Originally published in Cayman Airways Skies magazine, January/February issue.
Elsewhere in the world, the weeks following Christmas are typically a period of abstinence, when people lay low, put New Year’s resolutions into practice and atone for the excesses of the festive season.
Not so in Cayman.
Here, the food and wine just keeps on coming.
Hot on the heels of the holidays, January ushers in two world-class culinary events held on Grand Cayman: the Cayman Cookout and Taste of Cayman. Together these two gastronomic festivals cement the Islands’ reputation as a top foodie destination in the Caribbean.
CAYMAN COOKOUT
Held from January 14 to 17, the Cayman Cookout sees some of biggest names in the world of food and wine converge on the island for a four day extravaganza of cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, cocktails, lunches and dinners.
A total of 39 events take place over the course of the Cayman Cookout, some running simultaneously, and tickets to each event are sold separately.
All this is set against a backdrop of white sand beaches, aquamarine waters and swaying palm trees – it’s a winning combination.
A Who’s Who of Food & Wine
Celebrity chef Eric Ripert, co-owner of New York’s Le Bernadin and the name behind Blue, The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman’s acclaimed seafood restaurant, hosts the event each year and, as in previous years, he is joined by culinary giants Anthony Bourdain and José Andres.
The Three Amigos, as they are frequently dubbed, will be supported by a roster of newcomers to the Cayman Cookout. Other participating chefs this year include Ludo Lefebvre, Dean Fearing, Tom Colicchio, Cindy Huston and Michael Mina.
The event is about more than cooking, however. It’s about quality ingredients, fine wines and handcrafted cocktails too so top winemakers, sommeliers, purveyors of premium meats and TV food personalities are also part of the line-up.
In the demo kitchen
With a dozen cooking demos scheduled, gourmands have ample opportunity to watch world-class chefs at work.
Chef and consummate entertainer Jose Andres’s kick starts the action with a paella party, at which he prepares his version of the Spanish national dish, entertaining viewers with his spirited stories.
Seafood-lovers can then watch chef Bernard Guillas showing guests some of his favourite ways with fish, or enjoy Chef Dean Max’s All About the Sea demonstration. Author of The Texas Food Bible, Dean Fearing, will share his south-western style Trio of Tacos with his audience and French pastry chef and judge on the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars, Florian Bellanger, will let viewers in on some top tips for perfect patisseries.
Top Tipples
Wines and cocktails are also major protagonists and the weekend begins with a Wine Fair and Auction, on Thursday, 14 January, at which Jacques Scott, suppliers of wines and liquors, present some of the finest notes in wine making, accompanied by exquisite culinary creations from the Chefs of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
Over the next three days, wine aficionados will can raise glasses to an array of rosé wines from Provence, France, savor some of the rarest Krug champagnes, learn about the perfect wines for the beach from TV personality Ray Isle, and taste First Growth Bordeaux with sommelier Michael Kennedy.
Mixologist Charles Joly will demonstrate the art of hand-crafted cocktails and a new poolside event this year, Rum and Robusto, will showcase premium Cuban cigars and rum cocktails.
Meet, Eat & Greet
Foodies can choose from a variety of decadent meals over the course of the weekend, each hosted by a celebrity chef. The number of tickets sold for each event is kept intentionally small, ensuring that those in attendance have ample opportunity to “meet and eat” with their kitchen heroes. No other event puts the audience in such close proximity to the stars of the show and it is the intimacy of the Cayman Cookout that has made it so successful.
Resort-based, with forays further afield
The Cayman Cookout is jointly sponsored by The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism and Food & Wine magazine. Many of the events therefore take place at the resort; however, because the event is designed to showcase not only the Islands’ culinary offerings but their natural beauty too, organisers take the show on the road as well.
