Host for the weekend Chef Eric Ripert invited a handful of his closest culinary friends to participate in the cookout, including Chef Jose Andres, Chef Anthony Bourdain, Chef David Chang, Chef Grant Achatz, and Chef Dean Fearing.
Now in its second year, the festival offered guests a full schedule of culinary demonstrations, kitchen competitions, and dinners highlighting both local cooks and international celebrity chefs from January 14 through 18.
From the welcome reception featuring local conch, grilled lobster and certified Angus beef, plus guests like Food & Wine’s Gail Simmons, and wine expert Anthony Giglio through to the final dinner at Ripert’s AAA 5-diamond restaurant Blue, the event was abuzz with both local and visiting foodies.
The lavish culinary fete closed with fanfare on Sunday, January 18 at the Bon Vivant Sunday Moet & Chandon Champagne Brunch Cook-off.
The finale offered a mind-boggling display of decadence from the culinary staff at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, complete with caviar and freshly made blinis right through to sushi and dim sum.
But the food offerings were only a part of the adventure – a live cook-off was staged during the brunch.
The competition, emceed by Gail Simmons of Food & Wine and Bravo’s Top Chef, featured local chefs Jolene Nelson and Charlie Brown bringing their best kitchen skills in hopes of impressing the star panel of judges.
Celebrity chefs Bourdain, Chang, Ripert, and Andres congregated at the judges table to dine on amuse bouche and main courses presented by the competing amateur chefs. The coveted first prize was a trip to New York for Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs 2010 dinner.
With only a two-point difference, and according to Bourdain, much discussion and disagreement, Simmons announced that Chef Nelson had won the competition and the trip to NYC. Chef Brown achieved an impressive consolation prize though - an invitation to dine with Chef Ripert at Blue.
That evening, the weekend came to a final close with a collaborative feast by the visiting chefs. Hosted at Ripert’s Blue, all six of the guest chefs came together, working side-by-side in the kitchen to present a nine-course meal.
Dishes included razor clams with chorizo sauce by Bourdain; local conch, pork belly, and Napa cabbage with kimchi juice by Chang; and shellfish, parsnip, and chamomile by Achatz.
It was an extraordinary dinner to close an extraordinary weekend.
International gastronomes are already looking forward to Cayman Cookout 2011.
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