Pan chicken is undoubtedly a staple of Jamaica's cultural heritage and landscape as iconic, colourful pans line roads across the island and are regular fixtures at festivals, stage shows and barbeques.

This ingenious 'roadside cuisine' provides creative chefs with a unique opportunity to showcase their culinary talents and offers consumers easily accessible, tasty food available virtually 24/7. As the local food and beverage industry becomes increasingly competitive with the arrival of new restaurants and the expansion of existing eateries, the pan chicken community must establish itself as a legitimate part of the sector and adopt a thoughtful, forward-thinking approach to entrepreneurship.

"CB recognised the need to equip pan chicken vendors with the tools and knowledge necessary for establishing and running successful businesses," said Kimberley Mullings, brand manager for CB Chicken. "We understand the necessity for more education and investment, and have made a commitment to providing assistance for bolstering this fledging industry." Through its annual Pan Chicken Championship, CB offers the country's pan chicken vendors an opportunity to secure capital. Following regional eliminations in Kingston, Montego Bay and Mandeville, 1st and 2nd place winners from each parish walked away with $30,000 and $15,000 respectively.

The selected chefs will now go on to compete for the largest prize money offered in the event's seven year history at the grand finals, which will take place on Sunday, November 18 from noon to 8 p.m. for the very first time on the beautiful waterfront in downtown Kingston. The grand champion will be awarded $525,000 including $275,000 from Caribbean Broilers and business seed money of $250,000 courtesy of First Heritage Co-operative Credit Union (FHCCU).

In addition to offering these attractive prizes, CB has once again partnered with the Bureau of Standards (BSJ) to host a training workshop in a bid to provide a level of food standardisation for the sector. BSJ representatives will be making presentations about food safety, proper food preparation techniques and good hygiene practices. Following the workshop, pan chicken vendors will be given a certificate and button for their participation.

Furthermore, First Heritage Co-operative Credit Union, which entered a strategic partnership with CB in 2010, will also discuss business management and financing with the pan chicken vendors during the training seminar. FHCCU presenters will cover starting a company, basic accounting techniques, marketing, as well as accessing and understanding business loans.

Following the conclusion of its yearly championship events, CB maintains relationships with past competitors and offers them business opportunities where possible. Over the course of this year, previous contestants have catered for a variety of events including the 2012 CB Pan Chicken Championship media launch, the Restaurant Week launch, the Jamaica Tourist Board Travel Agents Invitational and at select Red Stripe Premier League football matches.

Additionally, CB provides former event participants with products at preferred rates and has promoted their services in its web-based series, 'Pan Chicken Chronicles', TV interviews and newspaper features.

"We've always envisioned this programme as one that would have a lasting legacy," explained Kimberley Mullings. "The Pan Chicken Championship is about more than winning or losing a competition, it's about us helping persons to develop into professional chefs, savvy entrepreneurs, and proud, successful business owners."