This three-day festival will take place from Friday, October 17th through Sunday, October 19th, 2025, featuring exciting culinary demos, Wine and Rum tasting experiences, as well as live Local entertainment.
Village Cay &
Rhythm + Sands
FOOD WINE & RUM FESTIVAL
$85 – EVENT TICKET
$70 EARLY BIRD TICKETS from 12th September 2025
Limited quantity available
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Chef Profiles
Chef Delven Adams
Chef Delven Adams of Guyana, known internationally for his Backyard Café in Georgetown, will headline the Village Cay & Rhythm + Sands Food, Wine & Rum Festival in the British Virgin Islands from 17 to 19 October 2025.
Adams, who built his reputation by transforming his backyard in West Ruimveldt into a dining destination, has become a leading voice in Guyanese cuisine. His café is recognised for its intimate setting, where traditional meals are prepared and served in a homely atmosphere. “Food is a story, and every dish tells part of who we are as Guyanese people,” Adams said in an interview following his announcement as one of the festival’s featured chefs.
His approach centres on local ingredients and indigenous traditions, which have earned him international attention. In 2019, Adams collaborated with National Geographic’s Uncharted alongside Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay, introducing global audiences to Guyanese staples such as pepper pot.
The festival, which runs across two venues — Village Cay and Rhythm + Sands — will feature Adams among a line-up of chefs from Barbados, Trinidad, St Lucia, Jamaica and the British Virgin Islands. Organisers said the event will include wine and rum tastings, live entertainment and cultural showcases, with a junior chef competition and fireworks set for the closing night.
Adams said his participation is about more than demonstrating culinary skills. “This is an opportunity to highlight Guyana’s food culture and to connect it with the wider Caribbean,” he said.
The Village Cay & Rhythm + Sands Food, Wine & Rum Festival begins on 17 October with an opening night at Village Cay and concludes on 19 October with a finale featuring a champagne brunch, live competitions and cultural performances.
Chef Damian Leach
Damian Leach, the award-winning executive chef of Cocktail Kitchen in Barbados, who has built an international reputation for excellence in Caribbean cuisine.
Leach began cooking at 13 and later trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Canada, earning Le Grand Diplôme before returning to Barbados to hone his craft. Over the years he has earned multiple honors, including Barbados Chef of the Year, NIFCA Chef of the Year, and the prestigious CHTA Caribbean Chef of the Year title at the Taste of the Caribbean competition in Miami. His accolades continued with victories in Seafood Chef of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year, and “The Gine On” Chef of the Year, while in 2024 he led Barbados’ national culinary team to a Gold medal as their coach.
Festivalgoers will have the opportunity to experience Leach’s culinary artistry firsthand during the weekend’s brunch showcases and evening dining events. He will be joined by chefs from Trinidad, Jamaica, Guyana, St. Lucia, and the British Virgin Islands, creating a dynamic lineup that reflects the full range of Caribbean flavor and creativity. Alongside the chefs, master mixologists and international wine and rum connoisseurs representing global brands will present tastings and demonstrations throughout the weekend.
The festival opens Friday, Oct. 17, at Village Cay with wine and rum tastings, gourmet bites, and live entertainment. Saturday, Oct. 18, shifts to Rhythm + Sands for cooking workshops, showcases, and live Caribbean jazz, before the night heats up with The Fish Fête hosted by YOLO Promotions. On Sunday, Oct. 19, the finale brings a champagne brunch, chef competitions, fireworks, and a cultural grand finale.
For Leach, the event is another platform to highlight Caribbean culinary excellence on the international stage while sharing his passion for food and innovation with festival audiences. His journey from a teenage kitchen enthusiast to one of the region’s most decorated chefs mirrors the festival’s mission: to celebrate the creativity, talent, and culture that make the Caribbean a global force in food and entertainment.
Chef Rondell
Chef Rondell Thompson, 28, head chef of the Chaud Restaurant Group in Trinidad and Tobago, will be among the featured culinary talents at the Food, Wine & Rum Festival in the British Virgin Islands from Oct. 17 to 19. The event, staged at Village Cay and Rhythm + Sands, will bring together chefs, mixologists and connoisseurs from across the Caribbean.
