Much to its credit, service and name in the marketplace, CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa hosted a most prestigious four-day Epicurea event, the experience of which is likely to remain etched on the minds of the guests for a long time. The event has not only provided a great deal of publicity and marketing for the resort, but for Anguilla as an upmarket tourism destination as well.
For the first time, The Met Golfer, the official publication of the Metropolitan Golf Association in the United States, partnered with CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa and Matchesi Antinori Wines to create what has been described as “a unique culinary getaway in the Caribbean.”
Called The Epicurea: Taste, Play, Smile, the weekend event of November 6-10, brought to Anguilla couples and groups from Manhattan, Westchester and the Greater New York area. They came “for fine food, well-crafted wines, and outstanding golf at the luxury resort which is nestled beside Anguilla’s exquisite white sand beaches,” a press release from The Met Golfer, announcing the occasion, stated.
Four international and celebrity chefs were “carefully selected to create the delectable gastronomic features of the culinary weekend”. Two of them were Chef Philippe Lusseau, CuisinArt’s Corporate Chef; and Chef Christophe Muller who travelled from France to prepare a nouvelle cuisine tribute dinner in honour of “Chef of the Century”, Paul Bocuse, and as part of the event. The other two chefs, who prepared the weekend culinary features, were Chef Vincent Russo of Colorado, where he also runs one of the most prestigious golf clubs in America; and Chef Jasper Schneider, Resident Chef at CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa for the past year. The resort’s Resident Sommelier, Garmon Greenway, provided service opportunities for the guests to indulge in the well-crafted and well-paired wines.
The many visiting guests were welcomed to CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa and Anguilla by Vice President and General Manager, Mr Stephane Zaharia, who said the event was “a special moment” for the resort. Speaking later to local media representatives, Mr Zaharia said in part: “This event means a lot to us – not only for the resort, but also for our partnership with Great Golf Resorts of the World and The Met Golfer. This is something we are going to continue in the next couple of years. We see this becoming a great success of bringing people from the Tri-State area to discover Anguilla, the golf course, the resort, and the culinary experience, with chefs from all over the world.”
Mr Rick Summers, CEO of the long-established Met Golfer Magazine, joined in welcoming the guests to the Epicurea. He was also delighted with the partnership of CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa, a member of the Great Golf Resorts of the World.
“We are very proud to have CuisinArt as one of our members,” Mr Summers stated. “We thank our partners, CuisinArt Resort, and Stephane, for helping to bring this about, and I am looking forward to achieving three things: having fun, getting all of you to meet new people and new friends and having some great meals.”
In the press release, referred to above, Mr Summers was quoted as having said: “We are truly excited that the event will be held in concert with exceptional chefs and partners, at a distinguished golf resort, to do something exceptional for cuisine-focused travelers and our readership.”
The event was also praised by Anguilla’s Director of Tourism, Mrs Candis Niles. In a press release in The Anguillian of November 7, she wrote: “We are thrilled that such an event has come to the island of Anguilla. Not only does Epicurea offer us a unique and sophisticated platform upon which to showcase our culinary prowess, but is also serves to drive business to the island in what we consider the shoulder period of our season. We salute CuisinArt Golf Resort and its partners for bringing this event to our shores, and look forward to working with them to support other upcoming initiatives of this nature.”
