Mrs. Shellya Rogers-Webster
First, it was Anguilla Beyond Extraordinary – a strategic marketing plan launched in New York City in December 2018. Its aim was to strengthen and transform the island as a destination of romance, adventure, events, culture, heath, wellness and food. Now, it is Extraordinary Eats, with the catch phrase Eat Your Heart Out.
The latter culinary promotion of Anguilla was announced on March 7, 2019, by Mrs. Shellya Rogers-Webster, Manager, Corporate Affairs with the Anguilla Tourist Board; and Mr. Jameel Rochester, Assistant Manager, Destination Experience. They gave media representatives a comprehensive run-down of low-price eating opportunities at various hotels and restaurants, as well as the Food Strip, during the period April 14-28, 2019. Their meeting was immediately followed up by a press release with insights by the Chairperson of the Anguilla Tourist Board, Mrs. Donna Banks. That press release is as follows:
The Anguilla Tourist Board (ATB) has announced an exciting new addition to the island’s calendar of special events — Extraordinary Eats! — A two-week celebration of Anguillian food, culture and the culinary arts. From Sunday, April 14th through Sunday, April 28th 2019, foodies seeking to tantalize their taste buds will find no better place to indulge than Anguilla.
A host of participating resorts and restaurants will offer Prix Fixe lunch and dinner menus throughout the two-week period, with a price point of USD$35 for a two course lunch, and USD$65 for a three course dinner. A preliminary list of resorts includes: the Four Seasons Resort & Residences Anguilla, Quintessence Hotel, Malliouhana, Auberge Resort Collection, Anguilla Great House and Paradise Cove, with more to follow. Participating restaurants to date include: The Place, Flavours, Blanchard’s, Ocean Echo, Sharpy’s, Tasty’s, DaVida’s Bayside Grill, DaVida’s Restaurant, Johnno’s Prickly Pear, Palm Grove, Sandy Island, Prickly Pear Bar & Restaurant, Garvey’s Sunshine Shack, Coconos, Good Korma, Ciao Café and Ferry Boat Inn.
“We are excited about this new event, which is grounded in our marketing strategy that identified cuisine as one of our brand pillars, and builds on our well-deserved reputation as an exceptional culinary destination,” said Mrs. Donna Banks, ATB Chairperson. “Travelers, today, will often plan their vacations around culinary experiences, and we are ideally positioned to accommodate these foodie enthusiasts. We are delighted with the response from our stakeholder partners, and intend to make Extraordinary Eats! an annual event,” she continued.
One of the highlights of Extraordinary Eats is Festival del Mar, the annual celebration of all things from the sea, that takes place on the Easter weekend, April 20th and 21st this year, in the beautiful fishing village of Island Harbour.
Traditional cooking and culinary competitions, deep sea fishing competitions, swimming races, volley ball exhibitions and crab races are all “on the menu” for this fun-filled celebration, along with two days of live music and boat racing, the island’s national pastime.
Bar hops and pub crawls to some of the island’s most scenic and popular locales with Lively Island Tours are another component of Extraordinary Eats! A festival of local street food — Taste of The Strip – hosted on The Strip in The Valley on Friday, April 26th, is yet another of the many food events taking place. The Strip is where you will find Anguilla’s famous food trucks, and local specialties like peas soup, johnny cakes, BBQ ribs, steamed fish, oxtail stew and conch soup.
Extraordinary Eats! Comes to a climax with Anguilla’s Chefs Extraordinaire on Saturday, April 27th, an epicurean extravaganza with special appearances from Anguilla’s very own homegrown chefs who have attained international success. This grand finale event is also a Fundraiser for Anguilla’s Culinary Team, a group of extraordinarily talented young chefs, to finance their participation in upcoming regional culinary competitions. Guests will have the opportunity to sample their culinary creations and exotic cocktails, as well as contribute to a very worthy endeavor. Live entertainment, fine dining and dancing will make this elegant affair a truly memorable evening in Anguilla, and all for a good cause.
For information on Anguilla, please visit the official website of the Anguilla Tourist Board: www.IvisitAnguilla.com; follow us on Facebook: Facebook.com/AnguillaOfficial; Instagram: @Anguilla_Tourism; Twitter: @Anguilla_Trsm, Hashtag: #MyAnguilla.
