Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in Compass Media’s 2026 CayWoman special publication.
At the age of just 26, chef Brittney Bodden has been cooking up a storm since she was little girl.
And in that time, Cayman’s first female Michelin-trained chef has worked at top restaurants around the world, cooked alongside celebrity chefs, and represented Cayman on the international culinary stage.
Brittney has also catered for well-known clients, including the reggae superstar Tarrus Riley at a concert in Cayman in 2025, who gave her the name ‘Spice-ah’ because she makes everything ‘nice-ah’.
Childhood passion
“At the age of three, I was standing on a chair in the kitchen, using a plastic knife to cut veggies for mom’s salad,” she says. “By seven, I cooked my first meal on a gas stove. By the end of primary school, I knew it was a feasible career path and started training on weekends at the Ritz-Carlton through the National Youth Culinary Programme.”
When she was growing up, Brittney’s parents – who she describes as having had advanced palates – cooked every night, infusing her with their passion for food.
As she grew older, her commitment to cuisine resulted in a string of successful competitions, earning accolades locally and regionally, from the likes of Pirates Week Kids Snapper Cook-off Champion, and Child Month Cupcake War, to the National Youth Cook-off, Young Chef Young Waiter, and Taste of the Caribbean.
She has also been sous chef for internationally renowned chefs Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain at Cayman Cookout.
In 2022 and 2024, she won Young Chef of the Cayman Islands, going on to the world finals in Monaco and Singapore respectively, and assisted Chef Jeff Mauro in Taste of Cayman Demo 2023.
Describing herself as a private chef, Brittney now has her own mobile catering business, under the name Chef Brittney B. She is also subcontracted to the House of Parliament, with the role of back-of-house manager, taking care of the MPs and staff when the House is in session.
Training
Brittney attended Johnson & Wales University in Colorado to study the culinary arts, and has honed her skills in Cayman at the Cracked Conch, and the Thai Orchid.
She also has experience at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, with stints at the hotel’s prestigious restaurant Seven before going to college, then at Blue when she returned.
And it was during time in London, she gained experience at the Michelin-starred restaurants Bibendum by Claude Bossi, The Frog by Adam Handling, and The Dorchester by Alain Ducass.
“I am trained in just about every corner of international cuisine, but my culinary passions range from local yet elevated Caribbean cuisine, and all the way to Asian food (Korean, Thai,Chinese, Japanese),” she says.
“From start to finish, all opportunities that have been afforded to me have allowed me to travel the world and see so many things along the way, further inspiring my actions to open my open business to allow for more freedom to do so,” she says. “I’ve been to Monaco, Singapore, London, Barbados, Miami – all to be able to cook and showcase my talents and passion.”
As a private chef, Brittney regularly draws on her prior training at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. “I try my best to anticipate the needs of my clients before they can even think to ask, by paying attention and always going above and beyond with my Caymankindness,” she says.
True to roots
Despite her global travels, Brittney remains firmly committed to her Cayman roots and is a firm supporter of local produce.
“Sustainability is the word,” she says. “Locally grown ingredients also add food security for chefs like me. Knowing I can access the ingredients, without having to worry if the freight came in, relieves a lot of stress.”
And although she has worked in the finest of the restaurants locally and overseas, Brittney finds it difficult to copy culinary fashions.
“My roots make it very challenging to follow trends, or small bite plates,” she says. “I love my culture being sustained by filling our plates with heart-warming food. (I like) leaving the table full and ready for a good nap, not looking for the nearest fast food spot.”
Her own preference for food is also steeped in her Caymanian heritage. “It’s a hard division between a good ole plate of stew turtle, and a fat bowl of salt-beef and turbot rundown with all the fixings,” she says.
As an ambitious female chef in the Cayman Islands, Brittney has big dreams for the future. “I hope to open a satellite kitchen and be able to store, and cater out of there, eventually building a team to allow for self-sufficiency,” she says.
This article originally appeared in Compass Media’s 2026 CayWoman special publication.
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