Gastronomy Festival: a sneak preview of the programme

The Gastronomy Festival, in addition to its twelve days of events, aims to raise Saint Martin’s profile in the tourism market throughout the year. The winners of the various competitions play their part by acting as ambassadors for both culinary expertise and the destination far beyond the island. This year’s role has been entrusted to Amanda Whit, head chef at Soualiga Lime restaurant, and François Baly, who worked for many years in the kitchens of La Samanna and is now a private chef.
For this 6th edition, there will once again be numerous competitions, showcasing all areas of the culinary arts. The aim over the years has been to gradually establish Saint Martin as THE unmissable gastronomic destination in the Caribbean. It is also a unique opportunity for young people, particularly those studying hospitality and catering at vocational college, to rub shoulders with the professional world and experience excellence. Once again this year, they will be involved in welcoming guests, serving and organising activities throughout the festival, and will compete in the competition organised especially for them.

Get out, taste, share

The Tourist Office has made some changes, particularly with regard to showcasing local establishments. With ‘the festival’s dining tables’, an event will be held every evening in a different neighbourhood to encourage locals to discover the chefs’ creativity. The festival team will be on hand at each event, which will also feature live music. Around fifty restaurateurs take part in each competition… whilst there are approximately 200 restaurants on the French side of the island. There’s still some way to go, but all is not lost as restaurateurs have until 30 September to register.
For the public, the Gastronomy Passport will allow them to collect a stamp for every dinner at one of the participating restaurants. All they need to do is post a photo of the dish they’ve enjoyed on social media, tagging the Tourist Office, for a chance to win one of the many prizes on offer.
Wine lovers will also be able to enjoy a ‘Wine & Cheese Pairing’ at these establishments – a tasting session combining wines and cheeses.

The essentials and what’s new

This year, the Gastronomy Village will be the venue for all the flagship events. It will feature everything that has made the Festival such a success: cooking demonstrations, culinary workshops for adults and children, the famous ‘Sip n’ Cook’ sessions, barista and wine-tasting workshops, and, of course, the restaurateurs’ competition in the Authentic Star, Beach Star, Gourmet Star, City Star and dessert categories. A new competition is making its debut: the Best Pizza competition. The private chefs’ competition will take place in the Bellevue Gardens, and the unmissable BBQ competition will, as every year, take over Rue de la République.
The village will also host around thirty stalls – run by chefs, artisans and flavour creators – showcasing the region’s culinary expertise and gastronomic richness. Every evening, the atmosphere will be enlivened by concerts from local artists, offering visitors a chance to come together and enjoy a blend of gastronomy, culture and music.
The festival will begin on 8 November with a pre-event festive brunch at Loterie Farm, ahead of its official launch on 10 November at 6 pm on Boulevard de Grand Case. The closing night, which promises to be one of the highlights of this year’s festival, will also take place at Loterie Farm. The festival will draw to a close on 22 November with a ‘Sip to Sunset’ event at Anse Marcel Beach.
This is just a brief glimpse of the programme of festivities… the guest chefs and a few surprises will be revealed in the autumn. However, bookings can already be made (www.festival-st-martin.com/).