Marriott Unveils 2024 Masters of the Craft Champions, Debuts New Pastry Competition

Annual competition returns, showcasing talent across culinary, beverage and pastry in the U.S. and Canada

(IN SHORT) Marriott International has announced the winners of its 2024 “Masters of the Craft” competition, showcasing talent across culinary, beverage, and pastry categories for the first time. Over 1,600 professionals from 181 properties in the U.S. and Canada competed, with winners selected in each category. The champions are Jessica Lumbre (Culinary), Heidi Finley (Beverage), and Raena Narae Lee (Pastry). Winners will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the Charleston Wine + Food Festival in 2025. Marriott emphasizes sustainability and creativity, aligning with its Serve 360 initiative.

(PRESS RELEASE) Bethesda, MD, 2024-Sep-18— /Travel PR News/ — Marriott International has announced the winners of its 2024 “Masters of the Craft” competition, a prestigious culinary, beverage, and now pastry contest, designed to inspire innovation and highlight the exceptional talent within Marriott’s food and beverage community. The competition, which took place across the U.S. and Canada, introduced a new pastry category this year, further showcasing the expertise of Marriott’s culinary artisans.

Over the past three months, more than 1,600 culinary, pastry, and beverage professionals from 181 Marriott Bonvoy properties competed through quick-fire cooking, mixology, and baking challenges. Contestants were tasked with incorporating mystery ingredients into their dishes, drinks, or pastries, with the final competition held on September 16, 2024, at Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles.

The semi-finalists faced challenges that included culinary mystery ingredient Sweet Garleek, local honey for beverages, and mango for pastries. The finalists were then asked to work with cobia, coconut, and organic Mayan roast coffee for the respective categories.

The 2024 winners include:

• Culinary Competition: Jessica Lumbre, JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort
• Beverage Competition: Heidi Finley, The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota
• Pastry Competition: Raena Narae Lee, Delta Hotels Toronto

Winners were awarded an all-expenses paid trip to the Charleston Wine + Food Festival in 2025, where they will experience top-tier culinary experiences from national talent.

Marriott’s “Masters of the Craft” competition continues to be an important platform for fostering creativity, celebrating diversity in culinary expertise, and promoting sustainable practices across the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. This year’s event embraced sustainable sourcing with the use of responsibly harvested seafood and other eco-friendly ingredients in alignment with Marriott’s Serve 360 sustainability and social impact platform.

For more information, visit Marriott Bonvoy or explore career opportunities at Marriott Careers.

ABOUT MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL

Marriott International, Inc. (Nasdaq: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of approximately 9,000 properties across more than 30 leading brands in 141 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The company offers Marriott Bonvoy®, its highly awarded travel program. For more information, please visit our website at www.marriott.com. In addition, connect with us on Facebook and @MarriottIntl on X and Instagram.

Media Contact:

Kimberly Mannino
Senior Manager, Public Relations, U.S. & Canada
Marriott International
Kimberly.a.mannino@marriott.com

Source: Marriott International, Inc.

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