Cayman Islands Meals on Wheels received the Michelin touch on Wednesday, 14 Jan. with a star-studded line-up of chefs preparing that day’s deliveries.
Famous culinary names with a galaxy of Michelin stars between them, including José Andrés, Eric Ripert and Christophe Bellanca, as well as Gregory Gourdet, Carla Hall, Philippe Haddad and Stephanie Izard, lined up in a corner of the ballroom of The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman to package up piping hot meals of soup, chicken and beef.
Shouts of “Can we get more chicken over here?” and “We are already ahead by far!” from the more competitive chefs filled the air as 152 meal boxes and 130 soup cartons were filled at high speed.
Michelin cuisine
Eric Ripert, whose New York seafood restaurant Le Bernardin has held three Michelin stars since 2005, said that preparing food for Meals on Wheels was different to his usual fare but still enjoyable.
“It’s different food, but it’s very beautiful food, it’s precious food, it’s fresh food,” he said. “Hospitality is in our heart and where we can make a difference, we are very happy to do so.”
He added that he was “very excited” to be here again at Cayman Cookout. “Every year Cayman Cookout is amazing and this year we have a lot of new talent here.”
“Cayman Cookout is unique as there’s a such a warm atmosphere and people also can interact with the chefs,” he added. “All the attendees are taking pictures and discussing the food with us. It’s really special, because there’s no festival in the world which brings chefs and the attendees together like this, it’s amazing.”
Meals on Wheels’ general manager Jennifer West thanked the chefs for their efforts as they packed the food in record-breaking time.
“I know it’s an extremely busy time for everyone, but to launch it this way by giving back to our seniors is incredible,” she said. “So thank you for the many years of you guys doing this, we wanted to highlight what you guys do every year very quietly. So we’re saying it loud this year!”
Community work
Frederic Morineau, culinary director of The Ritz-Carlton, said that Meals on Wheels has been a part of the resort’s community outreach for nearly two decades and it was just a part of its charitable work which includes beach clean-ups and voluntary work across the island.
“The meal that we prepare for Meals on Wheels is exactly the same meal that we serve to our employees that day,” he said, adding that he often goes out to deliver the Meals on Wheels to the recipients himself. “I love to do that because every month I discover a new part of town which I wasn’t aware of!”
He said that an added bonus for his staff was being able to learn from some of the best chefs in the world, who – unlike other events – all take place in Cayman Cookout without receiving a fee.
“When the chefs are coming here to participate, they’re not getting paid,” he said. “There is no fee for them to work here. For any other festival, chefs will ask for some money to come and participate but here, because they love the island, the Cayman welcome and they know they’re going to be well taken care of, they’re happy to come back and it becomes a family tradition.”
He highlighted particular events on the calendar which he is especially looking forward to. “We have our signature events that everybody loves, which is the Barefoot Barbecue on Thursday on our beach … I particularly love the Saturday lunch at Rum Point. Our guests go and swim with stingrays first and then they arrive at Rum Point and get lunch with some of the best chefs in the world.”
Caymanians competing
He also recommended the Sunday Brunch which this year will recognise three Caymanians who have got selected to participate in a young chef and young waiter competition in London in February.
“We have three Caymanians, a server, a chef and a mixologist who are going to be showcasing what they will compete with in London,” he said. “So they’ll get advice from Eric Ripert and Charles Joly, one of our mixologists, to make sure they’re ready to win in London in February.”
So is the pressure on to make each year’s Cayman Cookout even better than the last?
“Absolutely!” he said. “We want to make sure that our repeat guests keep coming every year so we make sure that we do always something new, something different … We always challenge ourselves to make it bigger and different.”
He said that Thursday’s sold-out $5,000 a-head private jet flight to the GoldenEye resort in Jamaica is an example of a unique Cayman Cookout experience and that the entire festival promotes Cayman’s food and tourism offering.
“Everywhere in the world, especially in North America and South America, people know the Cayman Cookout, and obviously, with Cayman Cookout, they get to know the Cayman Islands.”
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