The third edition of St. Martin Culinary Festival is set to take place from November 11 to 22 at the heart of the Caribbean’s culinary capital. What can you expect?
Calling all foodies, fans of surprising culinary discoveries and fine gourmet pleasures! From November 11 to 22, you can expect to discover some passionate chefs, promising talent and exceptional flavors on the island of 37 beaches. The Culinary Festival has unveiled the menu for 2023 and promises one-of-a-kind experiences on St. Martin, which is known for the diversity and wealth of its culinary heritage. This third edition showcases the flavors of this year’s star ingredient, red sorrel, also known as hibiscus. During the festival, chefs will be invited to concoct Caribbean Tasting menus using this surprising plant. Their creations will be judged by a panel of experts who will then choose the winner of the Best Restaurant of St. Martin. These culinary creations will be available to taste at the participating establishments from November 11 to 22.
St. Martin Culinary Festival
Here is the itinerary :
On November 12, guests will enjoy a local breakfast on the beach at 978 Beach Restaurant, featuring live music, during the “Taste of Sunrise” event.
The Culinary Festival is also a real boost for the younger generation studying in the hospitality division of St. Martin’s Daniella Jeffry vocational high school. The guest chefs will meet the students on November 13 and give them demonstrations. The next day, the talented apprentices will go head-to-head in a culinary competition, in the presence of a jury.
On the evening of November 13, “Cocktail & Food Pairing” event for epicureans, an original event that combines fine dining and mixology.
The Culinary Village will be open on the Marigot seafront from November 17 to 19, near the Tourist Office kiosk.
The much-awaited cookery classes will be held at the Marina Fort Louis on Wednesday, November 15, in the afternoon for children, and Saturday, November 18, and Sunday, November 19, for adults.
The Culinary Festival will once again be showcasing two-star disciplines of St. Martin’s culinary culture: barbecue and mixology. Grilling champions will be taking part in the BBQ competition on Thursday, November 16, at Rue de la République in Marigot. The six semi-finalists for the title of ‘Best Mixologist of St. Martin’ already got through the first qualification phase between July 1 and 8 when they took part in the “On the road to the Culinary Festival 2023” event.
During the festival, candidates will go head-to-head over several days to try to earn their place in the final on Tuesday, November 21. The grand finale for the chefs competing for the title of “Best Table of St. Martin 2023/2024” will also take place on November 21.
The big closing gala for the Culinary Festival will take place on Wednesday, November 22, and this is when the winners of all the culinary competitions will be announced.
St. Martin Culinary Festival
The star guests
Every year, this Festival on St. Martin brings with it a whole host of prestigious guests that give the event its international dimension. The line-up for 2023 includes plenty of talent from different backgrounds:
Patrick Jeffroy, 2 Michelin-star chef, master of fish-based cuisine in Brittany, and internationally renowned culinary consultant, has been chosen as the festival’s official ambassador
Laurent Huguet (France), chef with 1 Michelin star, “Maître Cuisinier de France”, and consultant
Frédéric Cyr (Quebec), who leads a team of 135 people at the prestigious Château Frontenac
Xavier Thuret, “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” in cheesemaking and enthusiastic advocate for cheese-based cuisine
Anto Cocagne (Gabon, France), private chef renowned for her minimalistic African cuisine, consultant and author of the Goûts d’Afrique [Tastes of Africa] cookbook
Xavier Isabal (France), head chef at Ithurria, brings an explosion of original ideas and local gourmet treasures from one of the most beautiful villages in Basque country
Arnaud Delvenne (Belgium) creator of Italian-inspired cuisine at his restaurant Nono in Liège and the first Belgian to have reached the grand finale of Top Chef
Teheiura Teahui (French Polynesia), owner of the food truck Le Manatoa, author of the book Aventure Culinaire [Culinary Adventure] and ambassador of tropical flavors
Leslie Belliot, private chef and consultant specialized in West Indies Creole cuisine, TV and radio journalist, and founder and manager of the brand Piment Coco
Christophe Boyer (France), street food specialist and winner of the French burger world cup in 2022
João Diamante, one of Brazil’s most famous chefs who trained alongside multiple award-winner Alain Ducasse
Lorna Boboua do Sacramento (Congo, France), Ferrandi school and Cordon Bleu graduate, propelled to stardom
after taking part in the Pan-African culinary TV program Star Chef
Mareya Ibrahim, “The Fit Foodie”, star chef from American TV, nutrition coach, and author of Eat Like You Give a Fork.
The Tourist Office has called upon two American experts to host the mixology competition: bartender Mia Mastroianni, one of the founders of Soho House in West Hollywood, Miami Beach, and Toronto, and Phil Wills, owner of Spirits in Motion, a consultancy firm for bars and beverages. Both have starred as bar experts on the TV show Bar Rescue. American hotel industry and mixology expert and trendsetter, Arthur Sutley, will also be in attendance at the 2023 edition. Kevin Bludso, the famous American pitmaster, TV star, successful author, and owner of several restaurants, is coming back to St. Martin to challenge the participants of the barbecue competition.
Spotlight on St. Martin’s locals
The third edition of the Culinary Festival will showcase two young talented chefs from St. Martin:
Angéla Marcenat is passionate about patisserie and studied at the vocational high school on St. Martin, then in mainland France, where she climbed the career ladder alongside some talented chefs, including Benoît Chauvet. She was named head chef of Le Champagne when she moved back to the island and also offers her services as a private chef.
Mallory Leroux settled on St. Martin after working at several fine-dining establishments in mainland France. He is behind the company Chef Mallory Sxm, and foodie customers are big fans of the dishes he creates inspired by flavors from around the world.
Come to the Culinary Festival 2023 from November 11 to 22 for an event filled with high quality, talent, and creativity! Find out more at https://www.st-martin.org/agenda/festival-de-la-gastronomie-de-saint-martin/