By the Caribbean Journal staff

It’s the must-visit food Caribbean festival of 2018: the Saint Lucia Food and Rum Festival, which returns in January with a new schedule and an appearance by one of the world’s top chefs, Marcus Samuelsson.

The festival, which is taking place Jan. 12-14, also includes another major addition: the first-ever Caribbean Rum Awards, curated by the rum experts at Caribbean Journal.

The Caribbean Rum Awards, selected by a special jury of rum experts from around the Caribbean and the world, will celebrate the best of the rum world, from premium aged expressions to the rhum agricole of the French Caribbean.

The festival begins Jan. 12, with select restaurants including rum-inspired Prix Fixe menus and continuing throughout the weekend.

World-renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson.

On Jan. 13, Samuelsson will be presenting a Saint Lucian twist on the menu he famously prepared for former US President Barack Obama’s first State Dinner.

Saturday’s schedule will see the Rodney Bay strip converted into the Rodney Bay Culinary Experience, with some of the island’s best restaurants setting up sampling booths and allowing people to enjoy the tastes of their rum-inspired creations.

The festival reaches its climax on Jan. 14, with an open-air event at the Pigeon Island National Landmark, with restaurateurs, chefs and rum makers presenting the height of St Lucian cuisine, with a focus on rum infusions.

The Gala Dinner on Jan. 13 will be an exclusive night of “glamour, entertainment and some of the finest dining in the western hemisphere,” according to the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority.

Tickets for the gala event start at $120, with limited seating. Tickets for the Pigeon Island event are $8.

For more information, visit the Saint Lucia Food and Rum Festival.