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Every May, Antigua and Barbuda draws the Caribbean diaspora’s most accomplished culinary talent to its shores for Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month, and since its 2023 launch, the event has built its standing as one of the region’s premier food celebrations.
Hosted by the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, the monthlong slate of events includes Restaurant Week, the signature FAB Fest at Cedar Valley Golf Course, collaboration dinners at some of the island’s most celebrated restaurants and the Eat Like a Local experience, a curated guide to island cookshops serving Antiguan staples.
The Caribbean Food Forum on May 21 rounds out the month with a gathering of hospitality leaders and food systems experts, held in person and virtually. Secretary-General Dona Regis-Prosper, the first woman to lead the Caribbean Tourism Organization, will deliver the keynote address.
The 2026 edition brings notable Caribbean chefs and beverage professionals such as Chopped champion Claude Lewis, Great British Menu finalist Kerth Gumbs, TV personality Andi Oliver, James Beard Award winner Nina Compton and Top Chef Season 22 winner Tristen Epps-Long, among others.
Why Caribbean Chefs Keep Coming Back
For Chef Claude Lewis, a first-generation Antiguan American based in Jersey City, New Jersey., participating in Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month is a commitment grounded in memories of his upbringing.
“Really, me representing Antigua and Barbuda is an ode to my parents,” Lewis reflects. “The food my parents cooked in our home is where I learned who I am as a chef.”
The clearest expression of that education is his mother’s curry chicken, cut potatoes absorbing every layer of flavor in the pot, the dish that still reminds him of exactly where he comes from and the style of cooking he plans to bring to this year’s event.
Lewis will cook at the May 25 collaboration lunch at Catherine’s Cafe alongside chefs Paul Carmichael and Tristen Epps-Long. It will be the first time Lewis, Carmichael and Epps-Long have shared a kitchen, bringing three distinct Caribbean culinary styles together for one evening on Pigeon Point Beach.
Reframing How the World Sees Caribbean Food
Chef Kerth Gumbs is no stranger to Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month, and returning for a second year has only heightened his anticipation. Since December he has traded menu ideas and ingredient lists across time zones with chefs Andi Oliver and Kareem Roberts for the Gathered at the Table collaboration dinner.
“When I was in Antigua last year, I was totally blown away by the produce,” Gumbs recalls. “Being able to pick green mangoes directly from the tree and smell pineapples as I walk the streets are the things that inspired me to bring some of those items to the table this year.”
His menu for the May 22 dinner blends saltfish canapés with caviar, curried goat loin, jerk chicken, tempo fish on tempo vegetables and a papaya and green mango kachumber, infusing cooking techniques from several Caribbean islands. Gumbs describes the dinner as wholesome and fulfilling in equal measure, a meal that feeds the story of Caribbean food just as much as it feeds the people who show up for it.
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A Table Set for Women
Chef Brigette Joseph grew up in Trinidad and knew by age 13 that cooking was where she belonged. She trained on the island, earned the Table Talk Food Award for best new restaurant and sees the moment Caribbean food and Caribbean chefs are experiencing as long overdue.
“Caribbean cuisine has started to get a lot of attention within the last few years,” says Joseph. “People are finally seeing the value and realizing how amazing Caribbean food is and not just relegating us to street food.”
Joseph is one of four women headlining Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month’s May 29 mentorship dinner at Hodges Bay Resort and Spa alongside chefs Nina Compton, Maurine Bowers and Suzanne Barr. The evening pairs each chef with a graduating student from the Antigua and Barbuda College of Advanced Studies, with UK-based chef Keshia Sakarah opening with a welcome canapé.
“As a chef who happens to be a woman, it’s important for us to show younger female chefs that it is possible for us to be recognized,” Joseph emphasizes. “Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month is a celebration of Caribbean talent and is a way for us to tell our own stories all in one space.”
Cooking With Purpose
First-generation Jamaican parents raised Chef Suzanne Barr between England, Canada and Florida, bringing their homeland forward through everything they cooked and grew. An ackee tree stood in front of the family’s yard in Fort Lauderdale alongside mango trees and cerasee tea leaves, a small but deliberate piece of Jamaica planted on American soil.
“My father taught me how to cook using local ingredients, while my mother taught me the ritual and communion of eating and breaking bread with those that we love,” Barr recounts.
Barr is back at Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month for a second year, and she is returning with sharper intention. Last year she cooked as part of a broader lineup. This year she is at the center of an evening built specifically around Caribbean women chefs, a shift the Toronto and Atlanta-based chef frames as generational work made visible.
“We are helping the next generation of chefs, especially female chefs, to embrace the pride, passion and pursuit to drive diaspora food into kitchens globally,” Barr proclaims.
Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month runs through May 30, closing with a beach party and cookout at Wild Tamarind Restaurant featuring Guyanese chef Devan Rajkumar and local Antiguan pastry chefs. For the full event schedule, tickets and participating restaurants, visit the event’s website.
