Wining and Dining in St. Croix

If there’s anything better than enjoying good food and fine wine, it’s enjoying good food and fine wine in the tropical locale of St. Croix. Named one of the Ten Best International Food and Wine Festivals by Forbes Traveler, the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience showcases the diverse cuisine available on the Caribbean island during a week-long event that includes gourmet dinners, wine seminars and auctions—even a culinary competition, A Taste of St. Croix.

The annual cook-off benefits the St. Croix Foundation (stxfoundation.org), a non-profit foundation that administers a number of local programs. And the competition is fierce. Last year’s event saw more than 50 local chefs go head-to-head, preparing their specialties for more than 1,500 attendees and celebrity chef judges that included Atlanta’s own Kevin Rathbun of Rathbun’s, Krog Bar and Kevin Rathbun Steak. And Rathbun will be a returnee at the 2011 event, set for April 10-16. He’ll be joined by fellow returnees Tim Love, chef/owner of The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro and The Love Shack in Ft. Worth and Iron Chef America contender/restaurant owner Robert Treviño of Puerto Rico as well as New York’s Anita Lo and Boston’s Ana Sortun.

Additionally, the celebrity chefs will hold cooking demonstrations and put on widely acclaimed Cork & Fork dinners, where they are paired with top wine experts in some of the island’s most breathtaking—and often historic—homes. Plus, select guest chefs will participate in the popular Iron Chef vs. Island Chef competition.

All this on the white sand beaches of St. Croix. For foodies and oenophiles alike, it’s paradise in its truest form.

For more information, visit stcroixfoodandwine.com.