Anguilla will host the Second Annual Anguilla Culinary Experience (ACE) from Wednesday, May 3 through Saturday, May 6, 2023. The epicurean festival brings together talented chefs from Anguilla and around the world with food-loving guests at Anguilla’s resorts, luxury villas and bespoke restaurants. During the four days of chef collaborations, parties, tastings, barbecues, dinners and other curated culinary experiences, resident and guest chefs will draw on diverse influences, as they combine their skills and creativity with Anguilla’s fresh ingredients. A portion of ACE proceeds will help fund local hospitality training and education.
ACE 2023 will open Wednesday, May 3 with a party hosted by Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club at the resort’s D Richard’s steakhouse overlooking the International Golf Course. ACE guests will embark on a tour of tastes from the diverse culinary offerings of Aurora’s six deliciously diverse restaurants and sip on signature cocktails made with fresh ingredients grown on-site at Aurora’s organic farm and hydroponic gardens.
From Thursday, May 4 through Saturday, May 6, many of Anguilla’s resorts, restaurants and villas will present unique dining experiences with resident and guest chefs. Savi Beach Club guest chef Daniele Lippi, of Italy’s two Michelin-starred Ristorante Acquolina, will alternate courses with the beach club’s resident chef during a seaside dinner reflecting their Italian and Japanese influences. Zemi Beach House will present a Dinner Extravaganza by Jennifer Carroll of "Top Chef USA" fame. Zemi’s event guests will start with a beachfront champagne reception, followed by a private cooking demonstration and sunset dinner on top-ranked Shoal Bay Beach. The evening will end with dessert and a curated rum tasting by the resort’s certified Rummelier in Zemi’s artisanal cocktail bar, the Rhum Room.
At Aurora Anguilla, guests can enjoy an intimate and luxurious farm-to-table dinner, where each course will highlight ingredients from the resort’s organic farm and hydroponic gardens. Veya owner and chef Carrie Bogar is partnering with a guest chef to present a merged tasting menu at Villa Alegria that celebrates Anguilla’s fresh ingredients and draws on her ‘cuisine of the sun’ style. Veya and other participating island restaurants also plan to offer special prix fixe menus on multiple nights. The maximum number of guests allowed varies by event. Additional events at Malliouhana, an Auberge Resort and other venues, as well as additional guest chefs, will be announced soon.
Back by popular demand for 2023 is the ACE Beach BBQ and Basket Battle at the Anguilla Great House Beach Resort on Rendezvous Bay. At the Saturday, May 6 event, local master grillers from Tasty’s/POV Restaurants, Paper’s Barbeque, Roy’s Bayside Grill and the Anguilla Great House, will serve up fresh fish, ribs, traditional Johnny Cakes and more, as the Anguilla National Culinary Team cooks head-to-head in a mystery basket competition. Last year’s winner, Chef Kelston “Sweets” Connor will return to defend his title. Also returning is the beach-bar rum crawl by chauffeured Moke, along with historic salt picking and other island activities offered through Anguilla’s Quest Experiences.
The ACE 2023 schedule is available on the ACE website at www.anguillaculinaryexperience.com and tickets will go on sale later this month. New for 2023, all tickets will be sold a la carte, allowing attendees to customize their festival experience.
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