It’s no secret that the Caribbean cooks up some of the best food on the planet. The cuisine is world famous for its spices, veggies, and fresh seafood all whipped up in a sensory experiences that tastes like a tropical island feels. Like the culture itself, Caribbean cuisine is a fusion of African, Amerindian, European, East Indian, Arab, and Chinese culinary backgrounds. Like a melting pot mixing up the finest of all the influential recipes, Caribbean cuisine is fascinatingly diverse. Each island nation has its own unique take on cuisine, and each is well worth experiencing for yourself. Imagine a food voyage, where you travel by boat to all the islands in the Caribbean, sampling the best of their cuisine. Ah, what a dream.
To help you get psyched for your upcoming Caribbean vacation, we recommend finding a local Caribbean restaurant and tasting some of the food to get you in the mood. Some classics you should order include: roti (curry wraps), gizzada (coconut tart), jerk chicken (allspice and habanero pepper marinade), oxtail stew, doubles (sandwich of two deep-fried flatbreads stuff with chickpea curry), pholourie (savoury fritters with chutney), irish moss (drink made of pureed sea algae and vanilla), coconut water, callaloo (leafy soup), plantains, and Jamaican patties.
Caribbean Journal’s Top 25 Chefs 2014
Well out of some of the best cuisine in the world, there’s undoubtedly the best chefs in their field. Caribbean Journal recently went ahead and narrowed down this list of the greatest masters of the cooking craft. They came up with a list of The 25 Top Caribbean Chefs 2014. We’re drooling just thinking about it. And for sake of My Boutique Travel’s clientele, we’ve here mentioned the winners from islands we service. So you can seek them out when you’re on vacation and tell us how good it is.
“What makes a chef great?” Caribbean Journal asks. “Is it flavour? Is it plating? Is it passion? The Caribbean is one of the world’s greatest culinary destinations, with thousands of talented chefs making mouthwatering dishes featuring local and international cuisine. But the Caribbean also sends a number of terrific chefs abroad to hone their craft and bring the region’s food to the world. So our inaugural Best Chefs list includes both chefs working in the Caribbean and Caribbean-born chefs making their mark around the world. Here are our top Caribbean chefs for 2014, from rising stars to established veterans.”
Nina Compton — St Lucia
Nina Compton, Chef de Cuisine at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach’s Scarpetta restaurant, captivated the Caribbean with her exploits on Bravo’s “Top Chef,” finishing second overall.
Carrie Bogar — Anguilla
Carrie Bogar and her husband Jerry fled the cold winters of Pennsylvania for Anguilla, opening Veya in 2007. In a short amount of time, Veya has become one of the island’s most sought-after tables.
Alain Laurent — Anguilla
Anguilla’s modern tourism industry was born at the famous Malliouhana hotel, where Alain Laurent spent many years. Today, he creates enchanting dishes at Jacala, one of the greatest restaurants on an island that has a surfeit of great restaurants.
Brian Lumley — Jamaica
Jamaican native Brian Lumley took home the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association’s Caribbean Chef of the Year honour last year, and deservedly so. He’s now turning heads with his latest venture, 689 by Brian Lumley in Kingston.
Travis Phillips — British Virgin Islands
A native of Canada, Phillips has been in the British Virgin Islands for nearly a decade, now helming the exceptional The Dove restaurant in Tortola.
Frank Pugliese — St Croix
It’s not easy to combine fine dining with Caribbean beach cuisine, but Pugliese is doing it at one of the more inventive restaurants in the region, Eat at Cane Bay in St Croix, where he serves everything from eclectic burgers to his famous “food shots.”
Collin Brown — Jamaica
A native of Trelawny, Chef Collin Brown has taken Caribbean food to the most discerning eaters in the United Kingdom and Europe. Now, he’s quickly building a budding culinary empire.
Jasper Schneider — Anguilla
Yes, Anguilla is considered by many to be the restaurant capital of the Caribbean. And the CuisinArt, an Anguillian hotel known for its food, UK-born, American-bred Chef Jasper Schneider has developed a simple yet astonishing culinary style.
