Joshua Bate Trading Company is looking for chefs to show their stuff in their showroom kitchen.

Company vice-president of sales, Matthew Gerardo, said the home improvement store is now actively recruiting chefs to cook once a week in their Monogram-brand showroom kitchen at their Marsh Lane, Devonshire facility.

“We wanted to promote Bermudian chefs and give them a platform to showcase their talents, while also increasing foot traffic through the showroom,” Mr Gerardo said.

This is the second year the business has run cooking demonstrations. Last year, they put out a call for chefs on social media, but of the five who responded, no one followed up with menus.

The company finally found their chef, Roslyn Cure of KetoYum Kitchen, after reading an article in The Royal Gazette. They reached out to her directly, and she presented them with a range of dishes.

“It was great as she was able to showcase her skills and promote our luxury Monogram-brand kitchen, while creating a wonderful smell throughout our showroom,” Mr Gerardo said. “Both staff and customers were very appreciative of it all.”

The cooking demonstrations went so well, they decided to continue the initiative.

Ms Cure will kick off the demonstrations here on March 25.

This time when they renewed their appeal for chefs, interest poured in. And a number of the people who responded to the request already had established clientele and ongoing ventures of their own.

Mr Gerardo was pleased with the response. He said: “We have met with a handful of them already and we are setting up a schedule for a chef to come every third Friday of the month. It is a wonderful opportunity for all parties as chefs will be compensated for their time and materials used.

“They will also get to cook using higher-end luxury appliances from our Monogram display while getting their name out for the public to see.”

Joshua Bate Trading would like to do Facebook live videos with some of the chefs selected, so that all customers inside and outside the showroom can participate.

For more information e-mail sales@joshbate.com.