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Grills firing, music carrying across the sand, glasses clinking as plates pass from kitchen to table. In Anguilla, food has always been tied to the island’s identity, shaped by its fishing culture, its roadside kitchens and its polished dining rooms along the coast. In May, that energy comes together in one place.
The Anguilla Culinary Experience returns for its fifth year from May 13 to May 17, bringing a mix of visiting chefs and local culinary talent into kitchens across the island. The five-day program blends high-end dinners, casual gatherings and hands-on experiences, with a clear purpose behind it: supporting culinary and hospitality training for young Anguillans while giving them direct access to experienced chefs.
How Anguilla Became a Culinary Hotspot
Anguilla’s food culture didn’t begin as a destination play; it grew out of a small island with a deep connection to the sea and a habit of cooking well with what was close at hand. Fishermen brought in snapper, crayfish and lobster. Beachfront grills turned those catches into simple, direct meals. Over time, that foundation started to evolve — and one place played an outsized role in pushing it forward: the Malliouhana resort.
Whenthe Malliouhana opened in the 1980s, it introduced a different level of dining to Anguilla. The hotel brought in trained chefs, formal service and a restaurant that treated Caribbean ingredients with the same attention you’d find in European kitchens. Guests weren’t just coming for the beaches anymore; they were sitting down to multi-course dinners built around local seafood, seasonal produce and refined technique. It set a new expectation for what dining on the island could be.
That influence spread. Chefs who trained or worked at Malliouhana went on to open their own restaurants. Hotels began investing more seriously in their culinary programs. Independent spots along the coast raised their standards while still holding onto the direct, ingredient-driven cooking that defined Anguilla in the first place.
Today, you see both sides of that history everywhere you eat. You can order grilled lobster at a beach shack with your feet in the sand, or sit down to a tasting menu at a resort dining room where the same ingredients are handled with precision and detail.
Now, it has a major culinary event to celebrate this food identity.
A Festival Spread Across the Island
This is not a single-site event. The Anguilla Culinary Experience plays out across villas, resorts and restaurants, with chefs working in real kitchens and building menus around local seafood, produce and Caribbean ingredients.
That format defines the week. You’re not walking through rows of booths; you’re heading into places people already know — beachfront restaurants, private villas, hotel dining rooms — with chefs collaborating in the moment.
This year’s lineup includes Chicago chef Oliver Poilevey of Obélix and Le Bouchon, Chef Timothy Dean, a “Top Chef” alum and restaurateur, and wine expert Cyril Meuley. Returning hosts Janine Edwards and Trudy Nixon anchor the week’s programming.
Opening Night at Karaya
The festival begins May 13 at Karaya, the new Shoal Bay West restaurant from the team behind Veya and Sandbar. The format is loose and social: a walk-around evening with multiple grill stations and substantial passed dishes.
Chefs Poilevey and Dean cook alongside local chefs including Joel Reyes, with menus leaning into Mediterranean influences layered with Caribbean ingredients. Cocktails feature Anguillita Rum and Clifton Estate spirits, with wines from Grands Vins de France Anguilla. Live performances from Jenique Javois and Dennis Warrington run throughout the night.
Rum Crawls and Island Exploration
Thursday, May 14 centers on getting out across the island. The returning Moke Tour and Rum Crawl puts guests in open-air vehicles for a guided route between some of Anguilla’s best-known stops for rum punch, including Funzone, Anguilla Sands and Salt, and Tasty’s POV.
This year adds a boat stop at Scilly Cay, bringing a change of setting mid-journey. The experience mixes transportation, tasting and sightseeing, with a steady rhythm of stops along the way.
Dinner that evening splits into different tracks. At Villa Alegria, Poilevey and Chef Carrie Bogar present a collaborative dinner that brings French technique together with Veya’s Caribbean approach. At Karaya, Timothy Dean and Joel Reyes focus on seafood and freshly harvested ingredients in a multi-course format.
At Zemi Beach House, rum takes center stage with guided tastings in the Rhum Room, led by the property’s in-house expert and built around ultra-premium pours.
A Multi-Sensory Dinner at Malliouhana
Friday’s headline event takes place at Malliouhana. Chef Kerth Gumbs leads a dinner at Celeste that unfolds course by course through different sensory elements, with the full menu revealed only at the end.
Gumbs is joined by Executive Chef Wilson Macedo and Leon’s head chef Jomal Mc Bean, combining local knowledge with broader culinary techniques. The resort is also offering a dedicated package tied to the event, including accommodations and access to cooking classes with its culinary team.
Earlier in the evening, Calypso Charters runs a sunset catamaran sail with Champagne and small bites, adding another option before dinner.
French Pairings and a Chef’s Table at Four Seasons
Friday night continues across multiple venues. At Jacala Beach Restaurant, Chef Alain Laurent presents a French menu with Caribbean influences, paired course by course with wines from Boisset La Famille des Grand Vins, with tableside explanations throughout the meal.
At Four Seasons Resort Anguilla, a 10-course Chef’s Table at Salt traces Anguillian cuisine from one end of the island to the other. Executive Chef Manu Calderon and Sous Chef Aaron Gumbs build the menu as a progression tied to place, with each course reflecting a different part of the island.
Beach Barbecue and Culinary Battles
Saturday shifts to a more casual setting. The annual beach barbecue at Anguilla Great House and Beach Resort brings together local chefs, the Anguilla National Culinary Team and festival guests for an afternoon on the sand.
The format includes grill stations, cooking and bartending competitions, live music, raffles and activities for families. Entry is free, with food and drink available for purchase.
A Final Night Across the Island
Saturday night splits again into multiple experiences. At Zemi Beach House, a rum tasting led by Bars Manager Alfonso Di Lorito transitions into a multi-course dinner at Stone, where Executive Chef Emanuele Sabatini draws on Roman culinary traditions.
At Savi Beach Club on Meads Bay, dinner becomes interactive, with a five-course menu paired with a live murder mystery performance led by Executive Chef Dario Schiavo.
Closing With Sunday Funday
The weekend wraps May 17 with a “Sunday Funday” gathering at Leon’s at Meads Bay at Malliouhana, bringing together music, food and a final round of celebration.
In between events, there’s time to explore Anguilla itself: 33 public beaches, a network of independent restaurants and a culinary identity that continues to draw travelers back year after year.
The Anguilla Culinary Experience continues to grow, but its focus remains the same — bringing people into real kitchens, connecting visiting chefs with local talent and creating opportunities for the next generation of Anguillian hospitality professionals.
The post The Anguilla Culinary Experience Is Back With Star Chefs, Beach Barbecues, and Rum Crawls appeared first on Caribbean Journal.
