Anguilla, the British Overseas Territory nestled in the eastern Caribbean, has opened online ticketing for the upcoming Anguilla Culinary Experience (ACE). The annual Epicurean festival will be held from Thursday, 23 May – Sunday, 26 May 2024, at the island’s top resorts, restaurants and villas.
Now entering its third year, ACE showcases why Anguilla reigns supreme as the premier culinary destination in the Caribbean. During the four days of chefs’ dinners, resort parties, beach barbeques and cooking competitions, local and international guest chefs will draw on diverse influences as they share kitchens and pair their creativity with Anguilla’s fresh fish, seafood and produce.
Guests can browse the 2024 event schedule, read chef bios, view menus and buy tickets on the festival’s website. Trudy Nixon of True Anguilla TV and Magazine and Janine Edwards of Sunset Homes Anguilla and JanineConnects.com are returning as festival co-hosts.
“ACE presents us with an extraordinary platform to showcase the creativity and innovation of our local chefs and gourmet products and the vibrancy of our culinary scene,” said Mrs Stacey Liburd, Anguilla’s Director of Tourism. “Whether our guests choose to dine at one of our five-star resorts, at a popular local eatery, a sizzling BBQ joint, or a rustic beach bar, we can guarantee a delectable meal and a truly memorable experience.”
Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club will kick off ACE 2024 with a spectacular opening night party, a Taste of Aurora, on 23 May 2024 at the resort’s D Richard’s Steakhouse. Guests will embark on a culinary tour featuring offerings from six of Aurora’s deliciously diverse restaurants.
They can also sip on signature cocktails made with fresh ingredients grown onsite at Aurora’s organic farm and hydroponic gardens, dance to live music under the lights on the lawn and enter for a chance to win travel and dining raffle prizes.
“We’re excited to host the Anguilla Culinary Experience opening night at Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club for the second year,” said Managing Director Kevin Carty. “The festival’s ongoing success is a testament to the vibrant culinary landscape of Anguilla, and we take great pride in contributing to the celebration of the island’s remarkable gastronomic journey.”
On 24 May 2024, ACE guests can immerse themselves in one of Anguilla’s most beautiful beaches – Maundays Bay. Its blissful shores become the setting for a ‘Barefoot Beach Dinner’ featuring live music and interactive live stations by Executive Chef Bruno Carvalho at Cap Juluca, a Belmond Hotel.
Also on Friday, James Beard Award-winner Chef Zach Engel of Michelin-starred Galit in Chicago and Chef Carrie Bogar of Anguilla’s Veya Restaurant will present a bespoke tasting menu merging Engel’s Middle Eastern flavours with Bogar’s “Cuisine of the Sun”.
The intimate evening will be hosted by ACE co-chairs Neil and Wendy Freeman at their oceanfront Villa Alegria on Cul de Sac.
Each course will be paired with wines selected by Bogar’s husband and Veya co-owner Jerry and curated by ACE sponsor Grands Vins de France. The chefs will reunite at Veya in Sandy Ground for Saturday’s Restaurant Night.
On 25 May 2024, Savi Beach Club on Meads Bay Beach will present Savor, Soirée & Sensation at its swanky seaside venue. The epic evening will begin with an East-meets-West set dinner by Executive Chef Dario Schiavo, celebrating his Japanese and Italian influences and Anguilla’s bountiful seafood.
At 10 pm, Savi will morph into a lively cabaret as local performers take the stage for a series of vibrant vignettes. From 11 pm, guests can dance into the night at an after-hours party with a DJ. Tickets are available for the entire evening or just the show and after-hours party.
Saturday is also when Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club’s Culinary Director, Chef Michele Greggio and Chef Lester Gumbs will host a Farm-to-Table Garden Dinner. The alfresco feast will be held amidst the resort’s organic farm and accompanied by live music and wine selections. Cocktails and courses will centre around freshly harvested vegetables, fruit and herbs from the farm and Aurora’s hydroponic gardens.
On 26 May 2024, the ACE Beach BBQ & Basket Battle returns at the Anguilla Great House & Beach Resort on Rendezvous Bay Beach.
Guests can sip a cold rum punch while feasting on grilled chicken, smoked brisket, fresh seafood, crisp salads and gourmet burgers from master grillers at Paper’s BBQ, Tasty’s POV, Anguilla Great House, Roy’s Bayside Grill; “mash sand” (aka dance) to the DJ’s tunes; enter prize raffles and play trivia; and cheer on the members of the Anguilla National Culinary Team as they square off in a mystery basket cooking challenge judged by local and guest chefs. One lucky raffle winner will join the battle judges as a guest taster.
Following the BBQ, ACE guests can make their way to Malliouhana’s toes-in-the-sand beach bar and restaurant, Leon’s at Meads Bay, for an ACE edition of the resort’s popular Sunday Funday. The festive evening will feature live music from talented local artists, hand-crafted tropical cocktails and delicious island-inspired fare from Executive Chef Roger K. Hopkins.
“Chefs on Anguilla prepare food with great care for the discerning palate. You feel like they are catering to you personally,” said Leslie Beckford of Boston, Massachusetts. Long-time Anguilla connoisseurs Beckford and his wife Joyce were first-time ACE guests in 2023.
“During ACE, there was an added air of excitement and festivity, and we loved having so many choices of amazing food both on and off the ACE agenda. Anguilla is our happy place, and we look forward to experiencing the attention to detail, imagination and exceptional hospitality we enjoyed at Anguilla Culinary Experience again,” added Joyce.
In between the main ACE events, Veya and Bamboo Bar & Grill at Four Season’s Resorts & Residences Anguilla, along with other participating restaurants across the island, will offer special menus and ACE-inspired dishes and drinks for lunch and/or dinner.
ACE goers can learn how to make traditional Johnny Cakes, tour seaside bars in search of the best rum punch via open-air moke with a driver and harvest salt from a natural salt pond with local cultural guide Quest Experiences. Guests will also have time to relax on one of the island’s 33 beaches and explore Anguilla’s 35 square miles of magic at their leisure.
A portion of ACE proceeds helps fund educational programming for the island’s next generation of chefs and hospitality professionals and the Anguilla National Culinary Team. Students from the recipient organizations assist and compete at many of the ACE events.
How to get to Anguilla
Anguilla is accessible from the UK via British Airways or Virgin Atlantic on services to Antigua (ANU), followed by a short inter-island flight transfer to Anguilla (AXA). An alternative route is with Air France via Paris (CDG) to St Maarten (SXM), followed by a short boat transfer or flight. American Airlines also operates a service from Miami International Airport (MIA) into Anguilla, with connections to the UK available.
For more information on Anguilla, please visit the official website: www.ivisitanguilla.com.