to deliver one of my favorite tournaments of the year,” added Matt Savage. “In celebrating UB’s 10th Anniversary, I am honored to once again be part of the Aruba Poker Classic; with an extended tournament schedule, plus a group of floor staff and dealers that is second to none, 2009 is shaping up to be one for the ‘scrapbook’.”

As the Tournament Director for the Aruba Poker Classic, October 3rd through 10th, Savage will manage eight days of all-out poker action, which is expected to attract over 500 players from around the globe, competing for a slice of an overall festival prize pool in excess of $6 million.

To date, world famous event manager Savage has directed countless million-dollar tournaments including the WSOP, various WPT events, and the Aussie Millions. He has appeared on almost 400 televised poker shows on ESPN, GSN, Fox Sports, Travel Channel and other popular networks.

However, Savage’s pedigree reaches far beyond just calling the shots on the poker room floor. As one of the founders of the Tournament Directors Association, he has been instrumental in standardizing tournament rules throughout the world, and in 2003, his far-reaching contribution saw him inducted into the Poker Room Manager’s Hall of Fame as its very first member.

Online poker players can enter a series of online satellites to win an $8,500 Aruba prize package at UltimateBet.com, or qualify via UltimateBet’s STEP tournaments, for as little as 10 cents. The prize package includes the $5,500 main event seat and $3,000 for travel and accommodation.

In 2008, Matt Brady captured the Aruba Poker Classic Main Event title, taking home $1 Million in cash.
For more information on the 2009 UltimateBet Aruba Poker Classic, visit UltimateBet.com or www.arubaclassic.com for all the latest news and views.

For further media information, please contact: Kathryn Farrell
Email: kathryn.farrell@tokwiro.com
Cell: +506 8389 0043

Win a package for this year’s Aruba Poker Classic online at UltimateBet in this Sunday’s 25 Seat Super Satellite, and you’ll be one step closer to joining the UB Pro players beachside. UltimateBet (“UB”) is serious about giving online poker players an easy ride to some beachside fun and an eight-day poker festival that will deliver the perfect mix of ‘Holiday and Hold’em’. Slap on the sunscreen, slip on your Ray-Bans, and get ready to party it up in Aruba, because UltimateBet guarantees to award at least 25 Aruba Poker Classic prize packages in this Sunday’s 25 Seat Super Satellite at 17:30ET…. and one of them could be yours.

Log onto UltimateBet on Sunday, August 2nd to discover one of the easiest ways to play your way to a little piece of poker paradise. The 17:30ET $500+30 buy-in poker tournament can be found in UB’s poker lobby under the official tag “Aruba 25 Seat Super Satellite”, awarding a minimum of 25 Aruba Poker Classic prize packages, each valued at $8,500, including a healthy $3,000 cash towards travel and accommodation costs.
If you’re looking for a cheaper road to Aruba, be sure to check out the “Aruba 25 Seat Satellite”, also on Sunday August 2nd at 14:45ET, where the $60+6 buy-in guarantees to give away 15 qualifying spots into the 17:30ET Aruba 25 Seat Super Satellite.

The leading online poker site’s 10th Anniversary celebrations are riding a perfect wave of excitement that are set to continue with the 8th annual Aruba Poker Classic at the stunning Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino and Spa, from October 3rd to the 10th. Be part of the action in Aruba this year to earn a share of a multi-million-dollar prizepool up for grabs in the week-long poker festival hosted by the leading online poker site, UltimateBet (“UB”).

UltimateBet’s signature land based poker tournament promises to deliver an event to remember. Now recognized as one of the premiere international events on the poker calendar and a confirmed favorite amongst the world’s best players, attendance at UB’s marquee ‘tournament in the tropics’ has continued to climb steadily since its inception in 2002. A growing number of devotees will return to the island oasis this October for their annual fix of cards and the Caribbean, where players will enjoy action-filled cash games and poker tournaments, invitation-only parties, mingling with Hollywood ‘celebs’ and  UB’s burgeoning stable of Pro players, plus guaranteed sun drenched days on what is arguably the world’s best beach.

UltimateBet invites you to play poker and party with the tightest online poker community on the planet. Register now at the Aruba Poker Classic Website to receive regular updates, and visit www.UltimateBet.com for full details of the many ways you can qualify for the 2009 Aruba Poker Classic.

For further media information, please contact: Kathryn Farrell
Email: kathryn@tbtagency.com
Cell: +506 8389 0043

This October at the Aruba Poker Classic, UltimateBet (“UB”) is tossing a cool $10 Million on the table at its annual marquee land-based poker tournament. UB is celebrating its 10th Anniversary in magical style by offering the $10 Million cash bonanza to any player who qualifies online for the Aruba Poker Classic all the way from a 10cent Step 1 tournament, and then goes on to conquer  the Aruba $5,500 buy-in Main Event.

