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Mark your calendars! On 27 January, The Taste of Cayman Food & Drink Festival — sponsored by Cayman Airways — returns for its 30th year at Camana Bay’s Festival Green. What began as a humble chili cook-off now hosts 45 restaurants, about 5,000 attendees and more than 18,000 scrumptious helpings of food.

Taste of Cayman has something for everyone, from the veteran chef to the newbie foodie. Returning this year is the Experience Room, which will offer a veritable feast for the senses that simply must be experienced to be believed. The event will also once again honour the heritage of Caymanian cuisine with the annual Heavy Cake and Mixology competitions. 

Kicking off at 5 p.m. with chef demos, the evening continues with a bevy of activities, including cooking competitions, live entertainment, fireworks and voting for Cayman’s best restaurants. There’s even a kids zone where tiny chefs can get their hands dirty learning where their food comes from in the Seed to Plate demonstration, play with other foodies in the making, watch movies and even have their faces painted.   

Although Taste of Cayman is oh so delicious, it isn’t only about the food. The festival is also home to philanthropic endeavours with over CI$2,870 raised last year alone for local charities. This year’s focus is on supporting local students by providing valuable on-the-job experience for landing the perfect job in the food, hospitality and event planning industries.

Join the fun for an evening you — and your taste buds — won’t soon forget, celebrating the deep culinary and cultural heritage of the Islands. For more information about the event and to purchase your tickets, visit tasteofcayman.org.

January

14th. Run, eat and drink with your family and friends for the Cayman bRUNch 5–10k. Registration includes breakfast with coffee and entry to a random prize draw. caymanbrunch.com

10th–14th. The Cayman Cookout celebrates its 10th anniversary at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman with celebrity host chef Eric Ripert for a weekend of tastings, cook offs, demonstrations, tours and dinners. caymancookout.com

19th–22nd. Check out Caymanian musicians and entertainers as part of the annual Muzaic Music and Arts Festival, organised by the Cayman Music and Entertainment Association.

28th. Organised by the Cayman Islands Cancer Society, Stride Against Cancer sees over 1,300 participants and more than 100 volunteers between the walk/run in George Town and the one in North Side. cics.ky

Legends at Camana Bay

February

1st. The annual Fidelity Cayman Economic Outlook conference brings together leading thinkers and doers to help shape Cayman’s economy. fidelityceo.com

4th. The Paddle for Heart Challenge and Run event organised by the Cayman Heart Fund benefits the Hart for Hearts programme, which helps raise awareness and funds to assist families with children born with congenital heart disease. caymanheartfund.com

9th. Watch tennis legends Jimmy Connors, Pat Cash and Stefan Edberg battle it out on the Camana Bay Festival Green. legendscayman.com

18th. Join the Kiwanis Club of Grand Cayman for the 36th Annual KiwaniBike, a 20-mile bike ride from the Blow Holes in East End to Smith Cove in South Sound. kiwanis.ky

17th. Come out for seasonal showings as part of the Camana Bay Cinema’s Culture at the Cinema series with Romeo and Juliet, 8 p.m. camanabay.com

25th. Off The Beaten Track (OTBT) is an annual and charitable 50-kilometre ultra-marathon designed to emulate the world’s toughest race, the Marathon des Sables. offthebeatentrack.ky

Ongoing

>> Every Sunday. Treat yourself to the Boulangerie Brunch at Anchor & Den at the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort. Enjoy European cheeses and homemade pastries with bottomless glasses of De Chanceny’s Cremant de Loire, 12–4 p.m.

>> Every Wednesday. Shop fresh produce, speciality foods, gifts, jewellery, skincare products, crafts, teas, flowers, jellies, seasonings and more at the Camana Bay Farmers & Artisans Market, a showcase for all that is grown and made in Cayman, 12–7 p.m. camanabay.com

>> Every Saturday. Residents can enjoy free entry to the National Museum every Saturday to learn about the unique natural and cultural heritage of the three Islands. museum.ky

Photos courtesy: Cayman Islands Tourist Association, Deep Blue Images

Author: Brian Edwards