Month-long Series Features Cuisine and Culture from Twin-Island Nation with Experiences
from Local & Guest chefs, the ‘FAB Festival’, ‘Eat Like A Local Experience and More
The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority introduces Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month, a new, exciting extension of the island’s annual culinary series that has grown steadily since its launch in 2023. During the month-long celebration in May, food lovers can discover local cuisine through the Eat Like A Local experience and also enjoy a robust schedule of signature dining events with visiting guest chefs exclusively of Caribbean heritage from Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom who’ll partner with local chefs and restaurants on the island. Also on the month’s schedule is the evolved Food and Art Experience, now the FAB (Food, Art & Beverage) Festival, the Caribbean Food Forum – a regional food and hospitality industry symposium, and themuch-anticipated Restaurant Week, featuring prix fixe menus at over 30 restaurants throughout the island.
“We are excited to see the growth of our annual culinary series,” said The Honourable Charles Fernandez, Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation and Investment. “Since launching in 2023, our signature culinary initiative has grown into a beloved and highly anticipated month for food lovers, both locally and from abroad. Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month will continue to raise the visibility of our culinary excellence in the region and around the world, and we are certain our guests will be thrilled and impressed by the diverse food and cultural offerings. It is an important part of the Antigua and Barbuda Experience, along with other elements of our rich cultural identity to include music, art, and dance! I invite everyone to join us in Antigua and Barbuda for this exciting month of celebration!”
This year’s lineup of guest chefs welcomes new faces as well as past attendees such as London-based Antiguan Chef Kareem Roberts, British Chef and TV personality Andi Oliver, and Cookbook Author and Creator behind Metemgee.com, Althea Brown. The roster of 11 visiting food and beverage professionals will feature a fresh array of talented individuals, including:
- Andi Oliver. Celebrated British chef, TV and radio broadcaster, Andi Oliver, is of proud Antiguan heritage and again joins Antigua and Barbuda for the annual culinary series. She is known for her work as a judge and presenter on BBC TV’s cooking competition show Great British Menu. She is the author of The Pepperpot Diaries: Stories From My Caribbean Table.
- Angel Barreto. Angel is a three-time James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist and finalist, StarChefs Game Changer (2022), and a Food & Wine “Best New Chef” (2021). His highly awarded culinary career spans more than a decade, with exceptional experience in both French and Korean cuisines. He’s best known for his contemporary Korean food at Anju in Washington, DC. Barreto is of Puerto Rican heritage and will be honoring Boricua cuisine during the month’s festivities.
- Althea Brown. Althea is the creator and voice behind metemgee.com, a blog about Guyanese and Caribbean recipes and traditions. She offers simplified recipes made accessible with diet specific tweaks. She is the author of the bestselling cookbook Caribbean Paleo. She is known for sharing stories about traditional Guyanese and Caribbean food and culture, and how she remixes dishes to fit her dietary needs. Born and raised in Georgetown, Guyana, Althea currently lives in Aurora, Colorado.
- Claude Lewis. First generation American son of immigrants from Antigua and Barbuda, Chef Claude Lewis’ culinary journey is marked by diverse experiences and a passion for global flavors rooted in his Antiguan heritage. Chef Claude gained acclaim by appearing on Food Network’s Chopped in March 2019, where he emerged victorious as the season’s champion. His first restaurant concept, The Freetown Road Project opened in January 2020 in Jersey City, Nj, showcases traditional Antiguan and Barbudan cuisine.
- Digby Stridiron. Chef Digby is known for his work as chef of award-winning restaurants Balter and Braata in his native St. Croix, where he earned recognition as one of USA Today’s 10 Best restaurants in the Caribbean and Food & Wine named his food “the new heart of Caribbean cooking”. A community leader, Stridiron served as culinary ambassador for the U.S. Virgin Islands, having showcased the region’s cuisine at the James Beard House, and also received the 2014 and 2015 Chef of the Year award from the Caribbean Tourism Association. Currently he is chef/partner at Latha Restaurant & Bar in Phoenix, Az.
- Glendon Hartley. Glendon is co-owner of Service Bar in Washington, DC, currently on the 50 Best Bars of North America list, as well asCausa and Amazonia, two Peruvian-inspired bar and restaurant concepts that have been nominated for many awards, including 2022 finalist for “Best New Restaurant” by the James Beard Foundation, and Top 10 Finalist for “Best New Cocktail Bar” by the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation. As the son of Trinidadian immigrants, Glendon is proud to emphasize rum-forward drinks with his own artistic talent, creating aesthetically stunning cocktails that pay tribute to the rich culture of the Caribbean.
- Kareem Roberts. Born in Leicester and raised in Antigua, Chef Kareem first set foot in a professional kitchen at 26, composing salads at a small café in St. John’s, Antigua, and quickly moved to the high-volume kitchens at Sandals Grande Antigua. Over the next decade, he would hone his skills in a variety of kitchens in the United Kingdom, ranging from fine dining establishments to hotels to gastropubs. His creativity and passion were on display on BBC TV’s The Great British Menu and he is currently head chef at The Bureligh Arms in Cambridge, which under his leadership was recently recognized on the list of EstrellaDamm’s Top 50 Gastropubs.