There’s some serious cash at stake here. From a dime to a $10 Million dream – that’s the challenge at hand here, and the effort could be worth every penny, should you win your way to Aruba through UltimateBet’s Step tournaments by starting at STEP 1.  A little piece of poker paradise awaits, and while you indulge your sun-seeking body on arguably one of the world’s best beaches , contemplate just what it will mean to pocket a magnificent eight-figure payday at the poker table, should you reign victorious as the 2009 Aruba Poker Champion come  tournament’s end on October 10th.

Not only can a tiny ten cent investment earn you a tidy $8,500 Aruba Poker Classic prize package, including a $5,500 Main Event buy-in and $3,000 for travel and accommodation, but it can also mean the difference between banking a superb $1 Million* Main Event check, and  this year’s 10th Anniversary mega $10 Million bonus.

The 2009 Aruba Poker Classic is a week-long poker experience, featuring a multi-million-dollar tournament, memorable parties and plenty of occasions to mingle with some of the world’s best known Poker Pros in the business. Make this a must-not-miss event on your poker calendar, and you could be on the road to a new realm of poker riches worth an extra $10 million. What could be sweeter than that for a 10th Anniversary present?

With nine weeks left to qualify, there’s still time to prove that you have what it takes to become poker’s next big multi-millionaire. No other poker tournament stacks up to the 8th annual Aruba Poker Classic at the stunning Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa, from October 3rd to the 10th. Check out UltimateBet’s STEP tournaments from as little as 10 cents, and you could be partying it up soon with the tightest online poker community on the planet.

Register now at the Aruba Poker Classic Website to receive regular updates, and visit UltimateBet.com for full details of the many ways you can qualify for the 2009 Aruba Poker Classic.

*Based on 1st prize in the Main Event at the 2008 Aruba Poker Classic, won by Matt Brady.

The Palm Beach Plaza hosted its first tenant meeting recently. It gave developers great pleasure to see sixty-six new businesses emerging and coming together to create a truly exciting new mall, hailed as Aruba’s #2 attraction – having reserved the #1 attraction title to the island’s beaches!

The tenants got together on the third, Fun City, floor of the plaza and over delicious coffee and donuts received the latest updates from the management team regarding the plaza’s opening schedule, its marketing plans and its interior design timetable. The complex, the largest of its kind in the Southern Caribbean, was created as an all-day family entertainment center offering an abundance of activities to visitors and locals of all ages.

Mall Manager Alex Otterspeer welcomed business-representatives from Shivas Gold & Gems, Tommy Hilfiger, Façonnable, Benetton, San Marina Shoes, Nautica, Sunspecs, Skechers Apparel, Royal Diamonds & Jewels, Monarch Jewels, Guess, Guess Kids, Perry Ellis, Addict, Penha Perfumeries, the Shoe Box, La Chinata, Bianco e Bianco linen, Rimowa Luggage, Muaa fashions, Footfit footwear & Vanilla clothing, Giordano, Basinger Concept Store, Art Fusion gifts, Pixies Bijoux, Candyland Sweets, Tropical World Souvenirs, Panache Swim & Surf Wear, Lulu Body & Bath Products, an 8 movie-theater Mega Plex, and Aruba’s first food court operators including Churromania, Chubby Panda Chinese, Sciue Sciue Italian Tapas, Delie International Sandwiches, Mc Shawarma Express, Italian Gelato and a children’s entertainment section operating a Kiddie-Train, a Rock Climbing wall, the Palm Beach Dream Bowl Bowling Alley, an electronic game zone and a thrilling Cable Slide, next to an indoor supervised play room.

The mall will also feature a branch of Western Union, the Post-Office, the Green Door Spa and a Mini-Market, in addition to a number of theme-restaurants and bars including Casa Tua Mediterranean, Havana Cigar & Spirit Bar, Kokomos, Hoshi Sushi and Mama Mexico, Mimo’s Ice Cream, Tio Pepe Juice Bar and Sir James House of Coffee set amid tropical vegetation, with 354 easily accessible, ground level parking spaces, and nicely lit walking lanes to and from the hotel strip.

Pictured here snapshots from a most productive meeting, at the Palm Beach Plaza.

Arriving in a horse-drawn carriage, Princes Margriet and her Husband, made her first public appearance as the representative of the Dutch family to open the bi-annual Kingdom Games at the Guillermo Prospero Trinidad Sport Stadium. The Kingdom Games originally founded in 1965 and conducted until 1983, were cancelled due to former competitor Suriname’s Departure in 1975. They were reinstalled in 1995 through the efforts of Dutch Olympian Erica Terpstra, with athletes from Aruba, now an autonomous entity within the kingdom, joining Holland and the Netherlands Antilles in the competitions.

This is the third time Aruba is hosting the games, along with the first year of hosting the bi-annual Cultural Exchange as well. The opening ceremonies encompassed a parade of the hundreds of participating young athletes of all the nations of the Dutch Kingdom who are competing in swimming, synchronized swimming, baseball, soccer, softball, tae-kwon-do and track and field. The closing of the games will take place this Friday at the Guillermo Trinidad Sport Stadium.

For more information please contact at wegadireino@gmail.com