“We worked with the SDC on a project encouraging entrepreneurship last year and were impressed by its professionalism and ability to galvanise the community to action. So we decided to partner with them for the 2014 CB Pan Chicken Championship,” Brand Manager of CB Chicken, Alicia Bogues said.

According to Jamaica Observer, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the CB’s head office recently, the organisations agreed to collaborate to ensure the continued success and further growth of the CB Pan Chicken Championship.

This includes attracting even more quality participants, supporting existing pan chicken vendors with business management, food safety, and marketing training; plus fostering sustainable business practices, community development and economic growth.

The MoU was signed by Matthew Lyn, CB Group Chief Operating Officer, and Avril Ranger, SDC Director of Community Development Planning, on behalf of Executive Director, Dr Dwayne Vernon, a release from CB said.

With extensive experience in community development, access to an island-wide network of potential business owners, plus a mandate to support economic livelihood initiatives through project and programme development, Bogues said this CB/SDC partnership presents an opportunity to realise mutually shared objectives.

“Pan is more than a cooking competition; it helps to engage individuals in their community, helps them to recognize their talents and skills, endorses culinary careers and helps to spur the growth of the Jamaican economy. The SDC is embedded in the community, and so we have the confidence in their ability to help us expand in terms of diversity and community penetration, better reach of individuals, community development, business development and entrepreneurship,” said Ms Bogues.