Tag Archives: taste of st. croix

Divi Carina Bay, St. Croix, To Do

Taste of St. Croix: Foodies, This Is Heaven

Taste of St. Croix at Divi Carina Bay All-Inclusive Beach ResortIt’s not too late to reserve your spot at one of the most prestigious culinary events in the Caribbean. Foodies know that in early April, it’s best to be in St. Croix for the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience. This three-day gustatory extravaganza is nestled in one of the sunniest and most charming parts of the US—right in the heart of the US Virgin Islands, so you won’t even need a passport. It annually prompts noted chefs and food and wine lovers to go dashing to the island. St. Croix is at its most festive and hospitable then and vacation packages abound. Divi Carina Bay All-Inclusive Beach Resort & Casino offers the ideal location because it plays host to the festival’s premier opening event: The Taste of St. Croix on April 6, 2017.

Imagine sampling authentic regional fare, celebrity chef creations and special vintages from wineries around the globe on a starry, breezy, beachy night just steps from your balcony or patio. That’s precisely why the Taste of St. Croix is a sell-out year after year, and therefore requires a bit of advance planning to score a ticket.

Divi Carina Bay has made it easy for 2017. Their Taste of St. Croix package offers a special discounted rate of $167 per person per night* that includes a free ticket for each registered guest to Taste of St. Croix (a $95 value). With the resort’s three on-site restaurants and plenty of fun activities and amenities, you’ll also enjoy all the benefits of an all-inclusive resort. (Divi Carina Bay is the only all-inclusive resort on St. Croix.) Book your stay and Bam! You’re going to the biggest party on the island all year, with lots of on-site options for relaxing before and after. Foodies, you’ve made it to culinary heaven.

*Rate is based on double occupancy.

Activities, Divi Carina Bay, St. Croix, To Do

This St. Croix Festival Is the Perfect Excuse to Jet Away

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Weather forecasts might have you thinking that January and February is the time to escape to St. Croix, but gourmands will suggest April as prime-time for visiting this warm and wonderful part of the US. April is when the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience takes place, a three-day gustatory extravaganza, which annually prompts noted chefs and food and wine lovers to go dashing to the island. St. Croix is at its most festive and hospitable then and vacation packages abound.  Divi Carina Bay All-Inclusive Beach Resort & Casino offers the ideal location because it plays host to the festival’s premier opening event: The Taste of St. Croix on April 6, 2017.

Imagine sampling authentic regional fare, celebrity chef creations and special vintages from wineries around the globe on a starry, breezy, beachy night just steps from your balcony or patio. That’s precisely why the Taste of St. Croix is a sell-out year after year, and therefore requires a little advance planning to score a ticket.

Divi Carina Bay has made it easy for 2017. Their Taste of St. Croix package offers a special discounted rate of $167 per person per night* that includes a free ticket for each registered guest to Taste of St. Croix (a $95 value). Book your stay and Bam! You’re going to the biggest party on the island all year.

*Rate is based on double occupancy.

Activities, Caribbean, Divi Carina Bay, St. Croix, To Do

Chowder Down

Chowder isn’t just for New England.  And, it isn’t just for winter.   Wherever there is a sea, there’s chowder in some form or another. Whether on the coast of the Atlantic, Pacific or the Caribbean Sea, chowder chefs blend the flavors and bounty of both land and sea.   Chowder, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.  Well, that’s going to be a challenge, as there are endless variations on the chowder theme, enough to have a competition.

This past year’s Taste of St. Croix featured impressive and, I might add, the always delicious, kitchen concoctions from over 50 restaurateurs, caterers and professional chefs.  Among the categories of the culinary competition was “soup/stew,” which always draws a number of creative interpretations of chowder.  Last year’s prizewinners had hinted at the possibilities of the palate-pleasing nature of chowder with pumpkin seafood and Crucian conch versions.

Chowder has always been a part of the weekly Seafood Fest at Divi Carina Bay for good reason: It’s a crowd pleaser all year long.   You never know until the first taste whether it’s wahoo, mahi or snapper that went from the boat into the pot that day. Carina Bay’s Executive Chef Thomas is determined to win the soup/stew category of the 2013 Taste of St. Croix with the Divi Signature Seafood Chowder.  If he wins, he won’t have to go far – the Taste is staged right outside his kitchen on the Divi beachfront.  As always, the competition is keen.  All the soups are tasty.  Who wants the recipe?

There were six other “best” categories in the Taste of St. Croix: appetizer, entrée, dessert, beverage, local fare, presentation and vegetarian.  And while judges were behind closed doors sampling, assessing and ranking entries, 1500 guests outside on the Divi beachfront were sampling the same.  No worries, there are always plenty to go around.  And, by the way, last year the St. Croix Central High School afterschool cooking class won best vegetarian dish.  That certainly bodes well for St. Croix’s culinary future.

In addition to Thomas and his staff, 40 other Divi Carina Bay personnel were hard at work with 114 volunteers to help make the Taste a sensational event this past year.  It’s a very big party and one you shouldn’t miss next year.  Same time. Same place. It’s a great night to chow-der down.