"A Taste of St. Croix" Celebrates 10th Anniversary
The St. Croix Food & Wine Experience - named one of the Ten Best International Food and Wine Festivals by Forbes Travel - is brewing a showcase of diverse cuisine and wine available on St. Croix for its well-anticipated, breathtaking 10-year anniversary! Local chefs, celebrity and top wine makers from the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Texas, Georgia, Oregon, and abroad have signed up to support this prestigious event set for April 13-17 here on St. Croix.
The St. Croix Food and Wine Experience is a 5-day event that includes gourmet dinners, wine seminars, wine auctions, and the annual culinary competition, "Taste of St. Croix." The event was started in 2001 by restaurant owners Katherine Pugliese, original owner of Bacchus and now the owner of eat @ Cane Bay, and Kelly Odom of Tutto Bene, and is recognized as the pre-eminent food and wine event in the Caribbean.
A Taste of St. Croix, featuring over 50 competitors, will be held this year at the Divi Carina Bay Resort on St. Croix's East End on Thursday, April 15. It's a wine and food event that showcases the diverse and delicious cuisine and wine available on island with guests sampling an amazing variety of dishes from Cajun to Lebanese, to Creole, to Italian, to French, to Thai incorporating many exciting Caribbean recipes that take advantage of the local fruits, vegetables, and spices. Chefs and restaurant owners from other Caribbean islands are among the judges for the event and vote on their top picks for "Best Appetizer," "EntreALe," "Dessert," and "Best Presentation." A "Moet & Chandon After Party" follows this event.
Other culinary events during the week include "The Homecoming Dinner--Culinary Crucians in Exile" at Tutto Bene, the "The Wine Dinner" at the Galleon, "Wine Seminars" at The Palms, "Iron Chef, Top Chef, Island Chef" at eat @ Cane Bay, the "Thematic Dinner" at Salud Bistro, "Cork & Fork Dinners," in historical homes, "Friday Night Bites," a "Dine- Around-Town" in both Christiansted and Frederiksted, and "Wine in the Warehouse." For a complete event schedule with times, locations, and ticket information, visit www. stcroixfoodandwine.com.
Proceeds from the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience are donated to the St. Croix Foundation (www.stxfoundation.org). Established in 1990 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, St. Croix Foundation strives to fulfill its mission of fostering economic and social development on the island of St. Croix and throughout the Territory. As a nonpartisan, nonpolitical community foundation, the St. Croix Foundation provides leadership and acts as a catalyst in bringing together diverse groups to discuss problems and forge solutions.
Best known for its focus on the problems of community and economic development, as evidenced by major town revitalization initiatives like the rehabilitation of the Sunday Market Square, the Foundation has also successfully executed a number of noteworthy initiatives in public safety, educational enrichment, fiduciary management, and strengthening our nonprofit community.
