By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

Mark your calendars, South Florida-based Caribbean cuisine lovers, because Taste of the Caribbean is coming to town.

Presented by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), Taste of the Caribbean is an annual event that highlights the art of Caribbean cooking, bringing together the region’s top chefs and bartenders to compete for honors in food and beverage competitions at the Hyatt Regency, Miami.

This year teams from Anguilla, Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Suriname and the U.S. Virgin Islands will compete. But the real winners will be foodies, who can watch the teams go head-to-head (and sample their fare) at a three-course competition lunch and dinner (both with wine pairings) on Friday, June 12.

Tickets are $50 per person.

Tickets are also available for the Taste of the Islands festival on Saturday, June 13, which highlights the culture of the Caribbean through a variety of gourmet appetizers and desserts, signature cocktails and Caribbean music. The festival takes place from 6:30 – 9:00pm and tickets are $40 per person.

“With culinary teams from ten islands participating this year, there will be samples of at least 20 different recipes and ten different cocktails at A Taste of the Islands,” said Frank Comito, CEO of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association. “Attendees will get a taste of the incredible flavors, culinary and musical talents of the Caribbean.”