Thompson, who has nine years of professional culinary experience, has trained under chefs across Trinidad and Tobago, the wider Caribbean and in Dubai. He holds an associate degree in culinary arts and a bachelor of science in culinary management.
His career includes early recognition as National Junior Chef of Trinidad and Tobago in 2017, followed by the National Chef of the Year award in 2018. He has also received the Spirit of the Industry Award and other regional and international honors.
As head chef at Chaud, Thompson blends international techniques with Caribbean flavors, a style he plans to showcase during the festival. “The opportunity to represent the richness of Caribbean cuisine on an international stage is both humbling and inspiring,” he said in a statement.
The Food, Wine & Rum Festival opens Oct. 17 at Village Cay with tastings, gourmet dishes and live entertainment. On Oct. 18, Rhythm + Sands will host cooking workshops, chef brunches and a Junior Chef Battle between H. Lavity Stoutt Community College and the Virgin Islands School of Technical Studies, followed by the Fish Fête at Village Cay that evening. The festival concludes Oct. 19 with a champagne brunch, a chef competition, fireworks and a cultural showcase at Village Cay.
Elijah Jules
Chef Elijah Jules, Executive Sous Chef at Jade Mountain Resort in St. Lucia, will participate in the British Virgin Islands’ Food, Wine & Rum Festival, scheduled for Oct. 17 to 19 at Village Cay and Rhythm + Sands. Jules, who has represented St. Lucia in international culinary competitions and earned multiple awards, will join chefs and mixologists from across the region for three days of tastings, workshops, and cultural events.
Jules has served as Executive Sous Chef at Jade Mountain Resort for 15 years. Prior to that, he spent a decade as Head Chef at Hummingbird Resort, where he began his career as a gardener before moving into the kitchen. Without formal culinary school training, he developed his craft through practice, mentorship, and self-study. He credits chefs such as Jonathan Dearden, Executive Chef at Jade Mountain, as key influences.
Internationally recognized for his “Elijah’s Famous Fish Chowder,” Jules has competed in the Taste of the Caribbean competition in Miami, winning the gold medal as Caribbean Chef of the Year in 2012. He later coached the St. Lucia Junior Culinary Team to two gold medals and Team of the Year honors at regional competitions in Barbados. In 2015, he earned first place in the savory category at the San Pellegrino Cooking Cup in Antigua.
Jules has also represented St. Lucia at cultural events abroad, including independence celebrations in Washington, D.C., and Dubai, at the request of the government. In 2020, he received the Gault & Millau Award, with Jade Mountain Restaurant recognized as one of the four best restaurants in the West Indies and French Guiana.
The Food, Wine & Rum Festival begins Oct. 17 at Village Cay with tastings, gourmet bites, and live entertainment. Events continue through the weekend with cooking showcases, workshops, and a finale featuring a chef competition, champagne brunch, and fireworks.
Jason Brathwaite
Chef Jason Brathwaite will represent the British Virgin Islands at the Food, Wine & Rum Festival at Village Cay from Oct. 17–19.
Brathwaite, who was born in Barbados, has more than 20 years of culinary experience across Canada, England and the United States, a background he cites in shaping a style that pairs Caribbean flavors with international techniques.
His approach emphasizes seasonal ingredients and straightforward preparations aimed at clear, balanced flavors and textures.
“Great food doesn’t need complexity—just passion, fresh ingredients, and the ability to evoke emotion with every bite,” Brathwaite said in his portfolio.
The Food, Wine & Rum Festival will run Oct. 17–19 at Village Cay, featuring tastings, gourmet dishes and live entertainment; the program includes Rhythm + Sands events and a Junior Chef Battle between H. Lavity Stoutt Community College and the Virgin Islands School of Technical Studies.
The festival opens Oct. 17 with tasting stations and performances at Village Cay.
On Oct. 18, Rhythm + Sands will hosting a brunch, then it’s back to Village Cay for a Junior Chef Battle between H. Lavity Stoutt Community College and the Virgin Islands School of Technical Studies and Dinner. The Fish Fête will then take place in Village Cay Parking Lot.
The event concludes Oct. 19 with a champagne brunch, a chef competition, fireworks and a cultural showcase, all at Village Cay.