- Kerth Gumbs. With over two decades’ experience in world-class and Michelin-starred establishments, Chef Kerth Gumbs brings his Caribbean heritage to Fenchurch Restaurant at Sky Garden, a contemporary fine dining gem in London’s Fenchurch Building, known as the Walkie Talkie. Kerth’s menu creatively fuses the finest British ingredients with the vibrant, bold flavors of his childhood home, Anguilla. He also serves as Culinary Director at Anguilla’s Malliouhana Resort, where he oversees the property’s esteemed culinary program.
- Nadine Brown. Born and raised in Jamaica and Puerto Rico, Nadine has worked in the DC restaurant industry for 25 years. Not only has she worked as Charlie Palmer Steak’s Wine Director and Sommelier, but she has held roles in hospitality as a managing partner, general manager, and consultant. Nadine is a two-time winner of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington’s (RAMW) Wine Program of the Year and owns her own company, At Your Service, which provides wine cellar management and events. As both a mother and mentor to young professionals, Nadine prioritizes encouraging more women to join and thrive in the industry.
- Shorne Benjamin. St. Lucian born and New York-based, Chef Shorne Benjamin is known for his ability to infuse Caribbean food with a modern flair. Classically trained in French cuisine, he gained international acclaim as a guest chef at Mimo’s in London. Career highlights include an annual presentation at the James Beard House, competing on the Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay, becoming a finalist on Chopped and winning the 2017 Jamaican Jerk Festival Celebrity Chef Throw Down. He is chef and owner of the new age Caribbean restaurant, Fat Fowl in Brooklyn.
- Suzanne Barr. In 2014, Suzanne Barr opened Saturday Dinette in Toronto, earning acclaim for her inventive comfort cuisine and warm hospitality. She has served as a judge on Food Network Canada’s Wall of Chefs and made multiple appearances on Food Network’s Top Chef Canada. Her featured chef role in the award-winning documentary “The Heat: A Kitchen Revolution” solidified her status as a culinary luminary and advocate for positive change. Barr has since opened two globally acclaimed restaurants in Toronto and in a nod to her Jamaican heritage, authored her memoir My Ackee Tree: A Chef’s Memoir of Finding Home in the Kitchen in 2022. Today, Suzanne is executive chef of the Buckhead location of Atlanta’s beloved South City Kitchen restaurant.
The month’s exciting schedule of events includes:
- May 4: FAB (Food, Art & Beverage) Fest – Location TBA. The venue will be transformed into a food and art village where attendees can sample local food, be the first to collect Restaurant Week passports, taste bites from participating restaurants and guest chefs, and explore art from local artists and makers. This signature events marks the official launch of Antigua & Barbuda Culinary Month.
- May 8: Collaboration dinner with Chef Andi Oliver and Chef Claude Lewis, both of Antiguan heritage, who will cook at Blue Waters Resort & Spa.
- May 9: Multi-course cocktail party and dinner with London-based Chefs Kerth Gumbs and Kareem Roberts alongside the Rocks Group team at the newly reopened Rokuni at Sugar Ridge.
- May 11: Roti making demonstration and Mother’s Day brunch with Cookbook Author and personality behind metemgee.com, Althea Brown and the culinary team at Blue Waters Resort & Spa.
- May 13: Caribbean Food Forum presented by Grace Foods. This regional food and hospitality industry conference at the John E. St. Luce Finance and Conference Centre will feature hospitality professionals, industry leaders and food systems experts from the Caribbean. This is a hybrid event with virtual and in-person attendance options.
- May 16: ‘Flavour in the Garden’, a progressive Caribbean food and beverage experience with live music at Bay Gardens, an island-style village mall with local artists, restaurants and more. The evening will feature welcome drinks from Kaffeine and Antilles Stillhouse, passed appetizers from Dawne’s Soleil Kafé, a family-style dinner from guest chef Kareem Roberts at Canvas, chocolate tasting and dessert from Antigua House of Chocolate and after dinner drinks from Door 78 Lounge.
- May 17: Baylay: A Roti Making experience with Cookbook Author and personality behind metemgee.com, Althea Brown. This intimate 14-person class will be followed by lunch prepared by Althea at the historic Weatherhills Estate, a restored 17th century colonial mansion.
- May 18: Korean BBQ on the beach with Chef Angel Barreto at Antigua’s newest beach bar and restaurant, The Hut, Little Jumby.
- May 23: Collaboration dinner with Chef Digby Stridiron and Chef/Owner Sylvain Hervochon of Casa Roots.
- May 30: Culinary Month Finale: Reggae Night and Caribbean Cookout Beach Party at Salt Plage at Siboney Beach Club with Chef Shorne Benjamin and Chef Suzanne Barr.
Back for a third year is the “Eat Like A Local” experience, which highlights a carefully selected list of casual island cookshops from Antiguan and Barbudan restaurant owners and cooks. The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority encourages visitors to sample pepperpot and fungee, national dishes that are beloved on the island, as well as goat water, ducana, saltfish and more. An interactive map can be found here. In addition, Antigua & Barbuda Restaurant Week will be held between May 4 and 22, where over 30 local restaurants, and counting, will offer prix fixe menus at three price points: $25, $55 and $75.
For the latest information, list of participating restaurants, and details on special events hosted during Antigua & Barbuda Culinary Month, visit www.antiguabarbudaculinarymonth.com.
