A Taste of St. Croix is a wine and food event that showcases the diverse and delicious cuisine and wine available on the island of St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. Guests sample an amazing variety of dishes, from Cajun to Lebanese, to Creole, to Italian, to French and many exciting Caribbean recipes that take advantage of the local fruits, vegetables and spices.  Chefs and restaurant owners from other Caribbean islands are among the judges for the event and vote on their top picks for best appetizer, entree, dessert, and best presentation. The event benefits the St. Croix Foundation (www.stxfoundation.org), a non-profit community foundation that administers a number of local programs.

Top Wines Pour at St. Croix Food & Wine Experience 2010 - Renowned wine experts and celebrated chefs will be participating in the 10th annual St. Croix Food & Wine Experience on the Caribbean island of St. Croix. The island will be welcoming an impressive group of experts including  Bo Barrett of Chateau Montelena, Shauna Rosenblum of Rock Wall Wine Company, Kent Rosenblum of Rosenblum Cellars, Tom Hedges of Hedges Estate Vineyard as well as celebrated chefs Tim Love, Kevin Rathbun, Gabriel Rucker and Roberto Trevino.

Iron Chefs, Rebellious Chefs, Island Chefs Support

St. Croix Food & Wine Experience

Tim Love, Kevin Rathbun, Gabriel Rucker, Roberto Treviño to Judge Island Wide Competition, Prepare Fundraising Dinners and Face-Off in Fun Competition

St. Croix, US Virgin Islands - 2010 - Celebrated American chefs have signed up to support The St. Croix Food & Wine Experience, an annual series of events that support the community programs of the St. Croix Foundation. The four-day fundraising fete will take place April 13-17, 2010 on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands.

Participating celebrated chefs for the 2010 St. Croix Food & Wine Experience include:

Tim Love                         Ft. Worth, Texas

Tim Love has become a nationally recognized culinary personality. He has appeared on Paula Deen, Rachael Ray, on Top Chef Masters, and Iron Chef America. As chef/owner of The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro and The Love Shack in Fort Worth, his innovative dishes have earned critical and popular acclaim. The Love Shack earned three stars from The Dallas Morning News, being singled out as having the "most perfect burger on the planet" by The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and was named by Condé Nast Traveler as a 2008 Hot List restaurant.    

Kevin Rathbun              Atlanta, Georgia

Chef Kevin Rathbun is the award-winning visionary owner of three of Atlanta's acclaimed restaurants Rathbun's, Krog Bar, and Kevin Rathbun Steak. Nicknamed the "Sultan of Steak" by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Rathbun was selected as the 2007 Rising Star Chef and he and his brother, Chef Kent Rathbun, took down Bobby Flay on Food Network’s “Iron Chef.” Rathbun, a supporter of the NFL’s Taste of the NFL charity, has worked with celebrity chefs and restaurateurs such as Bradley Ogden, Emeril Lagasse, Stephen Pyles, Ella Brennan and Pano Karratossos, is a native of Kansas City, Missouri. 

Gabriel Rucker             Portland, Oregon

Gabriel Rucker, the chef/owner of Le Pigeon in Portland, which he opened in 2006 at the age of 25, is rebellious with his bistro offerings and the “darling of the culinary world.” A self-taught cook, Rucker has won multiple awards, including Food & Wine magazine's Best New Chefs of 2007, Portland Monthly’s Chef of the Year 2006, The Oregonian’s Rising Star Chef 2006, Restaurant and Hospitality Magazine’s Rising Star of 2007. He earned a nomination for the James Beard "Rising Star" award in 2009 and he has been selected as a Food Ambassador for the state of Oregon. Men's Journal magazine selected him as a chef-model for the October 2009 issue. With all the acclaim, Rucker remains truly modest, states “No chef does it alone.”

Roberto Treviño            Puerto Rico

As a contender in Food Network's Iron Chef America, Roberto Treviño, a leader in Nuevo Latino cuisine, exhibited his talents as he battled Mario Batali. His warmth and charm along with his skilful Asian fusion can be experienced at Budatai, his restaurant in Puerto Rico.  Chef Treviño has been featured in Condé Nast Traveler, Coastal Living, The New York Times, Bon Appétit and Gourmet. He has been honored to cook a dinner at the James Beard House in New York, and at their awards events.

Each guest chef will be guest judge at Taste of St. Croix, the island's culinary competition, will each host a Cork & Fork dinner, intimate fundraising dinners paired with a top winery, and will face-off in a friendly competition with local island chefs.

Over the past few years, guest chefs have included Rocco DiSpirito, Antonia Lofaso, Kevin Rathbun, Robbin Haas, Gerry Klaskala, Wayne Nish, Richard Reddington and Johnny Vinczencz. Past participating vintners have included Chris Benziger of Benziger Wineries, Bill Blais of Kendall Jackson Estates, Bob Foley from Foley Wines, Paul Hoffman of Medusa Wines, Julianna Martinelli of Martinelli Vineyards, Joel Peterson from Ravenswood, Maria Ponzi of Ponzi Vineyards, Carroll Kemp of Red Car Wines, and Kent Rosenblum from Rosenblum Cellars.

Tickets to the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience go on sale in March 2010 and will be available at www.StCroixFoodandWine.com. Patrons wanting access to all events can purchase the “Platinum Patron” package for $5000, which includes two tickets to each event and a choice of one Cork & Fork dinner. Sponsorship packages are also available. For more information on sponsorship opportunities or Patron packages, please contact Roger Dewey at 340-773-9898.    

About the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience

The St. Croix Food & Wine Experience, named one on the Ten Best International Food and Wine Festivals by Forbes Travel, showcases the diverse cuisine and wine available on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. The multi-day event includes gourmet dinners, wine seminars, wine auctions, and the annual culinary competition, A Taste of St. Croix. The event benefits the St. Croix Foundation (www.stxfoundation.org), a non-profit community foundation that administers a number of local programs. The event was started in 2001 by restaurant owners Katherine Pugliese of Eat@CaneBay, and Kelly Odom of Tutto Bene, and is recognized as the pre-eminent food and wine event in the Caribbean. For more information visit www.stcroixfoodandwine.com or www.tasteofstcroix.com.

About The St. Croix Foundation

Proceeds from The St. Croix Food & Wine Experience are donated to The St. Croix Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on community revitalization, economic development, youth programs, education and additional needs in the community. The culinary event has raised more than $750,000 for The St. Croix Foundation over the past nine years. For more information visit www.stxfoundation.org. 

-- Thank You --

Schedule for The St. Croix Food & Wine Experience 2009 - A PDF DOCUMENT

Top Chef Antonia Lofaso joins St. Croix Food & Wine Festival

Special Guests: Johnny V of Miami , Kevin Rathbun of Atlanta, Willy Diggleman of Panama,  Catherine Driggers of CA,  Antonia Lofaso of Los Angeles

Gourmet dinner by sustainable winery at a sustainable farm

Rathbun and Mondavi at Government House, St Croix

"Caribbean Cowboy" to prepare fabulous feast in private home

Hotel Packages: Caribbean Spice & Everything Nice

About A Taste of St. Croix: The Facts at a Glance

Betty Fraser's recipe: Mango Rum Pulled Pork on Spicy Plantain Corn Cakes with Tamarind Lime Drizzle