There are no shortage of events and festivals on St Croix, but each year the one I eagerly anticipate the most is the St Croix Food & Wine Experience. Held each April and rated in 2009 by Forbes Magazine as one of the Ten Best International Food and Wine Festivals by Forbes Travel, over the past 12 years it has grown from a one-night event to a weeklong series of educational opportunities and culinary celebrations.
Founded in 2001 by local Restaurateurs and friends Katherine Pugliese {eat @ cane bay} and Kelly Odom {Tutto Bene} as a way to bring the restaurant community together, it started with the anchor event A Taste of St Croix and grew from there. And boy, has it grown! From one night of friendly local competition to a week long series of culinary celebrations and educational opportunities, the St Croix Food & Wine Experience has raised over $500,000 for the St Croix Foundation who then invest the money in local non-profit organizations and island-wide improvement initiatives.
The 2012 week-long list of events heavily tapped into the skills of visiting celebrity chefs. Their participation ranged from judging the culinary competition at A Taste of St Croix to showing off their kitchen skills and acclaimed dishes at various exclusive wine-pairing dinners to teaching and mentoring up and coming chefs in our local high school culinary programs. There were also wine symposiums and events including the Sunset BBQ in Frederiksted, Wine in the Warehouse and Cuisine on the Green. For a full list of events Click Here.
2012 participating chefs and sommeliers included:
- Govind Armstrong – Owner of Post and Beam and 8oz Burger Bar. Author of Small Bites, Big Nights: Seductive Little Plates for Intimate Occasions and Lavish Parties
. He’s been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Iron Chef America, The Today Show, Top Chef, Top Chef Masters and in Bon Appetit, Gourmet, O Magazine, and People’s 50 Most Beautiful People issue. - Anthony Giglio – Journalist, sommelier, and educator. Author of the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Food & Wine Wine Guide, Mr. Boston Summer Cocktails and Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide (Mr. Boston: Official Bartender’s & Party Guide) and more.
- Eric Greenspan – Owner of The Foundry and The Roof in LA and co-host of A&E’s “Fix This Kitchen”. Chef Eric has been featured on “Best Thing I Ever Ate”, “The Traveler’s Guide to Life”, “The Next Iron Chef”n “Bar Rescue”, “Hell’s Kitchen”, “Extreme Chef” and “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution” and beat Bobby Flay on “Iron Chef America”.
- Roberto Trevino – Owner of Budatai and Casa Lola in Puerto Rico. Chef Trevino has been featured in Condé Nast Traveler, The New York Times, and Bon Appétit. He competed on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America and rumor has it he’s working on his own television show with Telemundo.
- Ana Sortun – Owner of Oleana and Sofra Bakery in Cambridge, MA. Chef Sortun was voted “Best Chef in the Northeast” 2005 by the James Beard Foundation
- Evelyn Paul – A successful private chef in Atlanta, GA, Chef Paul was born on St. Lucia, but grew up here on St Croix! She has been featured in Jezebel Magazine, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Daily Candy, CBS Atlanta, Points North and is the contributing food editor for Cotton Candy Magazine
- Merlin Verrier – Executive Chef and Director of Operations for Graham Elliot in Chicago. Named “Hottest Chef in Chicago” 2011.
- Sue Zemanick – Executive Chef at Gautreau’s Restaurant in New Orleans. Chef Zemanick was a 2009, 2010, and 2011 James Beard Award Finalist “Rising Star” and one of Food & Wine”s “Top 10 Best New Chefs” 2008. She also competed on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters Series in 2011.
- Theo Gumbs – Personal Chef. Chef Theo is known for his fusion of Thai and Caribbean cuisine. He’s developed these into a line of sauces and spice blends which you can find on Theo’s Caribbean Foods. He has also recently launched a new 7-episode televison series The Virgin Gourmet
and more.
Celebrities pose for a picture with event co-founders Kelly Odom & Katherine Pugliese
A Taste of St Croix, the event that started it all. You can’t imagine a better Caribbean culinary experience!
A Taste of St Croix is held each year, beachside at the Divi Carina Bay Resort.
Great wine, amazing food, celebrity chefs, dancing and the beach. What more can you ask for?
The events feature an opportunity to taste and explore wines from around the world presented by
local purveyors and often the vintner’s themselves.
One of the things I heard throughout the week from most of the chefs was how impressed they were
by the abundance and quality of locally grown produce here on St Croix.
Visit St Croix and you can enjoy home-grown produce year-round at many of our local restaurants,
at weekly farmer’s markets and sold at roadside farm stands.
Buy Local! It’s fresher, healthier and supports our local economy.
Coming up … Part 2 – A Taste of St Croix
To purchase the books mentioned in this article, click the images below.
