By Alexander Britell
It isn’t just the Caribbean’s best sailing destination — it’s one of its greatest food getaways, too.
And that’s always been true for travelers in the know — whether you’re downing a massive lobster at the Big Bamboo on Anegada, having an unforgettable dinner at the Sugar Mill or going on a gastronomic journey at the Dove in Tortola.
The Baths on Virgin Gorda.
There’s something for every kind of food lover in this spectacular archipelago, where the story is authentic dishes, miraculously fresh seafood (particularly lobster) and some serious mixology, too.
And the British Virgin Islands is again putting its culinary excellence and diversity on display this fall with its annual BVI Food Fete, a month-long extravaganza that is one of the great foodie experiences in the Caribbean.
The Taste of Virgin Gorda will feature everything from a chef cook-off to awards for best food and best drink, among others.
The festival begins Oct. 27 with Gourmet for a Cause, a beach dinner featuring dishes prepared by top chefs and bartenders from far and wide. It’s followed by the Taste of Tortola on Nov. 3; the Jost Pork Festival on Jost Van Dyke Nov. 11; the Taste of Virgin Gorda Nov.17 and the Cooper Island Rum Festival Nov. 18, with the latter set at one of the Caribbean’s top rum bars.
Then there’s what’s almost certainly the most celebrated stop on the agenda: the Anegada Lobster Festival, Nov. 24-26, which brings chefs together to prepare lobster dishes across the island of Anegada, the Caribbean’s undisputed lobster capital.
Lobster is abundant on Anegada.
There will also be a series of bar crawls as part of the festival, with the Jost Crawl on Jost Van Dyke on Nov. 11, and the On the Rocks Crawl on Virgin Gorda Nov. 17. (Anegada will have a “lobster crawl” of its own on Nov. 23 during the festival.”
A stop at the Soggy Dollar is a must on Jost.
Transportation will be abundant, with ferries running across the BVI and sailing out of the USVI as well.
And the British Virgin Islands’ hotels continue to come back strong, from the beautiful Guana Island to the aforementioned Cooper Island Beach Club to the terrific Anegada Beach Club, which includes its own beachfront glamping tents.
It’s a month of authentic, high-level culinary events that celebrate the British Virgin Islands’ heritage, flavors and traditions, a chance to do more than island hop – to get a taste of so many of the wonderful little islands that make up the BVI.
For more, visit the BVI Food Fete.