Cayman Cookout was declared a resounding success by chefs, restaurateurs and ticket-holders alike as the 2025 festival went off without a hitch.
Dubbed “one of the world’s most exclusive food festivals”, Cayman Cookout ran from 15-19 Jan., cramming an impressive 97 culinary events into the five-day schedule.
The annual festival, now in its 16th year, brings together high-profile local and international chefs with food, wine and spirits enthusiasts from around the world for a gastronomic celebration.
Many of the events were based at festival organisers The Ritz-Carlton, but there were many off-site experiences as well, including an e-bike tour of Grand Cayman, the popular Beach Bash food-tasting at Rum Point, a kayak adventure through mangrove swamps and, most notably, a private jet tour to the GoldenEye resort in Jamaica which, at $5,000 a ticket, was the most expensive item on the Cookout menu.
Packed festival schedule
Other signature events at Cayman Cookout 2025 included the Barefoot BBQ on Seven Mile Beach, Discover Cayman showcasing local restaurants and food suppliers, and a Sommelier Standoff judged by guests at an evening event at The Ritz-Carlton ballroom.
Best-selling US chef Emeril Lagasse held a cooking demonstration on the beach with his son EJ Lagasse on Friday and was working hard serving guests grilled piri-piri shrimp bundles at Saturday’s Beach Bash.
He told the Compass that it was his 10th year at the festival. “I come here because it’s a really great event. I love the Cayman Islands, it’s a wonderful place, people are great and the event is one of the most well organised, so I take my hat off to them. Hopefully I’ll get invited back next year!”
French Master Chef Gerard Bertholon was at the Beach Bash cooking chicken and vegetable Thai green curry at the $400-a-ticket event.
“I’ve been to other events in America and nothing is better than Cayman Cookout,” he said. “It’s fun, relaxed, everyone’s happy – all the best chefs in America want to be in Cayman.”
He added: “The beauty of it is that they are now including a lot of people from the Cayman Islands, discovering new talent here, and also bringing a lot of ingredients from the Cayman Islands and the opportunity for the chefs to cook with them. We come here and we taste new food and discover new techniques. When [Ritz-Carlton executive chef] Frederic [Morineau] asks us to come here for the festival, we always do, because it’s just such good fun. We work hard but we party hard too.”
Michelin chefs at Cayman Cookout
One of those trying Bertholon’s Thai curry was Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud, who was taking part in various events throughout the festival including a cooking demonstration. “I’ve been to many Cookouts and every time it feels like one big family here,” he said. “It’s all about food and fun in a very beautiful way.”
Cayman Islands resident Cathy Guilbard was attending the Beach Bash with her husband Sebastien. “We’ve been to culinary events on other islands and in the US, and they just don’t compare, this one is top notch,” she said. “It’s so intimate here, you really get to interact with all the chefs. This is the only food festival where you really get to meet and talk with them.”
“What’s not to like?” added Sebastien. “It’s all fantastic, the ambience, the venue, the people, the food, the drink, everything is incredible.”
The couple has been attending the Cayman Cookout for many years with one year being particularly notable for serving green iguanas as part of an island-wide cull.
Discover Cayman
Local chefs were the flavour of the day at Friday’s Discover Cayman event, which was held on the Great Lawn at The Ritz-Carlton. Hundreds of attendees sampled food from restaurants and bars across Cayman, including Cracked Conch, Agave, Bacaro, Cayman Spirits and Abacus.
Patricio Rio, from Cracked Conch, said that Cayman Cookout was a great way to promote the restaurant and the island as a whole.
“Cayman Cookout gets bigger and bigger every year and really puts the island on the map,” he said. “It’s a great pull for bringing people to the island. I know people who come here specifically for Cayman Cookout, year after year. For us, we’re located away from Seven Mile Beach so it’s a great way for people to get to know about us.”
The food reputation of the Cayman Islands extends beyond the few days of the festival, he pointed out. “The Cayman Islands is recognised as being the culinary capital of the Caribbean and rightly so – you are never going to have a bad food experience here.”
He added, “The restaurants are a big pull for people coming here. People come and plan all their meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner, on the island. It’s a really important part of their stay here.”
Introducing flavours
Chef Britta Bush from Saucha, wholesalers of plant-based food, told the Compass, “The reason I love being part of Cayman Cookout is because we can showcase what we’re doing and we can take the healthy and delicious into the culinary world, introducing interesting flavours and exposing things to people who might not know about fermented foods.”
She added, “It’s all locally produced, like a true Cayman sourdough – you take the natural yeast from the air and that’s what makes the product, so it’s truly made in Cayman – it wouldn’t taste the same anywhere else. Cayman Cookout really establishes that we are the culinary capital of the Caribbean and I think it’s a showcase of the beauty of the islands and its ingredients and all the talent that we have here.”
After 10 years of hoping to come to the Cayman Cookout, Diane Leeds, from northern California, finally made it and said she was enjoying every moment. “Food is my passion and the appeal of Cayman Cookout for me was the line-up of the chefs,” she said. I love Eric Ripert, I love Philippe André, so those two alone piqued my curiosity. But who doesn’t want to go to the Cayman Islands? It’s got a great reputation for food. I’m definitely coming back next year!”
Also coming to the festival – and the Cayman Islands – for the first time were Melissa and Pat Chieffalo from Connecticut. The trip was a 60th birthday present for Melissa from Pat, and it seemed to be going down a treat, as the couple declared they were “loving the fabulous food and drink”.
“I Googled ‘food festival Caribbean’ and this was top of the list!” said Pat – a sentiment shared by many at this year’s festival.
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