These internationally acclaimed chefs, who hail from around the world, are regular guests during Culinary Month, Grand Cayman’s month-long celebration of all things food and wine. Every January, these culinary masters can be found enjoying the best the islands have to offer, from delicious bites to the stunning beaches.

Rachel Allen
Born in Ireland, Rachel Allen studied at Ballymaloe Cookery School.  Her practical cooking style emphasises simple but delicious food suitable for serving to family and friends. The celebrity chef is known mostly for her television appearances, including the series Rachel’s Favourite Food at Home, her weekly newspaper columns and for her six best-selling cookbooks.

José Andrés
Spanish-born José Andrés is known for his many television appearances, including Made in Spain, a PBS series that takes him on a culinary journey of his homeland.  A James Beard Foundation award-winning chef, Andrés has popularised the concept of tapas/small plate dining in the five restaurants in which he has ownership in the Washington, D.C., area.

Anthony Bourdain
Although New York-born Anthony Bourdain graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and worked in the restaurant business for many years, he is more known these days for his culinary adventure television show on the Travel Channel called No Reservations and his books, including the 2000 tell-all Kitchen Confidential.

Cindy Hutson
A self-taught chef from New Jersey, Cindy Hutson became enamoured with island cuisine while making frequent trips to Jamaica for her coffee and condiment import/export business. In 1994, she and partner Delius Shirley opened Norma’s on the Beach in Miami to rave reviews.  In 1999 she opened Ortanique in Coral Gables and a restaurant by the same name on Grand Cayman in 2010.

Eric Ripert
A television celebrity chef, French-born Eric Ripert attended culinary school in France before moving to the US in 1989. In 1994 Ripert became the executive chef – and later part owner - at Le Bernardin, one of only five restaurants in New York City awarded three Michelin stars. In 2005, he lent his name to Blue by Eric Ripert at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.

Susur Lee
Born in Hong Kong, Susur Lee immigrated to Canada in 1978 and made a name for himself with a restaurant called Lotus in Toronto in the late 1980s. Using Asian ingredients and classical French techniques, Lee’s fusion cuisine has won over critics.  He operates restaurants in Toronto, New York and Washington, D.C.

Dean Max
Growing up on a farm in Virginia, Dean Max has always embraced the farm-to-table approach to cooking.  Max was crowned King of American Seafood when he won the 2010 Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans.  He is involved in numerous restaurants in the US, including his flagship 3030 Ocean in Fort Lauderdale and the Brasserie on Grand Cayman.

Michael Schwartz
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Michael Schwartz learned how to cook in the kitchens of restaurants rather than at culinary school.  At the forefront of the farm-to-table movement in American cuisine, Schwartz opened Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in Miami in 2007 and another restaurant by that name in Camana Bay in 2010.

Charlie Trotter
A culinary legend in his hometown Chicago, Trotter has won multiple James Beard Foundation awards and his restaurant, simply called Charlie Trotter’s, has also been recognised as one of the best in the United States, and indeed the world. Trotter has hosted a PBS television show and has authored or co-authored more than a dozen books.