Anthony Bourdain's Stirring Appearance on Cayman's Culinary Catwalk
Arriving at the Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman beach for the Opening Night Gala, I checked my bronze thong sandals at the fashionable "footwear concierge" with a giddy glee. The aroma of savory sizzling scallions and the upbeat tempo of great live music fills the night air. To the right of me, vast towers of shellfish, to the left, carnivore carving stations that would satisfy a victorious NFL team on a bender. I spot Jim Cramer, CNBC host of Mad Money, sharing a laugh with Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain as Ripert's children play in the sand nearby. That's just the kind of laid back mise-en-scene this festival promises.
Destined to be the biggest date in the Caribbean gourmet calendar, the Cayman Cookout combines A-List culinary talent with truly inventive and site-specific programming. Where else could you chow down on spicy curried goat with Anthony Bourdain in an open air market? Then cool your crush on his renegade good looks with a chilled glass of homemade fever tea? This kind of innovative "episode" can only be brought to you by the Cayman Cookout. And the intimacy of the events... incredible. Not something you'd find at the throngs of food groupies at the South Beach Food & Wine Festival.
A festival highlight, A Cook's Tour of Cayman hosted in the National Historic Site of Pedro St. James, is of course one of the hottest tickets in town. Anthony Bourdain, intrepid host of the Travel Channel's No Reservations takes us on a sensory journey of the finest the Cayman Islands have to offer. Bourdain engages the crowd with bold and cunning declarations, taking us on a circuit of about a dozen stalls. Local Caymanian chefs and sauce makers are basking in Bourdain's attention and reveling in his plucky quips. This local line up is obviously ready for their close up! As Bourdain leads the small assembly of three dozen or so foodies, I experience homegrown delicacies like spicy conch salad and yummy casava cake. The air is filled with lively local music and stalls offer artisan crafts.
Bourdain stops to savor the use of ginger in one of the food stalls. I halt mid-way into my sausage when Bourdain declares over the sound system, "Authentic Chinese cuisine is the base Magna Carta of all subsequent forms of cooking. Historically, all innovation goes back to this civilization." I break out into spontaneous applause, and Bourdain actually turns to me and winks. This is as intimate as culinary tourism gets! For all you dedicated foodies, make sure you book your oceanfront Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman suite well in advance.
Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman
Seven Mile Beach,
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Phone:
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By Si Si Penaloza, Editorial Director, WOMAN.ca
 Si Si Penaloza | |
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