By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

If you’re hungry for a Caribbean vacation (or just plain hungry) you’ll want to know about the Barbados Food & Rum Festival, scheduled for November 16 to 19.

Now in its eighth year, the event celebrates the cuisine of the island, and will be headlined by Michelin-starred chef Tom Aikens and feature other talents such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten from the United States and Canadian chef Chris De La Rosa.

British-born chef Aikens is one of the hosts of the new Gourmet Safari Dinner series, which, over two nights, will feature food and rum cocktail pairings that highlight the diversity of Caribbean cuisine. He’ll serve up his best at The Tides restaurant, while Vongerichten will tempt tastebuds at The Cliff, and De La Rosa will cook at The Crane resort.

Other highlights of the festival include polo and cocktails at Holders Polo Club; an all-inclusive beach party at Hilton Barbados; a chef’s cook-off at Oistins Bay Gardens; and an event at the Concorde Experience, which will celebrate Barbados as the birthplace of rum with custom cocktails, flavorful food and music.