The popular Barefoot BBQ, will see the chefs grilling Certified Angus Beef under the stars on Seven Mile Beach; the annual Beach Bash involves a catamaran sail over to Rum Point and the Krug Reserve Tasting takes place on the Blue Tip golf course, where guests can put for prizes while sampling the finest champagnes.
The Cayman Cookout is timed to take place at a time of year when visitor numbers typically decline after the peak of the holiday season. “The business objectives of the Cayman Cookout weekend is to increase visitation to the Cayman Islands during the shoulder season by promoting our strong culinary arts and vacation experience through this marquis event,” says Mrs. Rosa Harris, Director of the Department of Tourism.
However, the benefits to the tourism industry extend far beyond the four days of the event. Between the participating celebrity chefs – who have a huge social media following in their own right – and the visiting journalists from top-tier publications who cover the event for epicurean, lifestyle and travel magazines, Mrs Harris says, the Cayman Cookout and the Cayman Islands in general receive invaluable international exposure that reinforces the diversity of the tourism product and highlights the thriving culinary scene that is available year-round.
TASTE OF CAYMAN
A week later, on Saturday, 23rd January, the much-anticipated Taste of Cayman returns with yet more food, festivities and fun.
Organised by the Cayman Islands Tourism Association, it’s an event designed to showcase the high calibre and wide range of dining options in the Cayman Islands.
Held outdoors on Camana Bay’s Festival Green, against a backdrop of starry skies with live bands playing and fireworks displays, there’s a definite air of celebration at this evening event. For one night only, 40 or more local restaurants come together in a single venue to celebrate all things food and wine.
Each participating restaurant sets up a booth from which they cook and serve up mini-portions of their signature dishes – appetisers, entrees and desserts – while purveyors of wines and spirits sell libations from temporary bars.
Thousands of members of the public show up for the event, wandering among the different booths, exchanging tickets for small plates and drinks.
“The Cayman Islands has frequently been dubbed the culinary capital of the Caribbean and the Taste of Cayman provides an opportunity for restaurants to demonstrate exactly why Cayman has earned this reputation,” says Tiffany Dixon-Ebanks, Executive Director of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association, which organizes the event.
Who is best?
Throughout the evening a variety of competitions take place. Some of the island’s best mixologists go to head to head in a cocktail competition, and one talented amateur baker will take home a cash prize for the best Heavy Cake – the unofficial national dish of the Islands.
Circulating undercover amongst the thousands of festival-goers, are several secret judges, tasked with selecting the Best Booth, Best Food, Best Drink and Best Dessert.
The ultimate title that all participating restaurants are competing for, however, is that of Cayman’s Favourite Restaurant. This category is the ‘people’s choice’. Upon entry all attendees are given a wooden token, which they carry with them while they sample dozens of dishes. Once they have made their choice, they vote by placing the token in the corresponding restaurant’s token receptacle.
Everyone’s a winner
For patrons the festival is a superb opportunity to taste what dozens of restaurants have to offer, in a single outing and at a single location.
For individual restaurants, the exposure they gain is priceless. While there can be no greater vote of confidence than earning the coveted title of Cayman’s Favourite Restaurant, for all participating establishments, it’s an excellent opportunity to earn the public’s trust. The simple sampling of a restaurant’s culinary creations is often all it takes to persuade attendees to make a dinner reservation, Ms Dixon-Ebanks points out.
For new ventures, taking part in the Taste of Cayman, is also an effective means of generating awareness of their offering. “Over the years, there have been many restaurants that have actually launched their new entity at Taste of Cayman, and benefitted greatly from the related promotional buzz,” Ms Dixon-Ebanks notes.
These two gastronomic events, although quite different, and organised by separate entities, are entirely complementary. Combined, the Cayman Cookout and Taste of Cayman highlight the many reasons that the Cayman Islands are considered such a culinary capital and give sun and sand seekers an added reason to choose to visit these islands. For food and wine enthusiasts, the close timing of the two events means that January is without a doubt the best month to visit the islands.
NATASHA WERE 